THE HOUR
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars)
The BBC (and subsequently BBC America) offers its answer to the highly popular AMC series “Mad Men” with “The Hour.” The show follows a scrappy news team at the BBC in 1956 as a young writer named Freddie tries to punch up the programming by introducing a topical news show called “The Hour.” He argues with his best friend and producer Bel while attempting to handle the handsome but dimwitted anchor Hector. However, as Freddie digs into stories, he stumbles across a political conspiracy that involves murder and treason.
This six-episode series shows how far the BBC has come from their years of 3/4” video on a sound stage. The production value is top-notch, going above and beyond even the higher level programming of recent years like “Doctor Who” and “Mistresses.” The show also serves up a bit of nostalgia with the retro look of the 50s, including the limitations of the day.
The key to the series’ punch is the relationship between Freddie (Ben Whisaw) and Bel (Romola Garai), and with Dominic West in the mix to make an emotional triangle at work and in their private lives, the show works as a character-driven piece. I’ve had a thing for Romola Garai for years, and she shines in this, showing her British sex appeal outside of the normal crosses the Hollywood actresses bear.
Instead of just offering a soap opera for 50s nostalgics, “The Hour” gives us an interesting balance between relationships and danger. The conspiracy angle is ever-present, but it’s not overpowering. We’re not looking at a British version of “24,” but neither are we looking at a British version of “Broadcast News.” It’s not daring for today’s audiences, but it feels daring because of what it is accomplishing in the decade. Running six episodes, it reminds me of the original miniseries “State of Play,” which made more of an impact across the pond than in the states.
Included on the Blu-ray is a spotlight on the set design and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
THE LEAGUE: SEASON 2
Blu-ray Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: ****1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **** (out of 5 stars)
When I first saw ads for “The League” in its fist season – run amongst the breaks of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” – I wasn’t interested. I’m not a sports fan, so the idea of a fantasy football league show was not something I cared about. Fortunately, I caught some of the second season in broadcast and quickly became hooked.
“The League” has more in common with “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” than anything else sports related because its focus is comedy above all else. Cast with a brilliant assortment of comedians who have no problem being self-deprecating and game for anything, “The League” is easily one of the funniest shows on television. It’s not about sports or football, but about obsession and friendly rivals with not-so-friendly results.
The reason I like the FX programming is that it’s not afraid to let its punches land. It’s not afraid to be controversial or politically incorrect. In this season of “The League,” there’s jokes made about all things sexual, orgasms, making up a dead wife to win a fantasy league, wine made from penises, breastfeeding and flexing the Kegel muscles. Where the first season only offered six episodes, the second season gives us 13 hilarious episodes, half of which are presented in extended format on the Blu-ray and DVD.
Like many shows in their second season, “The League” has a nice assortment of special features, including deleted scenes, a weird in-character bit called “Kluneberg Paint By Numbers,” alternate takes, a gag reel and several video spots featuring Taco that literally need to be seen rather than described.
LIE TO ME: THE COMPLETE THIRD AND FINAL SEASON
DVD Review by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ** (out of 5 stars)
“Lie to Me” was one of those series that came on strong but sat on the edge of the bubble for two years before finally getting the axe. It was a pretty amazing concept that has quite a bit of basis in fact, and it was acted extremely well and anchored by film star Tim Roth. The series followed Roth as Cal Lightman, a man who used his knowledge of human behavior and microexpressions to tell him when someone was being truthful or not.
There were some elements improved upon in the third season of the show, unfortunately not enough to avoid cancellation. However, with the introduction of characters like a female cop to balance out Mekhai Pfeiffer’s abrasive role, some things had improved. Additionally, the extra characters helped temper the already existing ones. Cal’s proteges became less annoying in this season and took a back seat in the show. As interesting as they were, this was a good thing considering Tim Roth was the reason I liked the series.
Additionally, the overt explanations and obvious not-so-micro microexpressions were toned down enough to be believably subtle. The only real character sticking point was Cal’s daughter in this season, who was too much of a rebel under her dad’s weak thumb to still be likeable. This character could have learned a lot from the daughter in “Castle.”
Still, the series had some neat episodes, ripping the ideas from the headlines, including such topical subjects as children’s beauty pageants, mental illness and Internet millionaires that resemble Mark Zuckerberg but aren’t really Mark Zuckerberg for legal reasons.
There were still some special features to round out this four-disc set, which contains the 13 episodes of the third season. Many episodes feature deleted scenes, and there’s a short “In Character” spotlight on Tim Roth that’s worth checking out.
ARMY WIVES: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: **1/2 (out of 5 stars)
I’ll have to admit that the series “Army Wives” has grown on me over the years. It’s changed quite a bit, not just in how they present the Army but also by how they present the wives. It’s clearly a female-centric show aimed a female audience, but there’s some interesting elements a man can relate to.
The wives of Fort Marshall have been overcoming tragedy for years, and more drama is flung their way. With Denise dealing with her new baby and Claudia Joy facing an empty nest, there’s plenty of family drama back home. Pamela’s short-lived marriage woes (which were caused by a possible new series spin-off for her) get resolved, but the relationship stress gets passed along to Roxy and her husband.
Like any series that hits its fifth year (and to be honest, this happened in the third year to this show), there’s a lot of forced drama just to keep things going and the show interesting. This can only last for so long because there’s only so many kids to die and divorces to dodge before the show turns in on itself. I fear this might happen in season six, but the show does leave an interesting cliffhanger that might provide some realistic outside drama so this doesn’t happen.
The DVD set includes 18 deleted scenes, a roundtable chit-chat with the cast in “Hanging’ At the Hump with The Cast of Army Wives” as well as “Fun on the Set: Bloopers, Babies, Ballroom and Brian McNamara.”
