Recap
Review
There’s a heavy TV show focus in this week’s releases, including two final seasons and two complementary complete series box sets. Check out the full slate of releases below!
No Hard Feelings
The Movie: Jennifer Lawrence is one of those actresses who can occasionally seem like she takes herself a bit too seriously. So I was surprised when the trailer for No Hard Feelings made me literally laugh out loud. The film sees Lawrence play Maddie, a townie in the Hamptons who is, well, kind of a loser. Or at least her life isn’t really going anywhere. When her car gets repossessed, she finds herself responding to an advertisement from a couple of rich parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted son before he goes off to college. And the rest is pretty much standard rom-com fare, but with a twist. And Lawerence is terrific in the film; she’s brassy, acerbic, and sarcastic.., but also brings enough heart to the character to make her likable. Andrew Barth Feldman is also terrific as Percy, and he holds his own against Lawrence quite well. The film isn’t quite a laugh-a-minute, but it is pretty darn funny, and I really liked the way it resolved everything at the end. I had a lot of fun with this one.
The Special Features: There are two making-of featurettes, and a pretty funny collection of bloopers and outtakes.
The Wrap-Up: No Hard Feelings earns its R-rating, so this isn’t one to watch with the kids and grandma, but it is a great date night movie or a gather-the-friends flick. It’s definitely worth a watch and you should get a big kick out of it.
Star Trek Picard: The Final Season
The Show: You can see the next review for my thoughts on the first two Seasons of Star Trek: Picard (suffice to say they were mixed), but boy, I could not have loved Season 3 any more. It was absolutely incredible. I’m not going to go into the plot as there are so many spoilers to be had, but I’ll just say that once again a major threat is upon the universe, and once again, only Admiral Picard and his crew can save it. Except this time around, said crew is mostly made up of the original Star Trek: The Next Generation crew, which is the reunion we’ve all wanted to see. Some people felt like Season 3 was a little too pandering to the fans. I’m here to say: I DON’T CARE!!! Pander to me all you want! With every returning crew member, every surprise guest star, every reference to the original series, I loved this season more and more! Now, the final season is available on home video, and you can get it on Blu-ray or DVD in a regular edition, but there is also a beautiful Steelbook Edition of the Blu-ray available. Featuring a steel case with exclusive (and beautiful) artwork, that’s definitely the edition you’ll want if you’re a collector of home videos and not just a viewer!
The Special Features: This set comes packed with over two hours of extra features (more if you count audio commentaries), including four making-of documentaries, a cast Q&A, a gag reel, a collection of deleted scenes, and of course, audio commentaries for select episodes. Sadly, there are no digital copies included. The Steelbook edition includes the exact same bonus features, plus the gorgeous Steelbook case.
The Wrap-Up: Star Trek: Picard was a flawed series when you take it in as a three-season adventure, but Season 3 on its own was just about perfect. I absolutely loved it, and I have hard time believing any Star Trek fan won’t love it as well!
Star Trek Picard: The Complete Series
The Show: Star Trek: Picard got a LOT of attention from the fan community for giving us the return of the fan-favorite Captain Picard and the Next Generation universe. For my money, I was hugely disappointed in the first season. It was way too dark (with almost no humor) and almost all of the characters were unlikable, and I didn’t really care all that much for the story. So I went into Season 2 with no small amount of trepidation. And then that rarest of things occurred: a show actually went in and fixed most of its mistakes from the season before! Season Two of Picard saw the captain and his crew transported back to 21st century Earth to try and right a cosmic wrong. It brings back Q and The Borg, yet still has its own driving story arc. And then we have Season 3, which as I mentioned above, is nearly perfect for my money. Now, Paramount/CBS has collected all three seasons (which is the entire series, as they have said it’s officially over at this point) into a multi-disc box set, a welcome collection for fans who haven’t yet picked up any of the individual seasons. And even though I didn’t love Season 1, I am a Star Trek completist, so I’m happy to have the entire series in my Star Trek home video collection.
The Special Features: You get a whopping seven hours of extra features on this nice box set. Primarily it’s made up of Story Logs, which are short making-of features on each episode; deleted scenes for all three seasons; audio commentaries on select episodes from all three seasons; additional making-of featurettes from each season, and gag reels from each season.
The Wrap-Up: With the entire season collected plus all the bonus features, it’s hard not to want to have this set in your collection if you’re a Star Trek fan. Heck, it’s worth it for Season 3 alone, but Season 2 is also good enough to make this a bargain. And maybe I’ll eventually come around on that dreary first season.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (4K Ultra HD)
The Movie: Okay, I’m just going to get this out of the way: I don’t like The Nightmare Before Christmas. In any way, shape, or form. I know that it’s an insanely popular and well-loved movie, so I’m not here to try and convince you otherwise. I just… don’t like it. I never have. I saw it in theaters when it came out and hated it, and I spent the next two decades avoiding it. Now I’ve rewatched it a couple of times (including for this review, since it’s now on 4K Ultra HD for the first time) and I still just don’t find it enjoyable at all. But chances are good that you don’t care. You already know if you like the movie or not. So let’s focus on this new home video release; billed as an Ultimate Collector’s Edition, you get the film in 4K (as well as a Blu-ray disc), and you get a nice collection of extra features, as well as a digital copy.
