Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

June 14, 2013 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

If you thought season two was awesome, for season three, the crew and the cast went all out and delivering an exciting and enjoyable final third season! A new edgier, action-packed direction for the series with new cast members and for the most part, 13 riveting episodes… For fans of the series, “Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” is recommended!

DVD TITLE: Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season

SERIES DATE: 2013

DURATION: 13 Episodes (559 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV 14 DSLV

RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2013

Directed by Nelson McCormick, Christine Moore, Eric Laneuville, John Terlesky, Michael Grossman, Paul Holahan, Alex Zakrzewski, John Terlesky

Written by Christopher Murphey, Matthew V. Lewis, Diane Ademu-John, Corey D. Miller, Allen MacDonald

Produced by Jim Klever-Weis, Bryan Oh

Co-Producer: Paul Gadd

Supervising Producer: Diane Ademu-John, Sam Humphrey

Executive Producer: Corey D. Miller, Matthew Gross, Christopher Murphey, Sunil Nayar, Evan Katz

Co-Executive Producer: Corey D. Miller, Richard Heus, Andrew Dettmann, Krystal Houghton

Supervising Producer: Diane Ademu-John, Alexi Hawley, Allen MacDonald

Associate Producer: Andrwe Balek

Music by Daniel Licht, Trevor Morris

Cinematography by Patrick Cady

Edited by Lynn Willingham, Paul Trejo, Louise Innes, Chris G. Willingham

Casting by Natalie Hart, Jason La Padura, Patrick Rush

Production Design by Kenneth Hardy

Art Direction by Gina B. Cranham

Set Decoration by Ellen Totleben

Costume Design by Susanna Puisto

Starring:

Dana Delany as Megan Hunt

Jeri Ryan as Kate Murphy

Geoffrey Arend as Ethan Gross

Windell Middlebrooks as Curtis Brumfield

Mary Mouser as Lacey Fleming

Joanna Cassidy as Joan Hunt

Mark Valley as Det. Tommy Sullivan

Elyes Gabel as Det. Adam Lucas

Luke Perry as Charlie Stafford

Lorraine Toussaint as Chief Angela Martin

Marisa Ramirez as Officer Riley Dunn

In the exciting final season of “Body of Proof” things are hotter than ever as new characters are introduced and relationships are tested when Medical Examiner Megan Hunt uncovers a new murder mystery every week! The three-disc DVD set brings fans deeper into the series with exclusive bonus features including exclusive featurettes, bloopers and more!

As writers worked to save “Body of Proof” from cancellation and race to improve ratings, by the end of season two, characters were killed off and characters went on to follow career or family plans. So, with the murder of Detective Dunlop and departing characters in the season finale, a new chapter begins for “Body of Proof” for its final third season.

Featuring new characters and deeper plot featuring more action and more edgier storylines featuring the character of Dr. Megan Hunt becoming much more closer to the cases than ever before.

And now the three-disc DVD set of “Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” will be released in June 2013 courtesy of abc studios.

What is “Body of Proof”?

From writer and producer Christopher Murphey comes a new ABC medical drama titled “Body of Proof” which made its debut on March 2011 replacing a canceled drama series. With a short nine episode first season, the drama series was renewed for a second season and garnered positive reviews around the world where it has aired.

“Body of Proof” is a series that centers on Dr. Megan Hunt, a brilliant neurosurgeon who was a workaholic but was also away from her family which led to a divorce and losing custody of her daughter Mary.

One day, while trying to talk on her cell phone, she got into a car accident and now she doesn’t have full control of her hands to do surgery and thus ended her career as a neurosurgeon.

So, now Dr. Hunt works as a medical examiner and is trying to establish a relationship with her daughter but also assists the detectives on various homicide cases.

As Megan Hunt is dealing with the death of Detective Dunlop, a former boyfriend of Megan, Tommy Sullivan has moved to Philadelphia working in the Homicide Division and Dr. Megan Hunt is shocked to see him back. Tommy would like to rekindle things with Megan and felt that they were too young back in the past but now as grown up adults, perhaps Megan may be interested.

But with Megan now having her daughter Lacey living with her (for this season), she must put up with her mother Joan (portrayed by Joanna Cassidy), who is a bit overbearing.

Meanwhile, Chief Medical Examiner, Kate Murphy is encouraged to pursue public office by District Attorney Dan Russell and so, life becomes much more hectic and much busier as she plans to get into politics.

But this time around, Dr. Megan Hunt must deal with major personal/family issues but also multiple homicides which include a downing of a major airliner, a prison escape, her daughter being kidnapped and a person possessed by something evil?

The characters of “Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” include:

Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany, “Desperate Housewives”, “Castle”, “Kidnapped”) - A former neurosurgeon now medical examiner who was a dedicated, brilliant neurosurgeon but broke her marriage and prevented a true relationship with her daughter which was followed by a life-changing car accident which ended her career. Now, a medical examiner, she uses her knowledge and investigative instincts to help police solve cases. She’s not very sociable, doesn’t have any friends due to being a workaholic.

Tommy Sullivan (Mark Valley, “Boston Legal”, “The Siege”, “Human Target”) - A former NYPD officer and former flame of Dr. Megan Hunt, who has moved to Philadelphia to work at the homicide division.

Dr. Kate Murphy (Jerry Ryan, “Star Trek: Voyager”, “Down with Love”, “Shark”, “Boston Public”) - The chief medical examiner and forensic anthropologist. Always concerned with the work budget, as Megan’s superior and the first female chief medical examiner in Philadelphia, she is sometimes at odds with Dr. Megan Hunt. She is also dating Megan’s ex-husband.

Detective Adam Lucas (Elyes Gabel, “Casualty”, “World War Z”, “Boogeyman 3″) - A partner of Detective Tommy Sullivan.

Dr. Ethan Gross (Geoffrey Arend, “(500) Days of Summer”, “Garden State”) – The young and enthusiastic fellow medical examiner.

Dr. Curtis Brumfield (Windell Middlebrooks, “Miss March”, “Enlightened”) – A former chief resident at Seattle Grace Hospital and an orthopedic surgeon. Was married with Dr. George O’Malley. Later, she has a sexual relationship with Dr. Mark Sloan (in order to prove to herself that she is heterosexual) but is now starting to understand her feelings that she is a lesbian and exploring her relationship with Dr. Arizona Robbins.

Todd Fleming (Jeffrey Nordling, “Flight 93″, “Tron: Legacy”, “Once and Again”) - The estranged husband of Dr. Megan Hunt, who is dating Megan’s boss, Dr. Kate Murphy.

Lacey Fleming (Mary Matilyn Mouser, “Bride Wars”, “Son of the Mask”) – The estranged daughter of Dr. Megan Hunt.

Joan Hunt (Joanna Cassidy, “Blade Runner”, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”) – Megan’s overbearing mother and a former judge.

Charlie Stafford (Luke Perry, “Beverly Hills 90210″, “The Fifth Element”, “Jeremiah”) – A former CDC officer who has become Philadelphia’s Health Commissioner and wants to get closer to Dr. Megan Hunt.

“Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” features 13 episodes on three DVD’s. Here is a basic summary of each episode (Spoilerless summaries):

EPISODE 30 – Abducted (Part 1) – Megan returns to work after the death of Peter and a serial killer is terrorizing the city. Meanwhile, an old boyfriend of Megan returns to Philadelphia and works at the Philadelphia Homicide Department.
EPISODE 31 – Abducted (Part 2) – Megan’s daughter is being kidnapped and the race is on to find her. But can she trust people who are close to her?
EPISODE 32 – Lost Souls – Megan must work on a case in which a young girl appears to be possessed. Is she?
EPISODE 33 – Mob Mentality – Megan and Tommy must work together to investigate who killed a mob leader’s son.
EPISODE 34 – Eye for an Eye – Megan and Tommy investigate two murders that may have been killed by a vigilante.
EPISODE 35 – Fallen Angel – Kate falls for a man named Sergei, but he may be involved in a Russian human trafficking ring.
EPISODE 36 – Skin & Bones – Strange rabies are happening around the city and Tommy gets bit by a man.
EPISODE 37 – Doubting Tommy – Megan sees Tommy talking to a young woman, who ends up dead the following day. Did Tommy kill her?
EPISODE 38 – Disappearing Act – A wealthy fund manager on trial is kidnapped and murdered.
EPISODE 39 – Committed – Megan wants to know how her father died and wants her father’s body exhumed which her mother refuses.
EPISODE 40 – Dark City – A plane crashes in Philadelphia and everyone must go in disaster mode.
EPISODE 41 – Breakout – A convicted inmate escapes from a prison transport van and he comes to Megan for help to prove that he wasn’t responsible for killing the woman he loved.
EPISODE 42 – Daddy Issues – THE FINAL EPISODE – When Megan’s father’s body is exhumed, the coffin is empty. Who killed Megan’s father?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 televisions. This is one of the few drama series on television where a lot of the scenes are shot outdoors, to there is good natural lighting and the series does look good on DVD. I didn’t see any major noise or compression artifacts. For the most part, the seventh season does look very good on DVD.

As for audio, the series is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and the series is primarily dialogue and music driven. Dialogue is clear and understandable, while the music has always played a major part for the series and definitely enhances certain scenes. Did notice the surround used in scenes with cutting of flesh (during surgery) which was quite clear. There are a few mild action sequences but for the most part, this is a dialogue-driven drama series.

The show is presented in English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” includes the following special features:

Getting the Shot – (4:17) The cast talk about Patrick Cady, DP Director of Photography and Patrick talks about his job and what he wants to accomplish with each episode.
VFX The Ultimate Makeover - (3:11) The VFX crew discuss the post-effects used for “Body of Proof” and how they used visual effects to make the city look like Philadelphia and removing any trace of Los Angeles (ie. palm trees) from the series. Also adding blood and guts for season three and more.
All Kinds of Props – (5:32) Because there are more investigative scenes for season three, more props are used and this featurette goes into the props used for season three.
Creating the World - (5:30) The crew that creates the world for “Body of Proof” and creating Philadelphia in Los Angeles and went into creating the episodes for season three.
Body of Goofs – (3:29) Featuring the burning down a house for an episode and what was involved in the creation of that scene.

EXTRAS:

“Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” comes with a slipcover case.

The final third season of “Body of Proof” was a season that would describe as action-packed, edgy and writers and cast putting it all on the line to see if this new direction will receive the green light for a fourth season.

Unfortunately, Dana Delany has confirmed on Twitter that the show has been canceled, as fans who have supported the series have hoped that a new home on cable would be found.

With that being said, my feeling of the third season is quite positive. I felt the new direction was a good way to reboot the series featuring a more colder Megan Hunt, new characters and to focus on more action-driven, edgier storylines. But the problem is whether or not people would accept it.

Similar to “Castle” which features a novelist hanging around and helping out an investigator/law enforcement, “Body of Proof” went that same direction by featuring Megan Hunt now being involved in a variety of situations that most medical examiners never have to worry about. From her daughter being kidnapped, from assisting an investigator and taking part in subduing a criminal, to having an escaped convicted felon breaking into her car with a gun to her head, a possibly possessed woman and an airplane going down near the city. Meanwhile worrying about how her father really died and wanting to pursue it, as she doesn’t believe her father died of suicide.

In a nutshell, this describes the adventures of Megan Hunt for season three.

You just don’t really find medical examiners getting themselves into this much trouble and constantly around investigators during their investigations.

But of course, this is television, where things don’t have to equate necessarily to actual reality. Action-packed and dark storylines tend to be the norm and what people want to see, along with very good acting and a solid storyline.

The changes made for the third season was necessary. I felt there had to be a change with characters and I really liked the chemistry between Megan Hunt and Det. Tommy Sullivan was there and Dana Delany and actor Mark Valley clicked on camera,

I felt how they included Ethan Gross and Curtis Brumfield to the storyline was much better as they stayed behind-the-scenes and unlike Megan, got involved in action-scenes, it just didn’t feel right to see these people trying to hide from criminals as their jobs are pretty much restricted to lab or on the field of duty.

And as for Kate Murphy, the character pursuing a political career is actually conceivable and the conflict between her interested in the field and pursuing politics worked well for her character. A much better storyline than last year’s story of Kate dating Megan’s ex-husband.

Another positive aspect of season three along with the addition of Det. Tommy Sullivan is the addition of Det. Adam Lucas. These two partners seemed right on television versus Detective Bud Morris and Detective Samantha Baker. Past seasons, I felt the two characters were not integrated well into the series. Season one felt like comedy, season two they started to make these characters quite right for doing their job and for season three, integrating these characters for every homicide and have them take part in the action/drama was important. It took three seasons for the writers to get it right and I was pleased with how the detectives were utilized!

And one final positive aspect to add to Megan Hunt’s personality is by showing a vulnerable side to her. And this is by featuring more of her mother Joan Hunt and her daughter Lacey. The storyline about mother and daughter but also her past of losing her father and looking into his murder.

Once again, something that is similar to “Castle” but with the “Castle” storyline being much bigger and corrupt, with this situation, at least it ties itself up by the final episode.

As for the DVD release, picture quality for “Body of Proof” is very good, dialogue is clear and understandable and there are several special features included with the third season DVD set.

I’m not sure if the creators or writers anticipated a possibility that “Body of Proof” would not be coming back for a fourth season, but since this is a final season, the good news is that the series does answer a lot of questions in regards to how Megan Hunt’s father had died and the series ends with an outcome that fans of the series can be content with.

I felt the cast and the writers did everything possible within their limits to making an exciting and enjoyable third season but the fact is that television is changing and there are more options of entertainment that people can tune into. “Body of Proof” didn’t do poorly in the ratings, it actually does better than other series that are still on television but for ABC, whatever reason they chose not to continue it, may it be due to the cost per episode or their ratings barometer is too high, this was the best season of “Body of Proof” and I enjoyed it.

I’m grateful to Dana Delany, Jeri Ryan, Geoffrey Arend, Windell Middlebrooks, Mary Mouser and many others from the cast and crew for three enjoyable seasons. They battled hard to keep the series on air but in the end, they delivered when it came to giving one hell of an exciting season for the audience.

So for those who have followed and purchased each of the first two seasons of “Body of Proof”, this final third season is a worthy purchase to close out the series.

“Body of Proof: The Complete Third Season” is recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

October 8, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

The producers and writers for “Body of Proof” went all out this second season with more action, heavy hitting episodes but also shocking storylines and deaths of major characters that I never saw coming! “Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” is highly recommended!

