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"THE MIDDLE: SEASON 1" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Available on DVD August 31 TheMiddleDVD.com Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The Hecks are a five-person family living in Orson, Indiana, the middle of the heartland. This single-camera sit-com stars Patricia Heaton as Frankie the mother, who also serves as the narrator. Neil Flynn from “Scrubs” plays the father, and together they try to keep their bizarre children in check while making a living and suffering through some economic troubles. Told with a quirky surrealism, “The Middle” is Hollywood’s latest attempt to connect with the rest of us in flyover country.
WHAT I LIKED
I will admit that this show did grow on me. I wasn’t a big fan of the early episodes, and for the reasons for this, see below in the lower section. But once the show found its legs, I found it to be more funny than not.
The key to this series, which is a no-brainer for most good television, is the cast. It’s modeled around Patrician Heaton, but while she does a fine job as the matriarch of the Hecks, it’s the rest of the cast that really shines. Neil Flynn shows that he can bring his dry humor out of the Janitor character on “Scrubs” and supplant it into a regular suburban dad. Rounding out the adult cast is Chris Kattan as Frankie’s BFF at her thankless job.
But the real stars, in my opinion, are the kids. They are brilliant in their roles, which started out as rather two dimension. However, as the season wore on, each child brought a new depth to their quirkiness. Charlie McDermott as Axl started out as the ever-annoyed teen who keeps talking back. But by embracing the weird quirks of a teenage boy and going over the top with his exasperation, he brings on the funny with his asides.
Atticus Shaffer, whom many might recognize as the creepy-as-hell unborn child in “The Unborn,” plays the off-kilter youngest son Brick. In a role that could have deteriorated into irritating, over-coddled child, Shaffer makes it silly enough to be fun and tragic enough to be hilarious.
But the real winner of the cast is Eden Sher as Sue. A failure at everything, the character could have been the pinnacle of pathetic. However, Sher approaches the role with such optimism and hope that you can’t help but root for her. Like an awkward teen girl version of Notre Dame’s Rudy, Sue doesn’t give up, and by the end of the season, I couldn’t help counting her as my favorite character.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Most of the problems with this show are concentrated in the beginning of the series, though some things do permeate through the whole season. The biggest issue I have with “The Middle” is that it’s Hollywood’s warped attempt to “understand” the Midwest. Like “That 70s Show,” it pokes fun at what makes the Heartland great while giving it backhanded compliments.
Also, let’s not mince words... the Hecks are pretty awful parents at times. But they’re presented as normal. Sure, all families have their weird and less-than-prideful moments, but some of the crap the Hecks pull is just plain irresponsible. Like the presentation of Lynette Scavo on “Desperate Housewives” as mother of the year, it always bothers me when bad families are presented as normal in an effort to make the audience feel better about itself.
DVD FEATURES
The three-disc set includes all 24 episodes of season one, along with unaired scenes on select episodes, a gag reel and two featurettes: “Raising a Sitcom Family” and “Sue’s Best Shots.”
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
People who like single-camera quirky comedies.
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"ONE TREE HILL: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Available on DVD August 17 OneTreeHillDVD.com Studio: Warner Bros. Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
So far removed from high school, the characters from Tree Hill are seeing a lot of changes. We’ve lost Chad Michael Murphy and we’ve gained a new slate of hot, young twentysomethings. The kids are all grown and working in the music industry, Hollywood and the fashion industry. Drama continues as Nathan is facing a scandal that could end his NBA career, Haley has a family tragedy on her hands, Brooke is fighting with her lover and has competition with a new girl and Dan gets a new lease on life with some fame attached.
WHAT I LIKED
I never watched the earlier seasons of “One Tree Hill,” and I’m really not in the demographic of the standard CW viewer. However, “One Tree Hill” tends to be one of the better constructed series of teen (now twentysomething) angst. At least that angst involves real problems like death, pregnancy scares, corporate cutthroat struggles and money... not just whining about who really likes whom.
However, I’ll admit as a red-blooded American male that the eye candy factor on “One Tree Hill” is not to be denied. There are plenty of new and beautiful faces (and bodies, often clad in lace underwear) populating the new season. Including guest spots by people like India de Beauford, “One Tree Hill” is nothing, if pleasant to watch.
But I also like the characters. They’re dealing with real problems, and while it can be frustrating to watch beautiful people with rich persons’ problems, the drama doesn’t really seem forced. And there’s also a heart to the show that sucks you into caring for the characters, at least a little bit.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Even though “One Tree Hill” hides behind a slick production and beautiful people, it remains to be an angst-filled show about grown up teenagers from the earlier seasons. That’s not a big surprise to anyone, considering it’s one of CW’s longest running shows. But it does fit into that stereotype a lot, even with older characters. But other than the standard complaints one might have with a teen soap opera that has grown up into its twenties, there’s not a lot to dislike about the series.
DVD FEATURES
The five-disc DVD set comes with unaired scenes and commentary on select episodes. There’s also a gag reel and three featurettes: “Return to Camp One Tree Hill” which looks at the new blood in the cast, “Spring Break with One Tree Hill” which follows two contest winners who got to participate in the show and “OTH: The Director’s Debut” which puts a spotlight on Sophia Bush in her first stab at directing the show.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Twentysomethings who used to be filled with teen angst.