The 4K Audio/Video: The film is 30 years old at this point, so I was curious to see how the 4K Ultra HD upgrade would affect it, and I will say, it’s a nice A/V glow-up. Image clarity is impeccable, and it really gives the sculpted stop-motion animated figures real depth and life. Colors are extremely vibrant, and black levels are nice and deep, which is a huge plus for a film that features so many dark scenes. The surround soundtrack focuses largely on music and dialogue, but you do get some nice ambient effects in the surround channels. It’s definitely the best presentation of the film I’ve seen on home video yet.
The Special Features: While none of the extra features are newly created for this release, you do get a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, an audio commentary (with Tim Burton, director Henry Selick, and Danny Elfman), Burton’s original Frankenweenie short film, and a few other assorted extras. It’s a nice collection of extras.
The Wrap-Up: You can ignore how I feel about the film itself, because if you like it, you probably love it. But this is an excellent home video edition of The Nightmare Before Christmas and it’s definitely worth picking up if you’ve never added it to your library before.
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Beyond Halloween Town – The Story, the Characters, and the Legacy
The Book: Okay, so this isn’t a home video release per se, but since The Nightmare Before Christmas is hitting 4K this week, this seems like an appropriate time to also review Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Beyond Halloween Town – The Story, the Characters, and the Legacy, a 168-page hardcover coffee table book that has just come out from Epic Ink. This isn’t a storybook or graphic novel; it’s a terrific making-of book for the adult TNBC fan who wants to take a peek behind the scenes. Part making-of, part art book, The Nightmare Before Christmas: Beyond Halloween Town takes us through the process of designing the characters, creating the film, and shooting the stop-motion, as well as sharing tons of Tim Burton’s concept art and behind-the-scenes photos. It’s a fascinating history lesson that is also vibrant, colorful, and well-designed. Any TNBC fan will find a lot to like in this gorgeous tome.
The Wrap-Up: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Beyond Halloween Town – The Story, the Characters, and the Legacy looks at the film from start to finish and even explores how it’s become a part of popular culture. I recommend it for any Nightmare Before Christmas fan.
NCIS Los Angeles: The Final Season
The Show: While I’ve never been an overly big fan of the entire NCIS franchise (I don’t dislike it either, I just don’t go out of my way to watch it), it’s been a constant presence on the television landscape for two decades now. I’ve lost count but I think there were something like 17 spin-off series. This week, we get the latest — and final — home video release one of the most popular entries, NCIS: Los Angeles. Wrapping up its run after 14 seasons, NCIS: Los Angeles was one of the offshoots of the mothership that I enjoyed the most. With series stalwarts LL Cool J and Chris O’Donnell in for one last go around, this final season sees pretty much the status quo, with an episodic approach that see a mystery or a bad guy of the week. We get the usual orders, kidnappings, and terrorist acts, all leading up to a massive two-part season finale that focuses a little more on the characters (and a wedding!) Than just action (although there’s plenty of that, too!) in order to give us closure. LL and O’Donnell (and the rest of the cast) have good chemistry as always, and the show remained enjoyable enough in its final season.
The Special Features: In addition to an NCIS: Hawaii crossover episode, you also get a making-of feature about that crossover. Then there’s a collection of deleted scenes and two featurettes about the show’s final season and the cast and crew and their thoughts not he show and it wrapping up.
The Wrap-Up: After 14 seasons, it’s hard to argue with the show coming to an end. If you’ve been collecting this seasons as they’ve been hitting home video, there’s no reason to stop now! Of you haven’t been getting them as they come out but you’re a fan of the show, then read the next review for something that might interest you.
NCIS Los Angeles: The Complete Series
The Show: Now that NCIS: Los Angeles has come to the end of its run after fourteen seasons, fans might be wanting to go back and binge the entire series. Well, if that’s the case then CBS has good news for you: NCIS: Los Angeles – The Complete Series has arrived on DVD. This massive 81-disc box set gives you every single episode from the show’s run, as well as all the extra features from the original season set releases. NCIS: Los Angeles, obviously a successful and popular show, was always the most action-packed part of the NCIS franchise, and with two bona fide stars in the lead roles with Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J, it might have been my favorite. I’m sure a lot of fans are sorry to see it end, but if you are going to miss having it on your TV every week, this is a nice way to relive the entire show.
The Special Features: This box set includes all off the original extra features from each season, which means you get a two to three making-of featurettes for all 14 seasons, as well as deleted & extended scenes from each season, audio commentaries on select episodes, and a. Few other goodies. All told you get over 17 hours of bonus materials. Nice!
The Wrap-Up: With all 320 episodes on 81 discs and several hours of special features, NCIS Los Angeles: The Complete Series is everything a fan of the show could ask for. And honestly, I’m surprised at how affordably priced it is considering everything you get. Definitely a must-have for fans of the show!