DVD TITLE: Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season

SERIES DATE: 2012

DURATION: 20 Episodes (854 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV 14 DSLV

RELEASE DATE: September 18, 2012

Directed by Nelson McCormick, Christine Moore, Matthew Gross, John Terlesky

Written by Christopher Murphey, Matthew V. Lewis, Diane Ademu-John, Andrew Dettmann, Corey D. Miller, Sunil Nayar, Sam Humphrey, Matthew Gross, Lawrence Kaplow, Allen MacDonald

Produced by Jim Klever-Weis, Bryan Oh

Co-Producer: Paul Gadd

Supervising Producer: Diane Ademu-John, Sam Humphrey

Executive Producer: Matthew Gross, Christopher Murphey, Sunil Nayar

Co-Executive Producer: Corey D. Miller, Richard Heus, Andrew Dettmann

Music by Daniel Licht

Cinematography by Patrick Cady

Edited by Jennifer Pulver, Lynn Willingham, Randy Jon Morgan, Tirsa Hackshaw, Eric Litman

Casting by Rosalie Joseph, Gayle Pillsbury

Production Design by Steven Wolff, Kenneth Hardy

Art Direction by Jeremy Woodward, E. David Cosier, Gina B. Cranham

Costume Design by Roberta Haze, Roberta Haze

Starring:

Dana Delany as Megan Hunt

Jeri Ryan as Kate Murphy

John Carroll Lynch as Bud Morris

Nicholas Bishop as Petr Dunlop

Sonja John as Samantha Baker

Geoffrey Arend as Ethan Gross

Windell Middlebrooks as Curtis Brumfield

Mary Mouser as Lacey Fleming

Nathalie Kelley as Dani Alvarez

Jeffrey Nordling as Todd Fleming

Joanna Cassidy as Joan Hunt

Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) may have a prickly personality, but she’s a brilliant medical examiner with unique techniques for solving even the most complex crime. Relive every unique medical mystery as Megan seeks justice for each victim, while also putting her life back together and repairing her personal relationships with the living. Dissect each distinctive case with ABC’s “Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” on DVD, plus exciting bonus features!

One day, while trying to talk on her cell phone, she got into a car accident and now she doesn’t have full control of her hands to do surgery and thus ended her career as a neurosurgeon.

So, now Dr. Hunt works as a medical examiner and is trying to establish a relationship with her daughter but also assists Detectives Bud Morris and Samantha Becker on their criminal cases along with her partner Nicholas Bishop, a former police officer now medico-legal investigator.

The characters of “Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” include:

Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop, “Home and Away, “Walking on Water”) - A former police officer and now a medico-legal investigator. A partner to Dr. Megan Hunt assisting her on medical cases.

Detective Bud Morris (John Carroll Lynch, “Zodiac”, “Gran Torino”, “Shutter Island”) - A hardheaded homicide detective. Despite having personal problems due to a failing marriage, he does his best to solve his cases but often he and Dr. Megan Hunt are at odds when she oversteps her boundaries.

Detective Samantha Baker (Sonja John, “The Wire”, “Bringing out the Dead”, “Shaft”) - A partner of Detective Bud Morris and a person who respects Dr. Megan Hunt for being straightforward.

Dr. Ethan Gross (Geoffrey Arend, “(500) Days of Summer”, “Garden State”) – The young and enthusiastic fellow medical examiner.

Todd Fleming (Jeffrey Nordling, “Flight 93″, “Tron: Legacy”, “Once and Again”) - The estranged husband of Dr. Megan Hunt, who is dating Megan’s boss, Dr. Kate Murphy.

Lacey Fleming (Mary Matilyn Mouser, “Bride Wars”, “Son of the Mask”) – The estranged daughter of Dr. Megan Hunt.

Dani Alvarez (Nathalie Kelley, “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift”, “Loaded”) – Delivers the deceased to the medical examiner’s office and becomes the love interest for Peter in Season Two.

“Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” features 20 episodes on four discs. Here is a basic summary of each episode (Spoilerless summaries):

EPISODE 10 – Love Thy Neighbor – A car goes over an embankment and a man is found dead. Who is responsible?
EPISODE 11 – Hunting Party – A young new wife is shot at the family deer-hunt outing, who is responsible for killing her?
EPISODE 12 – Missing – A young nanny is run over and the 5-year-old charge has been kidnapped and he desperately needs his medication.
EPISODE 13 – Lazarus Man – A man who is on the examination table who is presumed dead, walks out off the table.
EPISODE 14 – Point of Origin – Peter saves a young woman in a house fire but is upset that he didn’t know a person died in the fire.
EPISODE 15 – Second Chances – A horse-riding champion is found dead in the woods, who is responsible for the murder?
EPISODE 16 – Hard Knocks – A teenager dies at a party and someone made the 911 call. Who may be responsible for the teen’s death?
EPISODE 17 – Love Bites – A pharmaceutical rep is found murdered and the team must find out who is responsible.
EPISODE 18 – Gross Anatomy – How did a murdered woman’s body end up as a medical school cadaver?
EPISODE 19 – Your Number’s Up – A lottery winner is found stabbed to death. Who is responsible for the murder?
EPISODE 20 – Falling For You – Who killed the bride on her wedding day?
EPISODE 21 – Shades of Blue – A cop is executed at a truck stop, but another cop is a suspect. Is he responsible?
EPISODE 22 – Sympathy for the Devil – A woman found innocent for murder is killed. Who was responsible for the murder?
EPISODE 23 – Cold Blooded – An Italian restaurant owner is found dead in a freezer. Who is responsible?
EPISODE 24 – Occupational Hazards – Two cards with bodies found inside the trunk, now the team must solve two cases.
EPISODE 25 – Home Invasion – Parents of a perfect family are killed. Did the surviving son do it?
EPISODE 26 – Identity – Two young girls are involved in a tragic car accident but the wrong girl is pronounced dead and the car accident may not be responsible for the death of the girl.
EPISODE 27 – Going Viral, Part 1 – The team must solve a city-wide virus outbreak.
EPISODE 28 - Going Viral, Part 2 – Death tolls continue to rise in the city, the team must find a way to treat the virus!
EPISODE 29 – Mind Games – A serial killer is back and wants his revenge on Megan.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 televisions. This is one of the few drama series on television where a lot of the scenes are shot outdoors, to there is good natural lighting and the series does look good on DVD. I didn’t see any major noise or compression artifacts. For the most part, the seventh season does look very good on DVD.

The show is presented in English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” includes the following special features:

Design of Body of Proof: Living Spaces – (2:27) A short featurette on the production design of the series.
Bodies of Body of Proof - (2:35) A short featurette about the dead bodies featured in the series. Technical Advisor Gary Kellerman talks about the research that goes into the auditions and using pig parts and having Dana Delany practicing the incisions on them and make-up design for the deceased.
The Stunt Work of Body of Proof: Taking the Plunge – (4:58) A featurette on the stunt work featured in the series and how executive producers wanted to see much more action in the seconds season.
The Stunt Work of Body of Proof: Prepping the Stunt (Part 1) – (2:57) The creation of the high speed stunt.
The Effects of Body of Proof: Playing with Fire – (3:29) Featuring the burning down a house for an episode and what was involved in the creation of that scene.
The Fashion of Body of Proof – (2:36) A featurette on the fashion for “Body of the Proof” from Susanna Puisto (Costume Designer).
The Stunt Work of Body of Proof: Collision Course (Part 2) – (3:46) Anya Adams (1st Assistant Director) talks about scheduling the stunts for the series. Lisa Wesels (Stunt Coordinator) talks about the coordination of the stunts for the series and more!
Body of Goofs – (3:37) Outtakes from the second season of “Body of Proof”.
Outbreak: Webisodes – Featuring five webisodes (about two minutes long) showcasing a newscaster about a terrorist virus outbreak.

EXTRAS:

“Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” comes with a slip cover case.

With “Body of Proof” receiving a 20-episode order (compared to last season’s nine-episodes), this gave writers to explore more cases for the second season.

That also meant more action but also taking more risks in hopes that people will continue to watch the series for the third season.

“Body of Proof” is an interesting series because it deals with both the medical side but also the police detective side.

It’s a mix of a medical and police drama series…not to say it’s “Grey’s Anatomy” meets “Castle” kind of hybrid series but you have the medical side and then a medical examiner who tends to overstep the boundaries during a police investigation once in awhile.

But the series does make things different in the fact that the main character, Dr. Megan Hunt, while a talented medical examiner and former neurosurgeon, she’s flawed when it comes to things outside of her career. She realizes what she lost when she lost and that is a failed marriage and a teenage daughter and a husband who are estranged. And to make things worse for Megan, her boss, is dating her ex-husband and also there for her teenage daughter, which causes resentment and also jealousy within Megan.

You can tell that she buries herself in work to avoid social interaction or to avoid the pain of losing her family but whether or not she likes it, her co-workers are her support, trying to get her out of this funk and make her more sociable but also giving her that extra push for her to have that relationship with her daughter.

Dana Delaney does a spectacular job of playing the character who has confidence when it comes to her job but also her personality flaws when it comes to the more emotional and social aspects of her life. And speaking of Delaney, I definitely love this character role since she played Nurse Colleen McMurphy on “China Beach” back in 1988-1991. A strong character role, intelligent but yet not perfect…just a human being who works hard at her job but also has her own personal issues that she has to deal with.

What I like about this is that many professionals I know are like that. They put in a lot of hours in the office and deep inside, they know they should be with family but because of their dedication for the greater good of saving lives… it’s a difficult choice and lifestyle which is rarely focused in a drama series.

I have to admit that at first, I thought this was going to be a reversed-”Castle” type series where Dr. Hunt would be overstepping the boundaries of her job during the police questioning of a potential suspect but I’m glad that it’s not that type of drama series and that the writers are trying to do something difference. Also, I like the fact that the other supporting cast were being utilized much more earlier in the series.

While the series has gained critical praise, one thing that I do find the series a bit problematic is its criminal cases are predictable. If anything, we are a bit spoiled in this day and age with many police or investigative series that really make you wonder “who did it?”, “Body of Proof” is not exactly challenging the viewer as much.

Also, with more episodes, the series goes further into the character development of Peter, Kate, Ethan, Curtis but also exploring the lives of Detectives Bud Morris and Samantha Baker.

The second season also featured a lot of sexual tension. You never knew if Megan or Peter will get together but eventually, both managed to explore other people (as well as other characters exploring romance).

But what made the second season so awesome was that the writers took amazing risks.

The biggest risk was by creating the virus outbreak episodes for “Going Viral” and killing off a pretty important character of the series, followed by the season finale which killed off a major character of the series. And to make things worse, although a third season was green-lit, the budget for the series has been slashed and even more characters are going to be gone for season three.

While I appreciate the fact that ABC is bringing the series back, what made “Body of Proof” so compelling was the balance between medical/police drama. By eliminating so many characters of one side of the series, I really don’t know what direction the series is headed for season three.

As for the DVD release, you get 20-episodes, quite a few special features and overall picture and audio quality is very good on DVD.

With a series like “Body of Proof”, there was no doubt that the writers did so much to make this season exciting. More action, more stunt work and calculated stories which include a major outbreak and a serial killer which leaves two characters dead and also a season finale which would feature the last appearances of important characters.

The writers did a lot to improve the second season and did all they can to give “Body of Proof” its own identity and to distinguish itself from other ABC drama shows like “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Private Practice”, “Castle”, etc.

But with how things have ended with season two and what has transpired since the third season received an order of more episodes and a drastic cut to its budget, needless to say, the third season will be a new chapter in the life of Dr. Megan Hunt and may possibly be a different kind of series that we have been accustomed to, in these past two seasons. It’s a shame because this season really went all out into developing storylines for viewers to learn more about these characters and now, quite a few of them are now gone. It’s like taking “Grey’s Anatomy” and eliminating everyone but a handful of characters.

So, I don’t really know what is in store for season three. But for season two alone, if you enjoyed the first season, you definitely want to watch the second. The writers really went all out with this second season and by the final episodes of the season, you can’t believe where the writers are taking you. I was impressed they saved the best episodes of season two for last!

If you are looking for a fun, well-written, clever and entertaining medical/investigative drama series, “Body of Proof: The Complete Second Season” is highly recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

September 27, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Desperate Housewives” season eight was a final season that managed to incorporate all the angst, the craziness, those “I can’t believe this just happened” moments and a heartbreaking, tragic death scene. But it also featured a storyline with proper closure for longtime viewers of the series.If you stuck with the series this long, “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” is definitely recommended!

TITLE: Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season

DURATION: (23 episodes) 987 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, Region 1, Widescreen (1:78:1), NTSC, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles

RATED: TV 14 DLSV

COMPANY: abc studios

RELEASE DATE: September 25, 2012

Created by Marc Cherry

Directed by Larry Shaw, David Grossman, David Warren, Bathany Rooney

Written by Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, Matt Berry, Joe Keenan, Jason Ganzel, Jeff Greenstein, Marco Pennette, David Schladweiler, John Paul Bullock II, Josann McGibbon, Sara Parriott

Executive Produced by Marc Cherry, Geroge W. Perkins, Larry Shaw, David Grossman, Sabrina Wind, Dana N. Wilson, Josann McGibbon,

Co-Executive Produced by Sara Parriott, Annie Weisman

Produced by Charlas Skouras II, Stephanie Hagen

Consulting Producer: Jeff Greenstein. Joe Keenan

Music by Steve Jablonsky

Cinematography by Lowell Peterson, David J. Miller

Editing by Andrew Doerfer, Jonathan Posell, Karen Castaneda

Casting by Scott Genkinger, Junie Lowry-Johnson

Production Design by Erik Carlson

Series Art Direction by Brian Jewell

Series Set Decoration by Eric Rogalia

Series Costume Design by Catherine Adair

Series Casting by Scott Genkinger, Junie Lowry-Johnson

Production Design by Erik Carlson

Art Design by Brian Jewell, Erik Carlson

Set Decoration by Erica Rogalla

Costume Design by Catherine Adair

Starring:

Terri Hatcher as Susan Mayer

Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo

Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge

Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis

Dana Delany as Katherine Mayfair

Ricardo Chavira as Carlos Solis

Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young

Doug Savant as Tom Scavo

James Denton as Mike Delfino

Shawn Pyfrom as Andrew Van De Kamp

Andrea Bowen as Julie Mayer

Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge

Kathryn Joosen as Karen McCluskey

Richard Burgi as Karl Mayer

Maiara Walsh as Ana Solis

Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry

Harrie Sansom Harris as Felicia Tilman

Darcy Rose byrnes as Penny Scavo

Emily Bergl as Beth Young

Brian Austin Green – Keith Watson

Polly Bergen as Stella Wingfield

Roger Bart as George Williams

Jonathan Cake as Chuck Vance

Christine Estabrook as Martha Huber

Andrea Parker as Jane Carlson

Maria Cominis as Mona Clark

Dakin Matthews as Reverend Sikes

Kiersten Warren as Nora Huntington

Valerie Mahaffey as Alma Hodge

Michael Dempsey as Detective Murphy

Lupe Ontiveros as Juanita “Mama” Solis

Steve Tyler as Minister

Say goodbye to the ladies of Wisteria Lane with the final climactic season of “Desperate Housewives.” The stakes are at an all-time high as each of the women cope with theirnnguilt in the aftermath of last season’s shocking murder and cover-up. Complete your collection with “Desperate Housewives: The Eighth and Final Season.” The beloved series’ final season is released in a five-disc DVD set features exciting bonus material including the final goodbye from the original four housewives, bloopers, deleted scenes and more.