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"COUGAR TOWN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars) BLU-RAY EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Touchstone Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Courtney Cox stars as Jules, a woman in her 40s who has just gotten divorced and has to deal with entering the dating world again. The series begins with her taking aim at the younger men of her town, but soon the show evolves into an ensemble piece with Jules, her married neighbors, her son and ex-husband and the sexy man across the street that she secretly (and later not-so-secretly) is interested in.
WHAT I LIKED
I was a huge fan of “Scrubs,” but I haven’t been a huge fan of Courtney Cox’s post-“Friends” efforts either as actor or producer. “Dirt” was only bearable, and the Coquette reality shows have been quite awful. It was the Coquette curse that initially kept me away from “Cougar Town,” rather than the name, which producers have admitted has been a problem.
But after I learned that it was Bill Lawrence behind the show, I was a bit interested in watching “Cougar Town.” And I’m glad that I did. The show had a rough start, trying to find its footing, but that’s not uncommon with any television show. But damn, once this show got some traction, it was a hoot.
Courtney Cox does a fine job in her role, and I do commend her for having some courage to show her mid-40s body off in sometimes an unflattering light. (Though, speaking of light, she does tend to have a soft lens on the camera and bright lights to get rid of her wrinkles more often than she really should.)
Once the show got off the ground, it turned into a “Friends” in the 40s, with a sharper edge. I love a show with characters that are not very redeemable but ultimately likeable. From Jules’ ex-husband’s stupidity to her best friend’s shallowness, the show manages to walk that line between adorable sit-com and dysfunctional family. Think of it as a non-animated “The Simpsons” in less wild situations.
Don’t get turned off by the name of this show. “Cougar Town” isn’t a show about a woman on the prowl. Rather, it’s a show about people in their 40s dealing with the problems age throws at them, and it’s inappropriately funny as hell.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Not too much. The show was a bit uneven for the first couple episodes, but it still wasn’t bad. I’d have to say that “Cougar Town” is one of the funnier new shows of last season.
BLU-RAY FEATURES
The three-disc DVD comes with bloopers, deleted scenes and several featurettes. “Taming Cougar Town” gives a standard behind-the-scenes look at the development of the series. “Ask Barb” features the real cougar of the show as she gives dating advice. “Stroking It with Bobby Cobb” is a set of in-character golfing tips from Jules’ ex-husband. Finally, “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Saber-Tooth Tiger Town” features the truly dreadful Jimmy Kimmel introducing a spoof of the show with Cloris Leachman.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Anyone who likes the “Scrubs” humor and wants to see it in a fortysomething suburban “Friends” setting.
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"UGLY BETTY: THE COMPLETE FOURTH AND FINAL SEASON" DVD Review by Kevin Carr MOVIE: ** (out of 5 stars) DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Touchstone Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
The fish-out-of-water comedy about an awkward girl from Queens who makes it into the world of fashion publishing comes to an end. We see Betty getting some respect in the magazine world while Daniel recovers from the death of his wife. Mrs. Meade is pioneering her own magazine while Wilhelmina Slater is still scheming to control Mode Magazine. See the stories wrap up, including the story of Hilda’s love interests and Justin coming to terms with his sexuality.
WHAT I LIKED
For as in-your-face “Ugly Betty” is with its presentation, there is a certain warmth of the characters. Certain ones (namely the second-tier cast) have become caricatures of themselves, but at least they’re fun to watch if you don’t mind glaring stereotypes.
At the very least, Betty was finally developing a sense of fashion, which seemed to be too unrealistic for her to not in previous years. But such is the bane of any ongoing series.
This fourth season of “Ugly Betty” is billed on the box as “From Poncho to Honcho,” and it features the final transformation of Betty Suarez from ugly duckling to professional businesswoman. When all is said and done with this season, the series finale is sweet enough to end the run. A lot of the characters and stories have swerved around so much, it’s hard to keep track of who you want to win or lose, but there is a satisfying end.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
While I thought “Ugly Betty” was charming in its first season, the show lost serious focus as we entered into the third year. At its heart, “Ugly Betty” is a comedy, but it delved into overly morose subject matter, like the death of Justin’s father and the death of Daniel’s wife in previous seasons. I wish it had just stuck with the comedy.
My biggest problem with “Ugly Betty,” though, was its faux progressive nature. I read an article about how it was groundbreaking for Latinos and homosexuals, which is utter b.s. This is not the first time we have had Latinos on television speaking Spanish, cooking Mexican food and talking sass in the New York boroughs. Likewise, it’s not the first time we’ve had bitchy gay characters with a taste for high fashion and a flamboyant nature.
Instead, “Ugly Betty” lived on its stereotypes, undoing the real progressive work of a show like “Will & Grace,” which presented homosexuals as regular people. And I can’t think of a show that hasn’t thrown in plenty of Latino stereotypes with its characters. I don’t mind this necessarily, but it shouldn’t be hailed as being progressive.
DVD FEATURES
The DVD set includes several audio commentaries, deleted scenes and a blooper reel. There’s also a slate of “Mode After Hours” webisodes like what we saw on the season three DVD, as well as a featurette “Betty Goes Bahamas” about the cast heading to the islands to film an episode.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Fans of the show and anyone who doesn’t mind glaring stereotypes masquerading as social commentary.