Blue Bloods: The Thirteenth Season
The Show: Boy, CBS really knows how to keep shows alive for an inordinately long time! Blue Bloods returns to DVD for its thirteenth season. As I’ve said before, I’m a huge Tom Selleck fan, but I’m not a regular watcher of the show. I do like to drop in and check out a few episodes here and there when I get the DVDs, though. Season 13 sees the show keeping up its status quo; while there are a few minor narrative through-lines that bridge episodes, for the most part, the show works on an episode-by-episode basis, with a new central issue or crime or mystery each episode. This season gives us 21 episodes in which we see the family and their colleagues take on mobsters, drug dealers, district attorneys, immigrants, and everything under the sun. As always, I enjoyed the individual episodes and storylines and I can’t see any reason the show will start to flag in popularity any time soon.
The Special Features: There’s a thirteenth-season-specific making-of featurette, and additional featurette focusing on Joe Reagan, plus a gag reel and a collection of deleted scenes.
The Wrap-Up: Blue Bloods keeps on going because it sticks to its formula and it does it well. The cast remains terrific, the stories are interesting and compelling, and the quality of the show remains high. Fans of the show should have no reason not to add this latest DVD collection to their collections.
History’s Greatest of All Time
The Show: Brought to us by Peyton Manning (who also hosts), this docuseries looks at the GOATs — the greatest of all time — but not just in sports. Instead, Manning and a rotating host of guest judges rank the Top 10 Greatest of All Time in any number of categories, from Top 10 Stadiums to Top 10 Inventors to Top 10 Candies, and so on. Of course, all of these rankings are subjective, but Manning and the guest participants make good arguments for why they rank things where they do. It’s the kind of lightweight entertaining show that’s easy to watch and fun, but also sneakily gives you some education while you’re watching it. I mean, not like doctorate-level education, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you do better at your next round of Trivial Pursuit after watching this show. This new DVD release collects all eight episodes, all of which I found quite enjoyable.
The Special Features: Usually I complain when there are no extra features, but I don’t really know what you include for a show like this. It’s not like we really need to see how the show was made or anything, so History Channel gets a pass on this one.
The Wrap-Up: While some people might be disappointed there aren’t more sports rankings in this show, I found the subjects they did choose quite interesting, even if I didn’t agree with all of their rankings — especially on the candies episode! Still, it’s a fun show with just enough learning baked in to really get extra bang for your buck from.
Black Circle
The Movie: I wouldn’t fault you for thinking that Black Circle was made in the 1970s. It wasn’t; it was released in 2018 (and is just making its home video debut this week), but the film is so heavily influenced and infused with the 1970s that it feels like it was make in that decade. The film is a Swedish movie that is clearly influenced by the Italian horror movies of the ‘70s. In it, two sisters find their lives spiraling out of control (possibly due to supernatural forces) when they become obsessed with a vinyl record that they inherit from their grandmother. And here’s what I’ll say about the movie: it really wasn’t my cup of tea; it’s much more about atmosphere and mood than plot or narrative, and that’s not a style I tend to enjoy as much. But that said, I can see where people who like the ‘70s ethos and filmmaking styles — especially those from Italy in the giallo genre — will probably really like this movie a lot. It’s well made and well-acted, it’s just not my kind of thing. But if it sounds like your kind of thing, then I would check it out, because you’ll probably enjoy it.
The Special Features: This is a pretty packed release. You get a making-of featurette, an audio commentary with director Adrian Garcia Bogliano, a short film called Don’t Open Your Eyes, an interview with director and actor Adrian Garcia Bogliano and Christina Lindberg, and a still gallery. You also get the film’s musical soundtrack included on an audio CD as a second disc, which I always love as a bonus feature.
The Wrap-Up: Black Circle is a movie that knows what it wants to be and it completely succeeds in being that. Just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean it’s not a well-made film. Check it out if you like more atmospheric horror offerings.
Smiling Friends: Season 1
The Show: Despite Cartoon Network coming to an end, Adult Swim continues on with new shows, including Smiling Friends, which might just be the most Adult Swim thing I’ve ever seen. I wish I could say I mean that as a compliment, but most Adult Swim offerings stopped appealing to me somewhere around 2006. Maybe I’m just getting cranky in my old age, but whatever the reason, I find much Adult Swim content leaves me cold. Smiling Friends is one of those shows. The show follows Pim and Charlie, two employees of a company that tries to make you feel better — and often fails. That sounds relatively straightforward, but you only have to watch five minutes of the show to realize there’s nothing straightforward about it. It’s bizarre and weird and tonally all over the place, and I suspect that’s what so many people like about it. Me, I found it annoying after just a few minutes, largely due to the animation style, which looks like they hired a third grader as art director. It’s apparently a very popular show, but it’s just not my kind of thing.
The Special Features: There’s an additional episode listed as a “bonus episode” but I don’t know if it was unaired or what exactly, so I’m not sure what that means. There’s also an audio commentary track.
The Wrap-Up: Sometimes I feel like I’m just saying “Bah! Humbug!” and I’m a crotchety old man when I review Adult Swim properties, but they just don’t usually appeal to me. I wish I could say Smiling Friends: Season 1 was different, but I can’t.