Season seven of “Desperate Housewives” ended with Carlos killing Gaby’s evil stepfather (who was trying to get close to her again) and her friends deciding to hide the body.

With the final eighth season of “Desperate Housewives”, being an accomplice of hiding a body involved in a murder is starting to take its toll on Carlos and some of the women.

With Susan, she never wanted to be part of the whole plan but now the guilt is starting to affect her to the point that she is acting out on her guilt. She wants to tell her husband Mike how she feels but her friends do not want her telling anyone.

Meanwhile, Bree is stunned when a letter arrives in her mailbox telling her that the person knows what she did. A similarity to the letter that led to Mary Alice Young’s death.

Gabrielle is trying to deal with Carlos’ guilt. With Carlos not wanting to be intimate, it’s affecting her marriage and she is not sure what to do.

Lynette and Tom separate but when they start living separate lives, they realize that their problems are much greater than they have expected.

What is “Desperate Housewives”?

“Desperate Housewives” is a series that had so many complex storylines that to even explain what has happened in the last four seasons would be difficult but if there is one thing that remains the same, it’s our housewives.

The premise of the first season was based around the death of fellow housewife Mary Alice Young (played by Brenda Strong, “Everwood”, “The Help”, “A Plumm Summer”). Mary Alice Young is the narrator of the series and every episode, she has setup the sequences of what is going on in the life of her friends. And its the housewives of Wisteria Lane who have lived complex lives full of love, betrayal, pain and sadness.

For the seventh season of “Desperate Housewives”, each of the housewives are dealing with problems in their life. Susan and Mike are struggling financially to make ends meet and Susan misses living in Wisteria Lane with her friends. She must make a decision on how to pay the bills, that means taking on a job she doesn’t want to do. Gabrielle and Carlos must deal with the news that their daughter was switched as birth and that Juanita is not their true blood daughter. Meanwhile, Gabi has a person in her past return back to her life. Bree meanwhile is single but she has her eyes on her young contractor. Lynette and Tom are trying to work on their marriage after going through some major difficulties and Lynette’s best friend/rival from college, Renee Perry (played by Vanessa Williams) moves to Wisteria Lane.

With the eighth and final season of “Desperate Housewives”,

The main characters of “Desperate Housewives” Season 8 are:

Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher, “Seinfeld”, “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) – One of the lead characters who was married to Karl and had a daughter named Julie. They divorced and Susan married Mike Delfino who she ended up divorcing. But in season 5, they manage to patch things up and remarry and have a song together. But because Mike’s plumbing business has gone south, both Susan and Mike are forced to leave Wisteria Lane and the family struggle to make ends meet.
Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman, “Frasier”, “Sports Night”, “Raising Helen”) – Lynnette was a former advertising executive who is married to Tom Scavo (Doug Savant, “Melrose Place) and has four children: her teenage twins (and often in trouble) Preston and Porter, Parker is the youngest son and the well-behaved youngest daughter Penny. In season eight, Lynette and Tom are having marital problems.
Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross, “Everwood”, “Melrose Place”) – Bree was a former cooking tycoon but has since sold her business, she is now dating a police officer.
Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria Parker, “Dragnet”, “The Hearbreak Kid”, “Young and the Restless”) – The youngest housewife who enjoys money. She is married to Carlos Solis (Ricardo Chavira, “Six Feet Under”) and has two daughters.
Renee Perry (Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty”, “Shaft”, “Eraser”, “Soul Food) – Lynette’s best friend from college. Formerly married to a professional baseball player, now in a divorce, she moves to Wisteria Lane and hangs out with the women. She also runs an interior design business with Lynette.
Mike Delfino (James Denton, “Threat Matrix”) - The husband of Susan who works as a plumber. He has re-married Susan and both are struggling financially.
Tom Scavo (Doug Savant, “24″, “Melrose Place”) – The husband of Lynette who has return back to a corporate job and is now the main breadwinner of the family. In season eight, Tom and Lynette are having marital problems and decide to separate. But do they have a chance of getting back together or is their marriage definitely over?
Carlos Solis (Ricardo Chavira, “Prinha”, “Days of Wrath”) – The husband of Gabrielle and a successful business owner. In season eight, he suffers with guilt after killing Gabrielle’s father

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth Season” on DVD features the following episodes 158-157 (the following are spoiler-less summaries):

EPISODE 158 – Secrets That I Never Want to Know - After Carlos kills Gaby’s evil stepfather, the housewives hide and bury the body. But now the guilt is starting to get to them.
EPISODE 159 – Making the Connection - Susan is not sure how she can deal with her guilt and Gaby is wanting Carlos to be normal again.
EPISODE 160 – What While I Revise the World- Susan and Carlos look towards each other for help for their guilt.
EPISODE 161 – School of Hard Knocks – Gabrielle wants to get even with a parent volunteer. Meanwhile, Susan takes painting classes. Lynette is upset that Tom is dating other women.
EPISODE 162 – The Art of Making Art - Susan comes to her art class in the nude and Lynette tries to hit the singles scene and meet new men.
EPISODE 163 – Witch’s Lament - Gabrielle, Bree and Lynette plan to exhume the body of Gabrielle’s stepfather and move it after learning that Ben’s real estate excavation is taking place where they buried the body.
EPISODE 164 – Always in Control – Bree finds out who dug up the body of Gabrielle’s stepfather. Lynette tells lies to Penny about Tom’s new girlfriend.
EPISODE 165 – Suspicion Song - Detective Chuck Vance begins to suspect that Bree may be involved in the disappearance of Alejandro.
EPISODE 166 – Putting It Together - Chuck calles the housewives into questioning for the disappearance and possible murder of Alejandro.
EPISODE 167 – What’s to Discuss, Old Friend - Bree considers to end her life after her friends abandon her.
EPISODE 168 – Who Can Say What’s True? - Gabrielle goes to Lynette in help of trying to get a company to sign with Carlos’ firm.
EPISODE 169 – What’s the Good of Being Good – Bree’s life is going for the worse as she is becoming an alcoholic. Lynette goes on a date.
EPISODE 170 – Is This What You Call Love? – Susan is shocked with a surprise visit by her daughter Julie….who is six months pregnant. Lynette decides to have sex with another man.
EPISODE 171 – Get Out of My Life – Susan finds out who the father of Julie’s baby is and Orson decides to do all he can to help Bree.
EPISODE 172 – She Needs Me – When it is revealed that Porter is the father of Julie’s baby, Susan is supportive. Lynette tells Porter she will not help raise her future granddaughter.
EPISODE 173 – Searching – Mike gets into trouble when Ben’s loan shark comes after him. Carlos is behaving strangely.
EPISODE 174 – You Take for Granted – Susan has a donor but Paul stands in the way, meanwhile Felicia is released from prison and wants revenge for what happened to her daughter. Meanwhile, Mrs. McClusky asks Bree to do something important for her. And a major character is killed.
EPISODE 175 – Women and Death - The people of Wisteria Lane share their memories of a person they will remember at his funeral. Meanwhile Bree is called into questioning for the murder of Alejandro.
EPISODE 176 – Any Moment - Julie is not so happy with Susan’s parenting skills of MJ. Carlos makes a big decision in regards to his career.
EPISODE 177 – With So Little To Be Sure Of – Susan discovers a big secret that Mike has been hiding. Meanwhile, Gabrielle tries to find a way to earn a bigger commission from her new job.
EPISODE 179 – Lost My Power - Bree’s attorney tries to find ways to defend her in the murder and disappearance of Alejandro, meanwhile with Mike gone, Susan need to help MJ at a father and son school event.
EPISODE 180 – The People Will Hear – Bree starts to fall for her attorney, meanwhile the housewives are upset how Gabrielle can allow Bree to take the fall for the murder of Alejandro.
EPISODE 181 – Give Me the Blame – With Bree in danger of going to prison, he asks for her to tell him the truth of who really killed Alejandro. Susan decides to sell her house and move away from Wisteria Lane.
EPISODE 182 – Finishing the Hat – The Final Episode – The result of the murder trial and what happens to the Housewives?

VIDEO:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1), enhanced for 16×9 televisions. “Desperate Housewives” looks very good on DVD. Outdoor scenes are nice and vibrant, blacks and low-light scenes do not have the excessive noise problems that some series tend to exhibit on a DVD release.

For the most part, cinematography for “Desperate Housewives” has been excellent and the editing top notch. The series looks great and I can only imagine how beautiful this series would look on High Definition (via Blu-ray).

AUDIO:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and pretty much, “Desperate Housewives” has always been a dialogue-driven television show and is primarily front and center channel driven. For the most part, dialogue is clear and understandable. The show uses minimal music and nor is it the kind of series that utilizes a lot of sound effects (the final episode has a little). For the most part, the setting I preferred to watch the series was to set my receiver setting and have stereo on all channels.

The series includes subtitles in English SDH, Spanish and in French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” comes with the following special features:

DISC 5:

“I Guess This is Goodbye” - (18:03) The cast talk about their upcoming final day of filming “Desperate Housewives”.
Finale Commentary - (9:55) “Finishing the Hat” audio commentary with series creator Marc Cherry.
Bloopers – (2:40) “Desperate Housewives” season eight outtakes.
Deleted Scenes – A total of 15 deleted scenes.

EXTRAS:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” comes with a slip cover case.

The end of “Desperate Housewives”.

It’s hard to believe that eight seasons have come and gone but like the housewives of Wisteria Lane, it’s about taking the next chapter of your lives and move forward.

But the eighth season of “Desperate Housewives”, for me as a longtime viewer, represented the good and the bad of “Desperate Housewives”. First, I will discuss the bad and then lead on to what I felt was good about this season.

Lynette and Tom Scavo were the ultimate couple that had problematic situations but to see them separate and see them with other people was a hard pill to swallow. Yes, these situations happen in America but with everyone having been divorced and probably better that they did, Lynette and Tom were a couple that I saw going south in their relationship.

The main part of the story this season was the death of Alejandro. They really extended this storyline for the full season but it’s understandable to see Carlos as an alcoholic, its easy to see Susan suffering from guilt, but the emotional downfall of Bree was too ridiculous to watch as this woman has always been in control, even during the worst of times. The way they made her out to be a fragile and something she was not due to alcohol, it was turn I didn’t like one single bit.

And possibly the other thing that I felt was terrible was Gabrielle letting her friends take the fall for Carlos’ murder. If anyone should be leaving their friend, the housewives could have easily ditched her for her selfish behavior. But it’s Gabrielle after all, thinking about herself first and then her daughters.

Then there was the death of a major character…you knew there was going to be a shocking episode coming up and it happened in a surprising way. Wasn’t expecting for it to happen and for this person’s significant other, all I kept thinking was if that person would ever find happiness because for eight years, the person has suffered from really miserable situations.

With that being said, it leads to the good. The good is that the series ends with closure for viewers. Their endings of what the characters end up doing, makes perfect sense.

At the same time, I credit Marc Cherry for really playing with people’s emotions this season, but if you have to go out with a bang, so be it. Give us an ending that we will remember and something not half-assed.

And that’s what made the eight season of “Desperate Housewives” so enjoyable.

As mentioned earlier, the separation of Lynette and Tom was upsetting because I felt they belong together. But to move through their problems, they needed to discover how much they mean to each other and how much they love each other. It was long, hard to watch at first but everything started to work itself out towards the end for this couple.

For Carlos and Gabrielle, it was a nice role reversal as Gabrielle took on the role of being the businesswoman and eventually both worked together through their problems and it would give Carlos a chance to be a father, while Gabrielle had more opportunities to grow past the housewife status.

As for Susan and Bree, their endings worked for me but their situations before getting there were troublesome. Susan was no doubt pushed to the limit this season. And I just wanted her to find some happiness, but just felt this season had this black cloud always above her. She was like the beat-up doll for eight seasons and while there were times where she was strong and overcame obstacles, I was hoping that she and Mike could find some semblance of “happily ever after”.

And as for Bree, for a strong woman, they really toyed with her mid-season and I disliked that. I’m glad Marc Cherry brought things full circle and she became a person that I felt she should be.

While this season featured less Renee, writers integrated her as much as they can, which was cool. But it’s the way they handled Karen McCluskey, I was proud of how the writers made her more than the nosy, blunt neighbor of Wisteria Lane but a woman who has saved the housewives, many times. But doing it once again in a grander fashion.

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” was an appropriate season, a very good final season with closure and it was time to end the show. From murders, psychotic individuals, natural disasters, riots to other crazy situations that have happened in Wisteria Lane, the characters have been subjected to so much, that they needed proper closure and Marc Cherry does fans and his cast a great service to let it end the way it did.

As for the “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” DVD, the DVD continues to showcase the beautiful cinematography of “Desperate Housewives”. As one would expect from DVD, picture quality is good, audio quality was clear and understandable, and as for the special features, you do get a final stroll with the cast members in “I Guess This is A Goodbye” and one final commentary with Marc Cherry plus season eight outtakes and deleted scenes.

Overall, “Desperate Housewives” season eight was a final season that managed to incorporate all the angst, the craziness, those “I can’t believe this just happened” moments and a heartbreaking, tragic death scene. But it also featured a storyline with proper closure for longtime viewers of the series.

If you stuck with the series this long, “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Eighth and Final Season” is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

Castle – The Complete Fourth Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

September 4, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Sexual tension and crime drama aside, the humor, well-written episodes and great performances from the cast of “Castle” have made this fourth season exciting and entertaining! It’s one of my favorite series on television and if you enjoyed the previous three seasons and purchased the previous DVD sets, then it’s a no-brainer that this fourth season on DVD is a must-buy.

DVD TITLE: CASTLE – The Complete Fourth Season

TELEVISION AIR DATE: 2011-2012

DURATION: 23 episodes (985 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, French and Spanish Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV 14 DLSV

RELEASE DATE: September 11, 2012

Created by Andrew J. Marlowe

Directed by Rob Bowman, Bryan Spicer, John Terlesky, Bill Roe, Thomas J. Wright, Jeff Bleckner, David Barrett

Written by Andrew J. Marlow, Shalisha Francis, David Grae, Alexi Hawley, Elizabeth Davis, Moira Kirland, Terence Paul Winter, Will Beall, Terri Miller, Rene Echevarria, Jose Molina, David Amann, Matt Pyken, Scott Williams

Executive Producer: Armyan Bernstein, Rob Bowman, Andrew W. Marlowe, Laurie Zaks

Co-Executive Producer: Jose Molina, Matt Pyken, Scott Williams,

Producer: D. Howard Grigsby, David Grae

Co-Producer: Marc A. Kahn, Terri Miller, Alexi Hawley, Joan Van Horn

Music by Robert Duncan

Cinematography by Bill Roe

Edited by Warren Bowman, Sue Blainey, Marta Evry

Casting by Kendra Castleberry, Donna Rosenstein

Production Design by Alfred Sole

Art Direction by Jim Wallis, Gershon Ginsburg

Set Decoration by Claire Kaufman

Costume Design by Luke Reichie

Starring:

Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle

Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett

Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers

Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle

Jon Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito

Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan

Tamala Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish

Penny Johnson as Captain Victoria Gates

Michael Dorn as Dr. Cater Burke

Television’s most unlikely crime-fighting team is back and their relationship is stronger than ever! Prepare for a season full of suspense where lines are drawn, sides are chosen and careers are put on the line as Castle tries to protect Beckett following her near death encounter. Castle’s relationship with Beckett radically changes during the season, leading to a final confrontation with a mysterious man who holds all the answers that Beckett has been searching for since the night her mother was murdered. Features all 23 episodes plus exclusive bonus material including “Nathan & Friends: Castle Goes Radio;” “Anatomy of A Stunt;” audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and bloopers.

