This release collects every episode from the sixth season of NCIS; Los Angeles, the spin-off series about a group of detectives and investigators who look into crimes involving U.S. Naval personnel.
NCIS: Los Angeles is my favorite of the ever-expanding franchise, mainly due to the cast. Even when the stories are on the rote side, it's always fun to check in with O'Donnell, J, Linda Hunt, et al. Looks good on DVD, though I wish it were offered in-store on Blu-ray.
Star power keeps you engrossed despite unlikely plot developments in both movies. ("Pelican Brief" has some real head scratchers.) No bonus features, though foreign language audio options are there for those interested. Video an audio are good if not top-of-the-class.
This affectionate look at the rock & roll lifestyle is a little glossy for its own good, but strong performances and a killer soundtrack make it all go down smoothly. The hi-def bump doesn't work miracles, but enhanced sound and tons of bonus features make it a keeper for your movie library.
This Blu-ray double feature is a great deal, with cynically comic "Stalag 17" making a nice contrast to the gung-ho theatrics of "The Dirty Dozen." Both movies look good if not great in hi-def, but the sound on both releases gets a new lease on life. Bonus features are decent if lightweight.
This release features two classic westerns starring the legendary actor, John Wayne. In The Searchers Wayne plays Ethan Edwards, a former Confederate soldier who returns to his brother Aaron's frontier cabin three years after the end of the Civil War. In True Grit, he plays grumpy, pot-bellied U.S. marshal "Rooster" Cogburn, hired by 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) to find Tom Chaney (Jeff Corey), who killed her father.
The original "True Grit" from 1969 hasn't worn well, with stiff performances by Wayne and, especially, Campbell, but the Duke is at his best in John Ford's "The Searchers." Both films are much improved on Blu-ray and the extras carried over from their DVD versions are fairly interesting. Definitely worth a purchase at Best Buy's low price.
"Birdman" is worth a look, though you may be surprised that such a gimmicky undertaking won the Best Picture Oscar. Michael Keaton is pretty good, though never really believable as a former superhero star. Edward Norton is less irritating than usual. It's fun to watch the nearly unbroken camera movement, but that's about it for excitement.
This release from the explosive Cinemax series Strike Back includes the show's entire fourth season, following the story an American (Sullivan Stapleton) and British special agent (Philip Winchester), as they track an elusive terrorist named al-Zuhari.
I'll miss the two heroes of "Strike Back," though both guys have already landed other TV gigs. The final season is just as exciting, fun, and sort of semi-serious as the previous years, but each time I've been drawn in to the outlandish action. Strong visuals, great theme song, decent-to-excellent acting across the board.
The crime-fighting sheriff known as Lucas Hood (Antony Starr) returns in Season Three of this action-packed crime drama series. All ten episodes of Banshee's third season are included in this collection, featuring Lucas and his deputy partners Brock Lotus (Matt Servitto) and Siobhan Kelly (Trieste Kelly Dunn) and their often violent showdowns. Plotlines include showdowns between Lucas' team and felonious neo-Nazis, a kidnapping carried out by a returning character, and bloody conflicts involving various gangs in the city of Banshee.
If you're missing "Strike Back" and "Sons of Anarchy," give "Banshee" a shot. Season 3 finds the show in fine form and looking great in a classy Blu-ray presentation. Lots of commentaries and other nice extras make the set worth owning, as do the multiple language audio options. I really like watching the show in German.
Alex O'Loughlin and Scott Caan reprise their roles as police officers in paradise for the fifth season of the CBS drama Hawaii Five-O. All 25 episodes of the season are featured, as well as bonus behind the scenes content.
"Hawaii Five-0" is about as repetitious as it gets, but if you enjoy the clever banter between the two leads you'll get your money's worth from season 5. It looks good on DVD, though I wish they'd had the Blu-ray in stock. (I have those versions of the first 3 seasons.) I still prefer the original series, especially the classy guest stars, but this one works well on its own terms.
This set contains every episode from the tenth season of Criminal Minds, the CBS series centered on the Behavioral Analysis Unit, a special section of the FBI that specialized in profiling, tracking, and apprehending serial killers and other compulsive bad guys.
Even after 10 years, "Criminal Minds" finds ways to up the violence and creep factor without going completely overboard. The cast changes didn't bother me, since they're all pretty much cogs in the machine. Slick and well-written and competently acted, it's a good way to pass the time