Sexual tension and crime drama aside, the humor, well-written episodes and great performances from the cast of “Castle” have made this fourth season exciting and entertaining!

When we last left “Castle” in season three, there were new developments in Detective Kate Beckett’s pursuit of finding out who murdered her mother. It was revealed that Captain Montgomery (Ruben Santiago-Huds0n), who was a good father figure for Kate was involved in her father’s death but that the conspiracy is much larger than she thinks. For what reason, not much is known but in the end, to protect Kate, Captain Montgomery paid with his life.

And with Montgomery’s last words to “Castle” was to protect her, at the funeral for Montgomery, the season final ended with a sniper shooting Kate during the funeral and Castle, holding her in his arms, telling her that he loves her.

And here ware now, with the fourth season of the hit drama series “Castle”. If you thought the third season was explosive and fun, wait until you watch the 23 episodes featured in “Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” which will be released in Sept. 2012, before the airing of the fifth season season premiere.

What is “Castle”?

“CASTLE” debuted on ABC as a mid-season replacement and began airing on March 2009. Created by Andrew M. Marlowe (“Air Force One”, “End of Days” and “Hollyw Man”) and executive produced by Rob Bowman (“The A-Team”, “The X-Files”, “Day Break”) comes a new drama series on crime solving.

The first season which featured 10 episodes stars actor Nathan Fillion (“Firefly”, “Drive” and “Desperate Housewives”) as Richard Castle. The famous mystery novelist who is adored by many but behind-the-scenes, he is a playboy who has an on-and-off fling with his ex-wife (who is an actress), another ex-wife who is his publisher and lives with his bright teenage daughter Alexis (Molly Quinn, “My One and Only”) and his meddlesome mother and former Broadway actress, Martha Rodgers (Susan Sullivan, “The Nine”, “Dharma & Greg”).

There is a lot of pressure on Nathan to create another book and with him stuck, his luck starts to change when he meets by-the-book Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, “Heroes”, “The Spirit”, “Quantum of Solace”) who is investigating several murders which have taken place and the way that they were done were like the murders featured in several of his novels. Because of his knowledge of how things end up with his books, he gets the opportunity to assist the detectives in their case.

Eventually, Richard Castle discovers that he can do several things in his life. Write his new book based on Detective Beckett, see if he can woo Detective Beckett and most of all to investigate other murders which he can incorporate ideas for his new book. At first, it seems implausible but with Castle being so well-known and friends with the mayor, Captain Montgomery (Ruben Santiago-Huds0n) will do what he can to make the mayor and his boss happy, so he allows Richard to tag along with Detective Beckett.

Needless to say, she’s not happy about it but with his skills of mystery writing and her skills as a detective, the two find out that together, they can be an effective duo in crime solving. Also, joining Beckett are Detective Javier Esposito (Jon Huertas), Detective Kevin Ryan (Seamus Dever) and forensics doctor Dr. Lanie Parish (Tamala Jones).

In the first season, Detective Beckett and Richard Castle have worked together in handling various cases. But one case that Richard would like to investigate is the death of Detective Beckett’s mother but Beckett doesn’t want him getting into her personal business.

In the second season, Richard continues to work with Detective Beckett and together they try to solve a variety of murder cases including one that deals with a serial killer going after Detective Beckett. This season also shows us how Castle and Beckett seem to start showing some affection towards each other but in the process, Beckett becomes closer with Detective Demming.

In this third season of “Castle”, with Castle having ended his research with Detective Beckett, Beckett and her team are reunited with Beckett who has not communicated with them for several months. But now Beckett wants to be involved with the research and team up with Beckett once again.

Meanwhile, Castle is trying to get used to being a father when his daughter is dating and Castle’s publisher and second ex-wife Gina is back into Castle’s life and with Beckett dating another man, Castle finds himself reuniting with his ex-wife, despite starting to have more feelings towards Beckett.

As for Detective Beckett, when she finds out that a police officer investigating her mother’s murder has new information for her, something tragic happens. But also, when an assassin who may know information of what happened to her mother, manages to escape while on trial. As Beckett has been trying to find out who killed her mother, what new information do these individuals have? And what happens when Beckett’s mother’s case becomes so big that may lead to her own death. Castle and everyone knows the danger that Beckett is getting involved with but how much more explosive can things get.

And by the third season, we learn that the murder of Detective Beckett’s mother is much bigger than she can ever realize. As as the sexual tension began to heat up between Castle and Kate, Kate found herself a new boyfriend and as for Castle, well…perhaps it was a one-sided love afterall? But with Captain Montgomery being revealed as a person who knows who killed Kate’s mother and may have been involved himself, the first major character in the series was killed. And the season ended with those trying to put a stop to Kate in continuing her investigation, leading to a sniper shooting her at Montgomery’s funeral and with life slipping away, Castle revealing his true feelings for her.

The fourth season of “Castle” picks up after Kate Beckett is shot. It’s a given that there is no way Castle or Kate Beckett is going to die as they are the primary characters of the series, so what happens next is that Kate must deal with the trauma of being shot and killed and getting back on duty.

While she has told everyone that she does not remember anything after being shot, the truth is that she does remember everything, including what Castle told her. But to protect him and to focus on who killed her mother, not falling in love is her priority, even though she knows she has feelings for Castle as well.

The series also takes a big step forward in giving more storylines involving the supporting characters. Introduced to the series is Captain Victoria Gates (portrayed by Penny Johnson), who is nothing like Montgomery and would rather Beckett focus on her cases without Castle involved, because she sees him as a distraction.

Javier Esposito is dating Lanie Parish, Kevin has now inherited Castle’s style of reasoning is getting married and as for Alexis Castle, she has to deal with having a boyfriend and trying to get into college.

But as Kate tries to find out more of who shot her and why and also finding out more details of her mother’s death, Castle is meeting a mystery man behind Kate’s back, a man who knows a great amount of information that deals with her mother’s death. But the mysterious man warns Castle that Kate should probably step back as she may get herself too far in her investigation and end up dead.

“Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” is another humorous, exciting and explosive season with a good balance of plot twists, sexual tension and drama.

“Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” features 23 episodes on five discs. Included are (spoiler-less summaries):

DISC: 1

EPISODE 59 – Rise - After being shot, Beckett recuperates for three months before going back to work. Meanwhile, a new Captain is in place, and she does not like Castle’s presence with her detectives.
EPISODE 60 – Heroes & Villains – Castle and Beckett investigate a superhero vigilante.
EPISODE 61 – Head Case – Becket and Castle investigate a crime scene with a lot of blood but no victims. Meanwhile, Alexis finds out if she will be attending Stanford.
EPISODE 62 – Kick the Ballistics - Becket and Castle investigate a murder of a young woman, who died by someone using Detective Ryan’s old service weapon.
EPISODE 63 – Eye of the Beholder - Castle and Beckett investigate a murder committed during the theft of a valuable sculpture.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 64 – Demons – Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a ghost hunter.
EPISODE 65 – Cops & Robbers – Martha and Castle are among the hostages of a bank robbery. Can Beckett save him?
EPISODE 66 – Heartbreak Hotel – Beckett and Captain Gates investigate a murder of an Atlantic City casino owner.
EPISODE 67 – Kill Shot – A sniper is killing people in NYC and Bekett’s post-traumatic stress worsens because of it.
EPISODE 68 – Cuffed – Castle and Beckett awaken in a dark, sealed room handcuffed together.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 69 – ‘Til Death Do Us Part – Beckett and Castle investigate the death of a player, who may have had some sexual relations with Detective Ryan’s fiancee.
EPISODE 70 – Dial M for Mayor- A woman is found dead in a car on loan from city hall by the Mayor. When the Mayor is suspected for the woman’s death, because Castle defends his good friend, it causes complications for Beckett who feels that Castle has become biased.
EPISODE 71 – An Embarrassment of Bitches – Beckett and Castle investigate the death of a famous dog trainer and reality TV star Kay Cappuccio (special guest star: Hilarie Burton) may be responsible. Or is she?
EPISODE 72 – The Blue Butterfly – Detective Beckett and Castle investigate a crime using a diary that was written back in the 1940′s
EPISODE 73 – Pandora – (Part One) Castle and Beckett investigate a killer who is part of an international conspiracy, meanwhile Alexis starts a new internship assisting Lanie at the Medical Examiner’s Office.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 74 – Linchpin – (Part Two) Detective Beckett and Castle are betrayed by someone they thought they could trust. Meanwhile, Castle begins to learn more about his father.
EPISODE 75 – Once Upon a Crime – Beckett and Castle investigate two murdered women who were dressed as fairytale characters by the killer, now they must quickly find him before he kills again.
EPISODE 76 – A Dance with Death – Beckett and Castle investigate the death of a troubled celebrity.
EPISODE 77 – 47 Seconds – Someone has bombed the “Takeover Wall Street” protest and Castle and Beckett try to find the perpetrator.
EPISODE 78 – The Limey- Castle and Beckett are approached by Scotland Yard detective inspector Colin Hunt in help with solving the murder of a family friend.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 79 – Headhunters – Castle and Beckett’s working relationship continues to worsen and it leads to Castle working with Detective Ethan Slaughter (special guest: Adam Baldwin) who has violent methods in dealing with crime.
EPISODE 80 – Undead Again -Will this be a new beginning between Castle and Beckett’s relationship?
EPISODE 81 – Always – Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of a reformed gang member, they find evidence that links him to Beckett’s shooting and also stolen documents that came from Captain Montgomery’s home. Meanwhile, Cole Maddox, the assassin vows to kill Kate if he can recover Montgomery’s files on his employer.

VIDEO:

“Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 televisions. The drama series is quite slick as it gives you the feel of New York and like many abc studios related DVD releases, Disney has always done a good job with their TV show transfers. A show that balances outdoor and indoor shots with good lighting, the picture quality for “CASTLE” is pretty solid. I didn’t see any major artifacting issues or low level noise that was distracting.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, “Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series is front and center channel driven with a few episodes (that involve gun fights) utilizing the surround channels. The series does utilize quite a bit of music and for the most, the series is clear and understandable.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” includes the following special features:

DISC 1:

Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary for “Rise” by director/executive producer Rob Bowman and actors Jon Huertas, Seamus Dever and Tamala Jones.

DISC 2:

Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary by creator/executive producer/writer Andrew W. Marlow, Writer Terri Miller and Actors Terri Miller and Actors Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic.

DISC 3:

Deleted Scene – (:59) “Dial M for Mayor “deleted scene.
Audio Commentary – “The Blue Butterfly” with audio commentary by writer Terence Paul Winter, Costume Designer Luke Reichle and actors Susan Sullivan, Tamala Jones and Molly Quinn.

Disc 4:

Deleted Scenes- (2:24) Featuring two deleted scenes: “Our Linchpin” and “New Identity”.

DISC 5:

Filion and Friends: Castle Goes Radio - Making the Show (11:14) Molly C. Quinn hosts the making of the podcast, Sparks Nevada: Marshall on Mars (21:15) – A live stage performance, “Cactoid Jim: King of the Martian Frontier”(21:40) A live stage performance.
Submerged: An In-Depth Look at Stunts – (17:31) The stunts of “Castle” and a look behind-the scenes of how these stunts are made for this season’s two-parter.
Bowman, Bowman & Castle – (10:24) How the cast and crew of “Castle” are like a big family and interview with a few of the crew members.
Deleted Scenes – (3:08) Featuring five deleted scenes: “Way Over the Line”, “Are You There”, “Unprofessional”, “Outside Montgomery’s House”, “Sound Like an Alcoholic”.
Bloopers – (4:22) Outtakes from “Castle” season four.

EXTRAS:

“Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” comes with a slip cover case.

One of the difficulties drama series have often is to follow-up an explosive season finale. Because the expectations are high and people are hoping to see more of that excitement to kick off the next season.

For season four, it was probably good for the writers to take a step back and focus on character dynamics but also this sexual tension that has gone on between Castle and Beckett.

But we know by the first episode, it’s not going to be that easy. Having been shot and nearly killed, Detective Beckett knows that she wants to pursue those who killed her mother and moreso, for those who tried to kill her in order to stop investigating her mother’s death. For actress Stana Katic, this series asks for her to bring another side to Beckett, one that is fragile and experiencing post-traumatic stress, but also be a woman who can be a kick ass investigator but also one that is trying to temper her growing love for Castle, for his protection but also because she is known to put up a defensive wall around her.

So, I enjoyed how the writers focused on that in season four. Getting past all the flirtation, we now are about to see hopefully progress between both Kate and Castle.

The episodes are well-written. Good amount of drama and humor, I found myself laughing quite a bit. But also enjoyed seeing episodes such as “The Blue Butterfly” and taking the series to a 1940′s storyline. I love the fact that the writers are able to create some freedom and doing something different once in awhile and to see everyone in ’40s costume design, I thought that was very cool!

What I also enjoyed about season four is that the writers are integrating the supporting characters such as Javier Esposito, Kevin Ryan, Lanie Parish and Alexis Castle. For the characters of Javier and Kevin, we see more teamwork and them being utilized on cases instead of being research hounds for Detective Beckett. They get involved in the action and I love the growth of their characters. Also, Lanie Parish is utilized more in the story and I enjoy that.

It’ll be interesting to see how Captain Victoria Gates fits into this series. I enjoyed watching Penny Johnson in “24″ and she could prove to be an intriguing character as the series continues in its fifth season.

So, for the most part, I really did enjoy the fourth season of “Castle”. While the season finale was not as shocking as last season, it does give fans what they have wanted for so long. Also, more developments in regards to Beckett’s shooting and her investigation into her mother’s death. So, no doubt that season 5 will be quite interesting and see if people enjoy the new chapter in the lives of Castle and Detective Beckett.

As for the DVD, “Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” is once again, another solid release. I enjoyed the inclusion of more audio commentary into this DVD set but also the addition of the live stage performances, deleted scenes, outtakes and also two features on the crew and cast being one big family and the stunts of the two-parter episodes.

Overall, sexual tension and crime drama aside, the humor, well-written episodes and great performances from the cast of “Castle” have made this fourth season exciting and entertaining! It’s one of my favorite series on television and if you enjoyed the previous three seasons and purchased the previous DVD sets, then it’s a no-brainer that this fourth season on DVD is a must-buy.

If you love “Castle”, then “Castle – The Complete Fourth Season” is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

Freelancers (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

August 14, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker together in the same film? Believe it! “Freelancers” is a crime drama about making choices, police corruption, betrayal and revenge and if you are in the mood to watching a gritty drama about dirty cops and seeing 50 Cent in his best film yet, definitely give “Freelancers” a try!

TITLE: Freelancers

YEAR OF RELEASE: 2012

DURATION: 96 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 2:40:1 Widescreen Presentation, English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Subtitles: English and Spanish Subtitles, English SDH

COMPANY: Lions Gate Entertainment

RATED: R (Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, Drug Use, Violence and Pervasive Language)

RELEASE DATE: August 21, 2012

Directed by Jessy Terrero

Written by L. Philippe Casseus

Produced by 50 Cent, Randall Emmett, George Furla

Co-Producer: Sefton Fincham, Gus Furla, Brandon Grimes

Executive Producer: Brandt Andersen, Gordon Bijelonic, Martin Blencowe, Michael Blencowe, Barry Brooker, Mark Canton, Reminton Chase, Michael Corso, Ted Fox, Anthony Gudas, Richard Jackson, Fredrik Malmberg, Stepan Martirosyan, Jeff Rice, Liro Seppanen, Daniel Wagner, Stan Wertlieb, Feng Yang

Line Producer: Daniel Wagner

Music by Reg B

Cinematography by Igor Martinovic

Edited by Sean Albertson, Sara Mineo, Kirk M. Morri

Casting by Danielle Aufiero, Barbara Fiorentino

Production Design by Philip Toolin

Art Direction by Christina Eunji Kim

Set Decoration by Monique Champagne

Costume Design by Mia Maddox

Associate Producer: Ryan S. Black

Starring:

Robert De Niro as Sarcone

Forest Whitaker as LaRue

50 Cent as Malo

Dana Delany as DA’s Wife

Beau Garrett as Joey

Michael McGrady as Robert Jude

Anabelle Acosta as Cyn

Matt Gerald as Billy Morrison

Jeff Chase as Angie

Amin Joseph as Shady

Malcolm Goodwin as AD

The son of a slain NYPD officer joins the force, where he falls in with his father’s former partner and a team of rogue “Gotham cops.” His new boss, Sarcone (De Niro), will see if he has what it takes to be rogue through many trials and tribulations of loyalty, trust and respect. However, when the truth about his father’s death is revealed, revenge takes over and he won’t stop until justice has been truly served.

From the director of “Soul Plane”, “Gun” and “50 Cent: The New Breed”, Jessy Terro once against collaborates with hip hop star and actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson in the 2012 film “Freelancers”. “Freelancers” was written by L. Philippe Casseus and stars 50 Cent (“13″, “Gun”, “Fire with Fire”), Robert De Niro (“Goodfellas”, “Casino”, “Taxi Driver”, “The Godfather: Part II”), Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”, “Platoon”, “Ghost Dog”), Dana Delany (“Desperate Housewives”, “Body of Proof”, “Castle”, “China Beach”), Malcolm Goodwin (“American Gangster”, “Leatherheads”, “Breakout Kings”) and Ryan O’Nan (“Eat Pray Love”, “The Dry Land”).

The film received a limited release in theaters back in August 10, 2012 and the film will be released on Blu-ray and Digital Download and On Demand in August 21st.

The film begins with an introduction to how three troubled teens, Malo (as portrayed by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson), AD (as portrayed by Malcolm Goodwin) and Lucas (as portrayed by Ryan O’Nan) were released from jail and given a new chance of life by the District Attorney and to turn their lives around, the three have graduated from the police academy.

For Malo, he wishes he can be as good as his father once was.

Malo’s father was a police officer and when he was a child, he witnessed his father being killed. For what reason, he doesn’t know but hopefully as a police officer, maybe he can find out some new details on his father’s death.

But despite Malo and his friends becoming police officers, the three still have their bad boy tendencies but they make an oath to watch each other’s back.

And despite Malo now having a new job, his old girlfriend Cyn (as portrayed by Anabelle Costa) has not seen him in years and wants an assurance that the two will be together forever, but first he must tell her that he loves her. Something that Malo can’t do, as he doesn’t know if he wants to be in a serious relationship or having fun with the women.

Meanwhile, Captain Vic Sarcone (as portrayed by Robert De Niro) calls Malo over and tells him that he is the former partner of his father. He also runs the Street Vice Crime Task Force and want Malo to join him at a local diner where police officers hang out.

And so, Malo goes to visit Vic Sarcone and Scarone offers Malo a chance to make money by being a rogue police officer. Taking drugs and money from dealers and re-selling it. Working with the drug dealers on the street and making his time in the police force lucrative. As Sarcone tells him that the police force is corrupted and the corruption reaches as a high as the mayor’s office, Malo can see himself making a lot of money.

All Malo has to do is agree to work with his new partner LaRue (as portrayed by Forest Whitaker) and not get himself in trouble with the major dealers.

Seeing this as a way to be a bad boy yet carry the badge and making some money, Malo agrees to help out Sarcone. So, Captain Vic Sarcone hires Malo to work for his division.

While working with LaRue, Malo starts to see how this secretive rogue force are. His partner La Rue is often wanting to stop and have sex with the ladies and always snorting cocaine. While Malo tries to be cool, he starts to question his job of helping a partner that is out of it. As LaRue tries to get Malo to sniff coke, Malo is not interested. All he cares is about making the money!

Meanwhile, AD and Lucas try to get used to their new partner.

AD works with his new partner, a veteran police officer who wants AD to use his skills to help young Black kids by coaching them for football but most of all, trying to groom AD in becoming a respectable Black man.

Meanwhile, Lucas works with Officer Billy Morrison, a racist cop. Despite Lucas being a Caucasian with Black friends, Morrison tries to tell Lucas not to trust any colored people on the streets, or he will get killed.

As Malo grows closer to Sarcone and LaRue, during a secret meeting with the DA’s wife (as portrayed by Dana Delany), he learns that his father was working with the DA’s office, giving information on the dirty cops and not wanting to be tied down with them, as he wanted to protect is wife and son. And so, Malo learns the truth of why his father is killed… Sarcone.

With Sarcone becoming suspicious of Malo, Malo becomes more interested in getting revenge on Sarcone for the death of his father. But in order to get closer to Sarcone, Malo will have to play by Sarcone’s rules and win his trust. Even if it may lead to his own demise!

VIDEO:

“Freelancers” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1 aspect ratio). Picture quality is very good for this film as colors are warm, very good detail on closeups of each character. From seeing skin pores upfront to seeing the detail of their clothing. Scenes were well-lit, black levels are nice and deep. I didn’t notice any banding, artifacts or high level of DNR used in the video. Overall, picture quality is very good!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Freelancers” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. The lossless soundtrack is very good as we have hip hop beats utilizing the bass and sounding crystal clear coming from the front channels and also the surround channels. As one can expect from a police drama, there are moments of action. From gun and rifle shots, windows shattering, cars exploding, cars crashing and there is good use of the surround channels during these moments, as well as LFE utilization during the explosions or rifle shots. Dialogue is also crystal clear and for the most part, I didn’t notice any audio problems during my viewing of the film.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Freelancers” comes with the following special features:

Audio commentary – Featuring audio commentary with Director Jessy Terrero and Actor Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
Deleted Scenes – (18:35) A total of eleven deleted scenes including an alternate opening.
Behind-the-Scenes Interviews – (14:30) Interviews with Director Jessy Terrero, Producer Randall Emmett, Writer L. Philippe Casseus and Actors Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Forest Whitaker, Beau Garrett, Malcolm Goodwin, Ryan O’Nan and Anabelle Acosta.
Extended Interviews – (33:20) Extended interviews with Director Jessy Terrero, Producer Randall Emmett, Writer L. Philippe Casseus and Actors Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Forest Whitaker, Beau Garrett, Malcolm Goodwin, Ryan O’Nan and Anabelle Acosta. Interviews are separated and not combined.
Trailer - (2:32) The original red-band theatrical trailer for “Freelancers”.

I have to admit that when I first heard that Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson would be appearing in a film alongside Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker. I was surprised.

To find out that 50 Cent would also be playing a police officer, that was another surprise.

After my review of “Gun”, despite the film being OK, I did compliment 50 Cent because not everyone from the music industry can easily transition into acting. But for “Gun”, he showed that he has not only matured but as an actor he was showing improvement.

So, here we are in 2012 with “Freelancers”. 50 Cent now plays a police officer and before anyone rolls their eyes and starts thinking that 50 Cent being a police officer is some sort of oxymoron and is not possible, let me just say that he grew up as a troubled kid, reformed and got his police badge but yet still has the bad boy tendencies and eventually becomes a dirty cop.

But there is a twist to all this. His father was a dirty cop who was now working with the DA to bust other corrupted police officers, in order to straighten out his life and protect his wife and child. Unfortunately, 50 Cent’s character Malo starts to learn that the person that took him in, Captain Sarcone is responsible for his father’s demise and now Malo wants revenge.

And while “Freelancers” could be like an average action film like “Gun”, filmmaker Jessy Terrero and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson had luck come their way because they were able to cast two Academy Award winning actors, Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker to star in this film.

I’m a true believer that when you work with quality talent, especially veterans, it makes you better, as a director and also as an actor. As a director, Terrero was able to utilize Robert De Niro’s strength in playing the “Don’t Fuck with Me!” type of characters. De Niro as Sarcone is a no-nonsense cop and the last man you want to double cross.

Forest Whitaker plays the dirty cop LaRue who unfortunately is dependent on the drugs and the women and plays the part effectively.

Two awesome actors and for 50 Cent, you have to be on your best game while interacting with them and I have to say that 50 Cent seemed to be on his best level acting wise, whenever he had screentime with DeNiro and Whitaker. Even with Dana Delany, a talented actress who I was surprised to see in this film, 50 Cent is able to feed off the energy of these talents and I hope that in future films, he continues to be surrounded by well-known talents because his acting does get better.

The same can be said with Jessy Terrero. It’s one thing to have a popcorn action flick but as a filmmaker to have well-known veterans starring in your film, that is quite significant.

With that being said, I do feel that both Terrero and 50 Cent were able to grow and take the next big step with “Freelancer”. The concept was quite entertaining but at the same time, for those who respect our police officers, not sure if “Freelancers” is a film that shows any respect to them. In fact, police officers in the film are shown as dirty cops in different levels. If anything, writer L. Philippe Casseus has created officers who are involved in corruption and not to say it was intention to generalize that all police officers are corrupt but fortunately, we do see a few good cops or at least those who were bad and were inspired to be good.

But while the scenes with 50 Cent, De Niro and Whitaker were good, there were scenes that I just felt were forced. From Lucas going crazy at a party, to a chase scene involving 50 Cent and a woman and even to a scene where 50 Cent has to make a tragic decision, the pacing seemed out of place.

And when it comes to acting, 50 Cent improved but as mentioned, he did his best scenes with De Niro and Whitaker, other scenes were good but not great. Some may feel his acting was weak, but I tend to look at his acting as an improvement. It was great for him to show that he can play a character role that is not straight up antagonistic and possibly a character that can be a decent guy. Yes, he still doing the bad boy role, even for this film but it’s a different type of character role for him. One that asks for him to not be so in-your-face, one that requires him to be patient, to be an action-star and also a scene that involves him trying to be emotional. But he is getting better with each film and that is a positive.

As for the Blu-ray release, picture quality is great on HD. Warm colors and no sign of banding or any artifacts during my viewing of the film. Lossless soundtrack is immersive during action scenes and dialogue and hip hop music are crystal clear. As for special features, you get an audio commentary, interviews and deleted scenes.

Overall, I did enjoy “Freelancers” much better than Terrero and 50 Cents’s last film “Gun”. The fact that Robert De Niro, Forest Whitaker and Dana Delany were in this film actually was a surprise but it definitely makes this film much more fun to watch and definitely helped 50 Cent improve as an actor and Terrero as a filmmaker. And while De Niro and Whitaker are stars in the film, make no doubt about it, this is a Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson film. Everything in this film revolves around his character.

But with some weaknesses in the screenplay and spotty acting, the film is possibly the best 50 Cent film by far, thanks to the addition of significant heavy hitters within its cast. But I do feel that filmmaker Jessy Terrero made some tough decisions of which scenes to cut, eleven that you will see featured in the deleted scenes. But a few I did wish Terrero kept in the film to make the storyline and pacing a bit more smoother.

Filed Under: Blu-ray Reviews

Q&A Interview with actress Dana Delany, “Body of Proof” (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)

October 3, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

With the DVD release of “Body of Proof – The Complete First Season”, we will be featuring Q&A interviews with members of the cast of ABC’s “Body of Proof”.

We begin with actress Dana Delany, well known for her roles on “China Beach” and “Desperate Housewives”. In “Body of Proof”, Delany plays the character of Dr. Megan Hunt, a brilliant neurosurgeon who was a workaholic but was also away from her family most of the time. Unfortunately, that time away from her family and her always at work, led to a divorce and losing custody of her daughter Mary.

One day, while trying to talk on her cell phone, she got into a car accident and now lost full control of her hands to do surgery and thus ended her career as a neurosurgeon.

So, now Dr. Hunt works as a medical examiner and is trying to establish a relationship with her daughter. She also assists Detectives Bud Morris and Samantha Becker on their criminal cases along with her partner Nicholas Bishop, a former police officer now medico-legal investigator.

With season two of “Body of Proof” airing on ABC, Dana Delany reflects on her first season as Dr. Megan Hunt on “Body of Proof”.

What was your biggest challenge in taking on the role of a medical examiner in Body Of Proof?

DANA: My biggest challenge was the words, the medical terminology. You have to say these lines really fast and you have to act like you know what you’re talking about. It’s tough, but thank God for the internet. It has changed an actor’s life completely. I’ve played doctors before where we used Taber’s medical encyclopedia to look up different words all the time. Now, you can just put the word into your smart phone or tablet and the information comes up immediately with pictures, descriptions and the right pronunciation. It’s much easier to be better prepared now.

What makes Body Of Proof different to other forensic shows?

DANA: My character is very different because she doesn’t disconnect from the bodies in every episode. She probably over-connects to the bodies, which is something a normal medical examiner wouldn’t do. I think the show has a different pace because of that. It’s very interesting, we have one episode where there is a child missing that’s still alive – and it changed the nature of the show because we were in pursuit of the child and it made our show much quicker. That’s not our show; it didn’t feel right to me. What I like about the show is the way that the bodies are already dead, so we can take the time to think about everything and take a moment with the body.

How do you see your character on the show: Dr. Megan Hunt?

DANA: I see Megan as a psychopomp, which in Greek mythology was the character Charon; who transported souls of the dead across the River Styx. The job of a psychopomp is to not judge, but to provide safe passage – and I think that’s exactly what she does with these dead people. She feels that if she can cross them over to the other side, then that’s her job done – but she’s not going to finish until she does that in a safe way. And that’s why, at the end of almost every episode, we have her saying goodbye to them. Those people are not covered up until she knows exactly what happened to them.

Is that why Dr. Hunt becomes so dedicated to her work? She’s not just the medical examiner; she almost takes over the police work as well.

DANA: Exactly. She had no regard for people when they were alive, but now she has double regard for them. She looks at her work and she thinks, ‘These are not just bodies, they are human beings. They lived a life, and now they deserve the respect in death.’

Do you admire the actors who play the dead people on the show?

DANA: I’ve got to tell you, they do such a great job because it’s not easy for them. They have to sit in hours of makeup, and then they have to pretend to not breathe for ages. Then, they also have to be really stiff. That’s a difficult job when we’re poking them and prodding them.

When dealing with such a serious subject matter, do you find it difficult to switch off from work at the end of a long day on set?

DANA: There’s a Zen practice of ‘Practice your death before you die’. And it’s very liberating. I think that we all need to really have a better relationship with death.

Are you less scared of death since starting work on this show?

DANA: I think I always had a good relationship with death for whatever strange reason. I’ve never been afraid of dying, but I’ve observed a number of autopsies now and I still feel fine about death. I really feel good about it. It’s like, ‘Okay. That’s it. That’s what happens.’ I think it’s a gift to be a medical examiner. One of the best things about being an actor is that you get to research your role and learn about different occupations. I’ve done a lot of research for this role, and to see what medical examiners do at work has been an honor. It’s been completely eye opening to me.

Were you worried the first time you witnessed an autopsy?

DANA: Everyone warns you to take precautions before you see an autopsy for the first time. They say, “Make sure you have something to eat first and wear flat shoes. If you feel faint, don’t be embarrassed, just sit down.” I had never seen a dead body before this role, but the medical examiners were extremely respectful and reverential towards these bodies. Everybody takes it very seriously.

What part of the autopsies did you find the most difficult?

DANA: The hardest part is the person staring at you. But then, when the medical examiner pulls the face back, it becomes a body. It’s a strange experience, but I found it fascinating. By my fourth autopsy, they were letting me assist. They let me do incisions and I was mesmerized by the whole process. The minute you open up the body and look in there, I’m amazed.

Did you ever feel faint watching these autopsies?

DANA: I just felt fascinated by everything about it. It’s been an honor to witness these autopsies because it’s something that not everybody gets to experience – and I feel extremely grateful that we’ve been allowed to watch. It’s been mind-bending.

What else have you taken away with these experiences?

DANA: I have found it a very reverential experience because the minute you cut that person open, you see that our bodies are a miraculous gift that we’ve all been given. The fact that our show gets it right is very gratifying because it’s true when you consider the way that the body is the proof. When you look into a body and you see the cavity and all their organs, you can see exactly how that person lived – and you can see how they died. It makes you realize, ‘I’ve been given this gift, this machine that works perfectly – and it’s my job to keep it running.” It’s changed my life.

In what way has it changed your life?

DANA: I really want to take care of my machine now. It’s my responsibility to make sure that it runs well – and I’m going to do everything I can to help that.

Body of Proof: The Complete First Season is now available on DVD.

Photo credit: ABC

Filed Under: GALLERY, Interviews and Articles

Castle – The Complete Third Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

September 8, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Castle – The Complete Third Season” features another fun humorous, exciting and explosive season and the writers really stepped up their game with a good balance of plot twists, sexual tension and drama. The best season of the series thus far! Definitely recommended!

DVD TITLE: CASTLE – The Complete Third Season

TELEVISION AIR DATE: 2010-2011

DURATION: 24 episodes (1025 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, French and Spanish Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV 14 DLSV

RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2011

Created by Andrew J. Marlowe

Directed by Rob Bowman, Bryan Spicer, John Terlesky, Bill Roe, Thomas J. Wright, Jeff Bleckner, David Barrett

Executive Producer: Armyan Bernstein, Rob Bowman, Andrew W. Marlowe, Laurie Zaks

Co-Executive Producer: Jose Molina, Matt Pyken, Scott Williams,

Producer: D. Howard Grigsby, David Grae

Co-Producer: Marc A. Kahn, Terri Miller, Alexi Hawley, Joan Van Horn

Music by Robert Duncan

Cinematography by Bill Roe

Edited by Warren Bowman, Sue Blainey, Marta Evry

Casting by Kendra Castleberry, Donna Rosenstein

Production Design by Alfred Sole

Art Direction by Jim Wallis, Gershon Ginsburg

Set Decoration by Claire Kaufman

Costume Design by Luke Reichie

Starring:

Nathan Fillion as Richard Castle

Stana Katic as Detective Kate Beckett

Susan Sullivan as Martha Rodgers

Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Captain Roy Montgomery

Molly C. Quinn as Alexis Castle

Jon Huertas as Detective Javier Esposito

Seamus Dever as Detective Kevin Ryan

Tamala Jones as Dr. Lanie Parish

Bailey Chase as Will Sorenson

Monet Mazur as Gina Cowell

Arye Gross as M.E. Sidney Perlmutter

Scott Paulin as Jim Beckett

Ken Baumann as Ashley

Victor Webster as Josh Davidson

Max Martini as Hal Lockwood

Adrian Pasdar as Agent Mark Fallon

Laura Prepon as Natalie Rhodes

Famous mystery novelist Richard Castle and NYPD detective Kate Beckett return for the suspenseful Third Season of ABC’s brilliantly funny series, Castle. Enjoy every inspired idea and flirtatious moment at this fiery duo solve the strangest homicides New York has to offer.

It’s the most entertaining season yet as Castle’s wildly funny storytelling skills work their way into every case. Between his mixed-up partnership with Beckett and his relationships with his diva mother and his clever daughter, Alexis, Castle is always on his toes.

Witty, suspenseful and fresh! The first season of “CASTLE” is the modern “Moonlighting” featuring a cool cast and each episode with an entertaining storyline.

“Castle – The Complete Third Season” is another humorous, exciting and explosive season with a good balance of plot twists, sexual tension and drama.

“Castle – The Complete Third Season” features 24 episodes on five discs. Included are (spoiler-less summaries):

DISC: 1

EPISODE 35 – A Deadly Affair - Detective Beckett and her team investigate a murder and meet up with Castle (who they have not seen in months).
EPISODE 36 – He’s Dead, She’s Dead – Detective Beckett and Castle investigate the murder of a famous psychic.
EPISODE 37 – Under the Gun – Becket and Castle meet up with Beckett’s first training officer Mike Royce, meanwhile investigating a murder of a bail bondsman.
EPISODE 38 – Punked - Becket and Castle investigate a murder of a young executive.
EPISODE 39 – Anatomy of a Murder - Detective Beckett and Castle investigate case in which a doctor’s body is found inside another person’s casket.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 40 – 3XK – The Triple Killer has returned and Beckett and Castle must investigate.
EPISODE 41 – Almost Famous – Castle and Beckett investigate a murder of a male stripper wearing a police officer uniform.
EPISODE 42 – Murder Most Fowl – Castle and Beckett investigate a kidnapping of a boy.
EPISODE 43 – Close Encounters of the Murderous Kind – Castle and Beckett investigate the murder of an astrophysicist.
EPISODE 44 – Last Call – Castle and Beckett investigate a death of a bar owner.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 45 – Nikki Heat – Natalie Rhodes who plays the role Nikki Heat in the film adaptation of “Heat Wave” joins Beckett and Castle on an investigation. Guest Star: Laura Prepon
EPISODE 46 – Poof! You’re Dead – Detective Beckett and Castle investigate the death of a Magician.
EPISODE 47 – Knockdown – A detective who is investigate Beckett’s mother’s murder is shot in front of Beckett before he can show her new evidence he had found.
EPISODE 48 – Lucky Stiff – Detective Beckett and Castle investigate the murder of a lottery winner.
EPISODE 49 – The Final Nail – Detective Beckett and Castle investigate the death of a wealthy woman.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 50 – Setup – Detective Beckett and Castle investigate the murder of an NYC taxi driver. Part 1 of a two part episode.
EPISODE 51 – Countdown – In part 2 of a two-part episode, the NYPD and Department of Homeland Security search for a dirty bomb, meanwhile Beckett and Castle are trapped ina frozen storage container.
EPISODE 52 – One Life to Lose – Beckett and Castle investigate the death of a head writer of a long-running soap opera.
EPISODE 53 – Law & Murder – During a trial of a socialite, one of the jurors dies from cyanide poisoning. Beckett and Castle must investigate the death of the juror.
EPISODE 54 – Slice of Death – Detective Beckett and Castle investigate a reporter who is found dead inside a pizza oven.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 55 – The Dead Pool – Castle and Beckett investigate the death of a future Olympic swimmer.
EPISODE 56 – To Love and Die in L.A. -Beckett goes against orders and travels to LA to investigate the murder of her training officer Michael Royce.
EPISODE 57 – Pretty Dead - Castle and Beckett investigate the death of a beauty pageant contestant.
EPISODE 58 – Knockout - Season finale… Beckett and Castle try to track down an assassin who escapes custody during his trial and the person may have knowledge of how Beckett’s mother was murdered. Meanwhile, Captain Montgomery’s secret is revealed and someone is shot.

VIDEO:

“Castle – The Complete Third Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 televisions. The drama series is quite slick as it gives you the feel of New York and like many abc studios related DVD releases, Disney has always done a good job with their TV show transfers. A show that balances outdoor and indoor shots with good lighting, the picture quality for “CASTLE” is pretty solid. I didn’t see any major artifacting issues or low level noise that was distracting.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, “Castle – The Complete Third Season” is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The series is front and center channel driven with a few episodes (that involve gun fights) utilizing the surround channels. The series does utilize quite a bit of music and for the most, the series is clear and understandable.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Castle – The Complete Third Season” includes the following special features:

DISC 1:

Audio Commentary – Episode 301 ―A Deadly Affair‖ With Creator/Executive Producer/Writer Andrew W. Marlowe, Director/Executive Producer Rob Bowman And Actor Nathan Fillion

DISC 2:

Audio Commentary – Episode 307 ―3XK‖ with Director Bill Roe, Executive Producer/Writer David Amann And Actors Seamus Dever & Jon Huertas

DISC 5:

Murder The Wrote – (22:05) An exciting all-new roundtable featuring series star Nathan Fillion, New York Times best-selling author Michael Connelly, Andrew Marlowe (creator/executive producer), Rob Bowman (executive producer) and Brian Michael Bendis (graphic novelist) discuss the genre, tricks of the trade and more
Castle Goes Hollywood – (8:00) An all new behind-the-scenes look at the season‘s episode that takes the series characters to Hollywood.
Bloopers – (4:14) The outtakes from the third season of “Castle”.
Deleted Scenes – Featuring three deleted scenes: Message from Royce, Honorary Badge and Out of Line.
Murder Boards – (3:23) Rob Schow talks about the dry erase boards shown on the series and how much planning goes into the boards and how they are utilized in the series.
Get on the Floor – Music Video - (2:15) The music video feat. “Get on the Floor” (Note: The song does have some mature lyrics that you may not want to play around children).

EXTRAS:

“Castle – The Complete Third Season” comes with a slip cover case.

Finally, after watching three seasons of wondering if Castle and Beckett will ever get together, perhaps longtime viewers have a glimmer of hope for the fourth season.

For so long, after seeing Beckett and Castle together and having this chemistry but none of them willing to cross the line beyond their professional working relationship, season three of “Castle” really takes things up a notch by showing the viewers that perhaps these two would be good together.

Granted, like the previous two seasons, the writers are not going to easily make that happen. And I don’t blame them.

Back in the 1980′s, when ABC had the hit investigative series “Moonlighting” with Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd. The writers kept these two apart for so long despite the chemistry and sexual tension of the characters and once they got together, it was the final nail in the coffin for the series and from that moment on, the two as a pair brought the downfall of the series.

So, sometimes its not a good thing to push relationships but the writers have done a great job of holding things off and building that chemistry. Do viewers want to see Beckett and Castle together? Or to continue this built-up sexual tension for between these characters for another season.

But the season finale makes you wonder how things will be in season four between these two.

Now, possibly the best thing going for season three is the fact that we learn that the murder of Detective Beckett’s mother is much bigger than she can ever realize. In fact, as a viewer, I was even surprised to see how deep this storyline has gotten and I do like how things have gotten progressively bigger each season with this storyline and in this case, possibly quite tragic. OK, probably not as there is no way Castle is going to die but…Beckett? Would the writers go that far? All I can say is that the season finale left me speechless. Wow!

And last, if there is one thing that “Castle” writers have been great, that is giving viewers one hell of a season finale. And to find out one of the characters of the series has a major secret, suffice to say, I never saw that one coming. And definitely will have ramifications going into season four.

As for the DVD, “Castle – The Complete Third Season” is once again, another solid release. Like the previous two DVD box sets, this third season also has a good number of special features including an intriguing roundtable discussion, two audio commentary, a featurette about shooting in Hollywood, outtakes, deleted scenes and a music video.

Overall, “Castle – The Complete Third Season” features another fun humorous, exciting and explosive season and the writers really stepped up their game with a good balance of plot twists, sexual tension and drama.

Definitely recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

Body of Proof: The Complete First Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

September 8, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

If you are looking for a fun, clever and entertaining drama medical/investigative series, definitely give “Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” a chance!

DVD TITLE: Body of Proof: The Complete First Season

SERIES DATE: 2011

DURATION: 9 Episodes (387 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, Spanish and French Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV 14 DSLV

RELEASE DATE: September 20, 2011

Directed by Nelson McCormick, Christine Moore

Written by Christopher Murphey

Produced by Jim Klever-Weis, Bryan Oh

Co-Producer: Paul Gadd

Supervising Producer: Diane Ademu-John

Executive Producer: Matthew Gross, Christopher Murphey, Sunil Nayar

Co-Executive Producer: Corey D. Miller, Richard Heus, Andrew Dettmann

Music by Daniel Licht

Cinematography by Patrick Cady

Edited by Jennifer Pulver, Lynn Willingham, Randy Jon Morgan

Casting by Rosalie Joseph

Production Design by Steven Wolff

Art Direction by Jeremy Woodward, E. David Cosier, Gina B. Cranham

Costume Design by Roberta Haze

Starring:

Dana Delany as Megan Hunt

Jeri Ryan as Kate Murphy

John Carroll Lynch as Bud Morris

Nicholas Bishop as Petr Dunlop

Sonja John as Samantha Baker

Geoffrey Arend as Ethan Gross

Windell Middlebrooks as Curtis Brumfield

Suzanne Gillies as Medical Investigator

Kent R. Williams as Officer Steave

Billy “V” Vigeant as Officer Watkins

Mary Mouser as Lacey Fleming

Jeffrey Nordling as Todd Fleming

Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) was second to none — a brilliant neurosurgeon in a class all her own — but when her lifesaving gift is destroyed in a career-ending car accident, she reinvents herself as a medical examiner. Armed with keen instincts and vast medical knowledge, Dr. Hunt uses the victim‘s bodies to tell the story of their lives and untimely death. The first season of this hit new series allows fans to relive the twists and turns of each case as Hunt seeks justice for every victim while also embarking on a journey of personal redemption.

One day, while trying to talk on her cell phone, she got into a car accident and now she doesn’t have full control of her hands to do surgery and thus ended her career as a neurosurgeon.

The characters of “Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” include:

Peter Dunlop (Nicholas Bishop, “Home and Away, “Walking on Water”) - A former police officer and now a medico-legal investigator. A partner to Dr. Megan Hunt assisting her on medical cases.

Dr. Ethan Gross (Geoffrey Arend, “(500) Days of Summer”, “Garden State”) – The young and enthusiastic fellow medical examiner.

Todd Fleming (Jeffrey Nordling, “Flight 93″, “Tron: Legacy”, “Once and Again”) - The estranged husband of Dr. Megan Hunt.

Lacey Fleming (Mary Matilyn Mouser, “Bride Wars”, “Son of the Mask”) – The estranged daughter of Dr. Megan Hunt.

“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” features 9 episodes on two discs. Here is a basic summary of each episode (Spoilerless summaries):

DISC: 1

EPISODE 1 – Pilot – Detectives work with a passionate medical examiner named Dr. Megan Hunt, but with her wanting to catch the killer of a young woman, they quickly learn that the medical examiner may tend to break her boundaries. Meanwhile, Hunt tries to re-establish a relationship with her estranged daughter.
EPISODE 2 – Letting Go – Dr. Megan Hunt helps detectives with a murder case involving an interracial couple.
EPISODE 3 – Helping Hand – Dr. Megan Hunt tries to find out how and who murdered a woman found in a hotel. Meanwhile, Megan tries to make friends by taking an interest in the lives of her co-workers.
EPISODE 4 – Talking Heads – Dr. Megan Hunt works on a case involving a homeless man who was dismembered. Meanwhile, Dr. Megan Hunt’s daughter chooses her mother as a her video project.
EPISODE 5 – Dead Man Walking – Dr. Megan Hunt investigates a patients death at the hospital she once worked at. Special guest stars: Christina Hendricks and Marc Blucas. Meanwhile, Ethan and Curtis work on a case.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 6 – Society Hill – Dr. Megan Hunt tries to find out who killed a magazine editor, meanwhile she accepts an invitation to one of her mother’s social events.
EPISODE 7 – All in the Family – A stay-at-home dad is found murdered in his home in a quiet neighborhood in the Philadelphia suburbs. Dr. Hunt tries to find out who killed her. Meanwhile Kate works on a pro bono case with Megan’s ex-husband.
EPISODE 8 – Buried Secrets – A homicide detective is found dead and Dr. Megan Hunt tries to help detectives find out who killed her.
EPISODE 9 – Broken Home – When a socialite is found dead, Dr. Megan Hunt feels that she may have been killed but her personal life is starting to interfere with the investigation.

VIDEO:

“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 televisions. This is one of the few drama series on television where a lot of the scenes are shot outdoors, to there is good natural lighting and the series does look good on DVD. I didn’t see any major noise or compression artifacts. For the most part, the seventh season does look very good on DVD.

AUDIO:

The show is presented in English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” includes the following special features:

Examining the Proof – (10:21) Cast, crew and creators discuss the fascinating elements that go into making death look real with the help of research and a team of medical advisors.
If Looks Could Kill - (5:33) From Dr. Megan Hunt‘s high heels to Curtis and Ethan‘s scrubs and wardrobe, go behind-the-scenes with costume designer Roberta Haze as she dresses the actors and creates looks that kill!
Body of Goofs – (3:40) “Body of Proof” first season outtakes.
New Evidence: A Sneak Peek at Season 2 – (:46) Short sneak peak for season 2.

DISC 2:

Normal & Extended episode of “Episode 144 – Song Beneath the Song” – This extended episode (48:01) and the normal episode (44:01) are featured on disc 5.

EXTRAS:

“Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” comes with a slip cover case.

So far, with the first season of “Body of Proof”, the characters and the overall premise of the series is very good and entertaining.

As for the DVD release, you do get nine episodes and special features and of course, the series is sold at a cheaper price because of the shorter season. But overall, it’s a solid series. I just hope that the writers don’t make Dr. Hunt too sociable (ala similar to Delaney’s role in “Desperate Housewives”) and to not have Dr. Hunt or Nicholas Bishop hook up. There is a lot of exploring and potential for these characters but it’s all about how they are utilized in each episode. Especially with Dr. Ethan Gross and Dr. Curtis Brumfield, who are being used in season one for more comedic sake, would like to see them in more deeper, darker or dramatic scenes than just being used for comedy sake.

Overall, so far, so good for “Body of Proof” and how things have played out this first season. But we’ll see how things go for season two!

If you are looking for a fun, clever and entertaining drama medical/investigative series, definitely give “Body of Proof: The Complete First Season” a chance!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

August 25, 2011 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Another entertaining and very emotional season of “Desperate Housewives”. This time around, there is a good amount of focus on the main female characters of the series and also a few surprises as well. The seventh season also introduces actress Vanessa Williams to the series and for the most part, season 7 is one of the more emotional seasons yet. If you invested so much time to this series, then “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition” is definitely recommended!

TITLE: Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition

DURATION: (23 episodes) 989 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, Region 1, Widescreen (1:78:1), NTSC, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles

RATED: TV 14 DLSV

COMPANY: abc studios

RELEASE DATE: August 30, 2011

Created by Marc Cherry

Directed by Larry Shaw, David Grossman, David Warren, Bathany Rooney

Written by Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, Matt Berry, Joe Keenan, Jason Ganzel, Jeff Greenstein, Marco Pennette, David Schladweiler, John Paul Bullock II, Josann McGibbon, Sara Parriott

Executive Produced by Marc Cherry, Geroge W. Perkins, Larry Shaw, David Grossman, Sabrina Wind, Dana N. Wilson, Josann McGibbon,

Co-Executive Produced by Sara Parriott, Annie Weisman

Produced by Charlas Skouras II, Stephanie Hagen

Consulting Producer: Jeff Greenstein. Joe Keenan

Music by Steve Jablonsky

Cinematography by Lowell Peterson, David J. Miller

Editing by Andrew Doerfer, Jonathan Posell, Karen Castaneda

Casting by Scott Genkinger, Junie Lowry-Johnson

Production Design by Erik Carlson

Series Art Direction by Brian Jewell

Series Set Decoration by Eric Rogalia

Series Costume Design by Catherine Adair

Series Casting by Scott Genkinger, Junie Lowry-Johnson

Production Design by Erik Carlson

Art Design by Brian Jewell, Erik Carlson

Set Decoration by Erica Rogalla

Costume Design by Catherine Adair

Starring:

Terri Hatcher as Susan Mayer

Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo

Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge

Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis

Dana Delany as Katherine Mayfair

Ricardo Chavira as Carlos Solis

Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young

Doug Savant as Tom Scavo

James Denton as Mike Delfino

Shawn Pyfrom as Andrew Van De Kamp

Andrea Bowen as Julie Mayer

Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge

Kathryn Joosen as Karen McCluskey

Richard Burgi as Karl Mayer

Maiara Walsh as Ana Solis

Vanessa Williams as Renee Perry

Harrie Sansom Harris as Felicia Tilman

Darcy Rose byrnes as Penny Scavo

Emily Bergl as Beth Young

Brian Austin Green – Keith Watson

Polly Bergen as Stella Wingfield

The action gets even wilder in the sizzling seventh season of ABC’s acclaimed dramatic comedy, “Desperate Housewives”. Experience all the humor, mystery and juicy thrills in this spectacular 5-disc collection.

It’s high noon on Wisteria Lane as a brand-new rival (Vanessa Williams) stirs up even more excitement, deceit and romance in the neighborhood. Lynette gets jealous when Renee starts spending time with Tom and Bree find herself falling for Keith (Brian Austin Green). Meanwhile, Gabrielle makes a shocking personal discovery, Susan copes with a life-threatening event and a mysterious shooting has everyone on edge. Through all the drama, the world’s most famous housewives are bound together by the friendship they share and the secrets they keep.

Relive every red-hot episode and dive deeper into television’s most addicting primetime series with never-before-seen bonus features. It’s the perfect gift for every “Desperate Hosuewives” fan!

“Desperate Housewives”, the popular ABC drama series (created by Marc Cherry, “The Golden Girls”, “The Golden Palace”, “Amas de casa despesperadas”) which started back in 2004 definitely has gone through some major ups and downs with its dark comedy storylines to its complex marriage or relationship problems but if there is one thing definite about the series… its that the the fans love it and to keep the fans interested, the series went through a significant change for its fifth season.

Also, the seventh season of “Desperate Housewives” marks the return of Paul Young, the creepy husband of Mary Alice who now wants to take revenge on the housewives.

The main characters of “Desperate Housewives” Season 7 are:

Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher, “Seinfeld”, “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) – One of the lead characters who was married to Karl and had a daughter named Julie. They divorced and Susan married Mike Delfino who she ended up divorcing. But in season 5, they manage to patch things up and remarry and have a song together. But because Mike’s plumbing business has gone south, both Susan and Mike are forced to leave Wisteria Lane and the family struggle to make ends meet.
Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman, “Frasier”, “Sports Night”, “Raising Helen”) – Lynnette was a former advertising executive who is married to Tom Scavo (Doug Savant, “Melrose Place) and has four children: her teenage twins (and often in trouble) Preston and Porter, Parker is the youngest son and the well-behaved youngest daughter Penny. She is now back at home for work while Tom is working the corporate job.
Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross, “Everwood”, “Melrose Place”) – Bree was a former cooking tycoon but has since sold her business, divorced Orson and is once again single.
Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria Parker, “Dragnet”, “The Hearbreak Kid”, “Young and the Restless”) – The youngest housewife who enjoys money. She is married to Carlos Solis (Ricardo Chavira, “Six Feet Under”) and has two daughters.
Renee Perry (Vanessa Williams, “Ugly Betty”, “Shaft”, “Eraser”, “Soul Food) – Lynette’s best friend from college. Formerly married to a professional baseball player, now in a divorce, she moves to Wisteria Lane and hangs out with the women. She also runs an interior design business with Lynette.
Mike Delfino (James Denton, “Threat Matrix”) - The husband of Susan who works as a plumber. He has re-married Susan and both are struggling financially.
Tom Scavo (Doug Savant, “24″, “Melrose Place”) – The husband of Lynette who has return back to a corporate job and is now the main breadwinner of the family.
Carlos Solis (Ricardo Chavira, “Prinha”, “Days of Wrath”) – The husband of Gabrielle and a successful business owner.
Paul Young (Mark Moses, “Letters from Iwo Jima”, “Platoon”) – A former resident of Wisteria Lane and married to Mary Alice Young, who were good friends with the women of Wisteria Lane. Paul has been in prison for a few years and now that he is out, he wants to exact revenge on the women of Wisteria Lane.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

Karen McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten, “Scrubs”, “Joan of Arcadia”) – An older widowed housewife and is seen as one of the nosiest neighbors on the block. She is now dating Roy.
Lee McDermott and Bob Hunter (Kevin Rham, Tuc Watkins) – Two gay men who live in Wisteria Lane. A loving couple who love to argue in public.
Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan, “In Justice”, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″) – The ex-husband of Bree who is a former thief and con man.

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season” on DVD features the following episodes 135-157 (the following are spoiler-less summaries):

DISC 1:

EPISODE 135 – Remember Paul? - Paul Young is back in the neighborhood, Lynette’s frienemy comes to Wisteria Lane for more than just a visit and Bree tells Gaby the truth of what happened to her mother-in-law.
EPISODE 136 – You Must Meet My Wife - Lynette’s friend Renee stays with the family, meanwhile Tom gets some help. Meanwhile, Bree starts to fall for her contractor and Gaby and Carlos find out that a hospital mishap has accidentally switched their child with another child. Meanwhile to make money, Susan takes up on a non-porn streaming site job.
EPISODE 137 – Truly Content – Tom gets prescribed medical marijuana and Lynette is against it. Meanwhile, Gaby goes to find her real biological daughter against Carlos wishes. Meanwhile, the group tries to welcome Paul’s wife Beth to the neighborhood.
EPISODE 138 – The Thing That Counts in What’s Inside – Susan’s secret job may come out in public when a billboard of her in lingeree goes up around the city. Renee and Bree compete on who can win Keith’s affections.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 139 – Let Me Entertain You - Lynette is not thrilled when Tom hires his mother to become the nanny. Meanwhile, what happens when Renee and Gabriel share intimate secrets with each other.
EPISODE 140 – Excited and Scared - Susan is blackmailed by Paul and must come clean about her part-time job. Meanwhile, Juanita wonders why her mother is spending too much time with Grace.
EPISODE 141 – A Humiliating Business – Susan needs a job badly and thus Lynette hires her as her nanny. Bree meets Keith’s parents and finds out why she is having hot flashes. Also, Paul’s motive of buying the homes in Wisteria Lane is revealed.
EPISODE 142 – Sorry Grateful - Bree invites Keith’s parents to Thankgiving Dinner. Meanwhile, Lynette is concerned of how Susan is becoming too concerned about her baby Paige. Meanwhile, what happens when Gaby finds out that Grace may need to leave town.
EPISODE 143 – Pleasant Little Kingdom - Gaby begins to panic when she finds out that Grace’s mother wants to flee the area from deportation. Renee accidentally reveals a secret with Susan and Paul’s plan is revealed to the neighborhood.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 144 – Down the Block There’s a Riot - Juanita learns the truth about why her mother cares so much about Grace. Meanwhile, a riot hits Wisteria Lane and a few are seriously injured.
EPISODE 145 – Assassins - As police are on the lookout for Paul’s shooter, Paul finds out the truth about Beth. Meanwhile, Susan needs kidney dialysis and Carlos and Gabrielle are told by their therapist to eliminate Grace from their lives for Juanita’s sake. Lynette learns the truth about Tom and Renee’s past.
EPISODE 146 – Where Do I Belong – Susan needs a kidney transplant and her mother and her daughter comes to visit her in the hospital. Meanwhile, Lynette exacts her revenge on Tom for his betrayal.
EPISODE 147 – I’m Still Here – Bree is approached by a woman from Keith’s past and finds out that he has a son that he knows nothing about.
EPISODE 148 – Flashback – Gabrielle goes to therapy and learns the truth about her past, Bree tells Keith the truth about the boy and Mike confronts Zach about Paul’s shooting.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 149 – Farewell Letter – Gabi and Carlos go back to Texas in order for Gabi to deal with her past. Bree makes an important decision in regards to her relationship with Keith, Mike and Paul decide to help Zach.
EPISODE 150 – Searching – Susan and Mike spend time together, Beth wants to help Susan through tragic circumstances and Renee offers to babysit Paige.
EPISODE 151 – Everything’s Different, Nothing’s Changed – Susan has a donor but Paul stands in the way, meanwhile Felicia is released from prison and wants revenge for what happened to her daughter.
EPISODE 152 – Moments in the Woods - Carlos finds out the truth about who killed his mother and Felicia tries to make her peace with Paul.
EPISODE 153 – The Lies III-Concealed - Carlos forbids Gabi to become friends with Bree, meanwhile Felicia begins her plans for revenge.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 154 – I’ll Swallow Poison on Sunday – Felicia uses Susan to exact her revenge on Paul, Tom gives Lynette and Renee a chance to redesign his office.
EPISODE 155 – Then I Really Got Scared - Bree investigates the man she is dating and Juanita has nightmares after watching a horror film. Meanwhile, Tom and Lynette go on vacation to fix their marriage.
EPISODE 156 – And Lots of Security – The police investigate Susan who is accused of trying to poison Paul, meanwhile Tom and Lynette discuss their marital problems.
EPISODE 157 – Come on Over For Dinner – The Wisteria Lane gang hold a dinner but Gabi has an uninvited guest.

VIDEO:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition” is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1), enhanced for 16×9 televisions. “Desperate Housewives” looks very good on DVD. Outdoor scenes are nice and vibrant, blacks and low-light scenes do not have the excessive noise problems that some series tend to exhibit on a DVD release.

AUDIO:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition” is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and pretty much, “Desperate Housewives” has always been a dialogue-driven television show and is primarily front and center channel driven. For the most part, dialogue is clear and understandable. The show uses minimal music and nor is it the kind of series that utilizes a lot of sound effects (the final episode has a little). For the most part, the setting I preferred to watch the series was to set my receiver setting and have stereo on all channels.

The series includes subtitles in English SDH, Spanish and in French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season” comes with the following special features:

DISC 5:

Desperate For Trivia - “Desperate Housewives” trivia game. Use your remote to anwser the correct answers.
Growing Up on Wisteria Lane - (9:55) The young cast who grew up on the set of “Desperate Housewives”. The main talent talk about the children they work with on the show.
Bloopers – (4:18) “Desperate Housewives” season seven outtakes.
Deleted Scenes – A total of 12 deleted scenes.

EXTRAS:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition” comes with a slip cover case.

Since the fifth season, I felt that the “Desperate Housewives” reboot was necessary in establishing a new beginning for the Housewives. As each housewife deals with becoming parents and the story now benefiting from the five year advance, I felt that creator Marc Cherry did what he can to help jumpstart the series.

The sixth season was similar to the second season in some ways as a secretive family moves to Wisteria Lane and a strangler was on the loose. But for this seventh season, “Desperate Housewives” goes back to the basics by retaining similar storylines of another creepy person moving into Wisteria Lane (but this time, a familiar face), bringing a new character to the mix as part of the housewives group and last, focusing on the lives of each character.

While I did find the seventh season to be entertaining, I do feel that the writers are really trying hard to find ways to put a damper on the life of these housewives.

Susan and Mike continue to be a couple who face challenges but this time financial and also a health scare that hits the family hard.

But this time around, I feel that the writers wanted to make sure the wives and their families get full coverage and thus we have ex-housewife, Bree involved in two relationships throughout the course of the season. But the ones that face the most emotional damage is Gabrielle, who finds out that Juanita is not her true blood daughter and when she meets her real daughter, she has a hard time coping. But to make matters worse is part of her past comes back to haunt her.

The character I feel that the writers tried to zero in on is Lynette. Part of me feels so bad for this character because she had to go through cancer, going back to work and so many other problems that she and her family are constantly have to face. I was hoping that the writers would at least take it easy with Lynette in the seventh season but I get a feeling that because she is strong-willed and opinionated, she is the character that will be facing extreme difficulties in her marriage. In some ways, with every character being divorced, you would have hoped Marc Cherry and fellow writers to have at least one person have a good marriage (yes, not perfect but still have a marriage intact).

I do feel the addition of Vanessa Williams to the cast is pretty cool. But in some ways, her character is almost like her diva character on “Ugly Betty”. Snooty, uptight and judgmental. But it’s great to see her on the shoe but it’s obvious that her character being the newcomer of the group, is not yet being welcomed with open arms.

We do know that the next season of “Desperate Housewives” will be the final season and I just hope Marc Cherry can at least give closure to fans as many of us have invested into the show for so many years. And while the series tends to have its good seasons and OK seasons, I have to say that the seventh season was very good. Hilarious, emotional, entertaining and so many things were introduced this season but with that being said, it’s a bit farfetched this time around, especially seeing a riot hit Wisteria Lane. It’s one thing for a tornado or a an airplane but a riot? I don’t know about that.

But the riot scene episode was still very entertaining but I do feel that the shocking storylines that the series is known for, wasn’t so shocking by the second half of the season. In fact, the way the series ended made me think of another ABC series, ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars”. It’s almost cliche to see something like this happen but at the same time, these women are very good friends and they would always back each other up.

I don’t know if I agree with the series finale but I can only hope that things work itself out by the final eighth season.

As for “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition”, the DVD set is good, but considering that the last season set and even previous releases had audio commentary, this time around, we only get a few featurettes and that was a bit of a surprise. I was expecting a bit more in terms of special features.

Overall, If you are a fan of “Desperate Housewives”, then “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season – Wild, Wild Wisteria Edition” is a good season, just not their best. Still, if you invested so much time in watching this comedy/drama series, then this seventh season is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season – The All Mighty Edition (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

September 14, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Another entertaining and fun season of “Desperate Housewives”! Although the main dark plot of the Bolen family or “the strangler” didn’t end up as more shocking than I would have hoped, I did feel the writing was consistent with last season’s awesome writing sans the yearly shocking finale. The latest DVD release doesn’t have any audio commentary but you do get a few entertaining special features to make this release quite entertaining. If you are a fan of “Desperate Housewives”, “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season – The All Mighty Edition” is definitely recommended!

TITLE: Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Edition – The All Mighty Edition

DURATION: (23 episodes) 989 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: NTSC, Region 1, Widescreen (1:78:1), NTSC, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, English SDH, Spanish and French subtitles

RATED: TV 14 DLSV

COMPANY: abc studios

RELEASE DATE: September 21, 2010

Created by Marc Cherry

Directed by Larry Shaw, David Grossman, David Warren, Bathany Rooney

Written by Marc Cherry, Alexandra Cunningham, Joey Murphy, John Pardee, Bob Daily, Joe Keenan, Matt Berry, Jamie Gorenberg, Jason Ganzel, David Schladweiler

Executive Produced by Marc Cherry, Geroge W. Perkins, John Pardee, Joey Murphy, Larry Shaw, David Grossman, Sabrina Wind, Bob Daily, Michael Edelstein, Tom Spezialy

Co-Executive Produced by David Flebotte, Marco Pennette

Produced by Charlas Skouras II, Stephanie Hagen

Associate Produced by Dana N. Wilson

Consulting Producer: Jeff Greenstein. Joe Keenan

Music by Steve Jablonsky

Cinematography by Lowell Peterson, David J. Miller

Editing by Andrew Doerfer, Jonathan Posell

Casting by Scott Genkinger, Junie Lowry-Johnson

Production Design by Erik Carlson

Series Art Direction by Brian Jewell

Series Set Decoration by Eric Rogalia

Series Costume Design by Catherine Adair

Series Casting by Scott Genkinger, Junie Lowry-Johnson

Production Design by Erik Carlson

Art Design by Brian Jewell, Erik Carlson

Set Decoration by Erica Rogalla

Costume Design by Catherine Adair

Starring:

Terri Hatcher as Susan Mayer

Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo

Marcia Cross as Bree Hodge

Eva Longoria Parker as Gabrielle Solis

Dana Delany as Katherine Mayfair

Ricardo Chavira as Carlos Solis

Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young

Doug Savant as Tom Scavo

James Denton as Mike Delfino

Shawn Pyfrom as Andrew Van De Kamp

Andrea Bowen as Julie Mayer

Kyle MacLachlan as Orson Hodge

Kathryn Joosen as Karen McCluskey

Richard Burgi as Karl Mayer

Drea de Matteo as Angie Bolen

Maiara Walsh as Ana Solis

Jeffrey Nordling as Nick Bolen

Beau Mirchoff as Danny Bolen

Julie Benz as Robin

On the surface, the residents of Wisteria lane appear to be the picture of suburban America. But underneath lay bigger mysteries – infidelity, deceit, blackmail and even murder. And with not-so-honest husbands, complicated relationships, family drama and meddling neighbors adding to the turmoil (and humor), it’s no wonder things aren’t always as they seem in the lives of the housewives. The women of Wisteria Lane have been through a lot, yet through it all, they stand united together.

For the sixth season of “Desperate Housewives”, the housewives have new problems this time around. Susan has married her second husband Mike, once again, but Katherine is not taking it quite well. Bree is having an affair with Susan’s first ex-husband behind her current husband, Orson’s back. Lynette is doing fantastic at her new career working for Carlos but as she is making her career dreams come true, now she and Tom face a new challenge as she is pregnant with twins. As for Gabrielle, life as a mother is difficult, especially now that she has to watch over Carlos’ teenage niece Ana but to make things even more complicated, a former flame comes back and she also has to deal with the pressures of being a parent. We are also introduced to a new family who has moved into the neighborhood and a new housewife named Angie who has a major secret. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose and his victims hit the housewives of Wisteria Lane pretty hard.

The main characters of “Desperate Housewives” Season 6 are:

Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher, “Seinfeld”, “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman”) – One of the lead characters who was married to Karl and had a daughter named Julie. They divorced and Susan married Mike Delfino who she ended up divorcing. But in season 5, they manage to patch things up despite Mike having a relationship with Katherine.
Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman, “Frasier”, “Sports Night”, “Raising Helen”) – Lynnette was a former advertising executive who is married to Tom Scavo (Doug Savant, “Melrose Place) and has four children: her teenage twins (and often in trouble) Preston and Porter, Parker is the youngest son and the well-behaved youngest daughter Penny. She is now working in an executive position for Carlos but finds out that she is pregnant.
Bree Van de Kamp (Marcia Cross, “Everwood”, “Melrose Place”) – Bree is a woman who tries to have the perfect family but unfortunately, her family is quite dysfunctional. She has two children Andrew (Shawn Pyfrom) and Danielle (Joy Lauren) with her now deceased husband Dr. Rex Van de Kamp. Bree is now a successful publisher (and a Martha Stewart type of person) and her husband Orson (played by Kyle MachLachlan, “Twin Peaks”, “Sex and the City”) are not in great terms and thus is having an affair with Karl.
Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria Parker, “Dragnet”, “The Hearbreak Kid”, “Young and the Restless”) – The youngest housewife who enjoys money. She is married to Carlos Solis (Ricardo Chavira, “Six Feet Under”) and has a daughter named Juanita (Madison De La Garza) who is a bit overweight and has issues because of that. Also, the neighborhood bully. Also a young daughter Celia (Daniella Baltodano) and now having to watch over Carlos’ niece Ana (who likes to go out and have fun).
Katherine Mayfair (Dana Delany, “China Beach”) - A business partner of Bree and now dating Mike and not knowing that he is together with Susan again. Thus igniting a rivalry between her and Susan.
Mike Delfino (James Denton, “Threat Matrix”) - The husband of Susan who works as a plumber. He used to have a relationship with Katherine after his first marriage with Susan ended in divorce.
Tom Scavo (Doug Savant, “24″, “Melrose Place”) – The husband of Lynette who is a former advertising employee and has had his ups and downs in the marriage.
Orson Hodge (Kyle MacLachlan, “In Justice”, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2″) – The husband of Bree who is a former thief and con man who has been feeling unimportant in his marriage.
Carlos Solis (Ricardo Chavira, “Prinha”, “Days of Wrath”) – The husband of Gabrielle and a successful business and Lynnette’s boss who has had his moments of problems the past.

SUPPORTING CHARACTERS:

Angie Bolen (Drea de Matteo, “Joey”, “Sons of Anarchy”) – The new housewife on the block who has a major secret and has moved her family to escape the law and someone else for some reason.
Karen McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten, “Scrubs”, “Joan of Arcadia”) – An older widowed housewife and is seen as one of the nosiest neighbors on the block. She is now dating Roy.
Ana Solis (Maiara Walsh, “Cory in the House”) – A niece of Carlos who has moved in with the family but unfortunately she is often at odds with Gabrielle. She takes an interest in Danny.
Robin Gallagher (Julie Benz, “Dexter”, “Rambo”, “Angel”) – A former stripper who is given a chance to start a new life by Susan.
John Rowland (Jesse Metcalfe, “Passions”) - A former gardener who had an affair with Gabrielle. He now owns a restaurant and hires Ana (who takes a liking to him) and makes Gabrielle jealous.
Danny Bolen (Beau Mirchoff, “Heartland”) - The son of Angie who carries on her secret. Because of his mysteriousness, the housewives on Wisteria Lane feel weird about him and think he is the strangler.
Lee McDermott and Bob Hunter (Kevin Rham, Tuc Watkins) – Two gay men who live in Wisteria Lane. A loving couple who love to argue in public.

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season” on DVD features the following episodes 112-134 (the following are spoiler-less summaries):

DISC 1:

EPISODE 112 – Nice is Different Than Good - The bride of Mike Delfino is revealed, Susan must deal with Katherine’s wrath, a new housewife named Angie Bolen moves to the neighborhood and something bad happens to Julie.
EPISODE 113 – Being Alive - The aftermath and the attention of Julie’s attacker points to Angie’s son. Meanwhile, Gabrielle has to deal with her niece Ana.
EPISODE 114 – Never Judge a Lady By Her Lover – Susan believes that Nick is the person responsible for the attack on Julie, meanwhile Gabrielle must deal with John’s (Jesse Metcalfe’s) return and is jealous when he hires Ana. Meanwhile, Bree is jealous of Karl’s date. Carlos offers Lynette a job at VP but she is worried that her pregnancy will hurt her career.
EPISODE 115 – The God-Why-Don’t-You-Love Me Blues – Gabrielle’s jealousy continues to grow as she sees John around Ana. Lynette is worried that her body changes may make people know that she is pregnant.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 116 – Everybody Ought To Have a Maid - Bree is upset when a motel maid knows she has an affair with Karl. Meanwhile, another housewive doesn’t tells Gabrielle she is not a good mother, thus Gabrielle tries to prove that she is a good mother.
EPISODE 117 – Don’t Walk On the Grass - Bree begins to fall for Karl and tries to stop it before it gets too serious but Karl is not going to let her off that easily. Meanwhile, after Gabrielle’s daughter says the F word during a school play and after being told off by the school principal, Gabrielle ends up home schooling her daughter.
EPISODE 118 – Careful the Things You Say – Susan wants to know if Katherine is responsible for strangling Julie. Lynnete finds out who the father of Julie’s baby is and suspects that he may be the strangler.
EPISODE 119 – The Coffee Cup - Susan and Katherine have to serve community service and Katherine brags about her past sexual relationship with Mike which makes Susan jealous. Orson suspects Bree is cheating on him.
EPISODE 120 – Would I Think of Suicide? - Another strangler murder leads the Bolen’s in deciding that perhaps they should move away from Wisteria Lane. Meanwhile, Katherine’s scheming starts to anger Mike and situations at work continue to worsen between Lynnette and Carlos.

DISC 3:

EPISODE 121 – Boom Crunch - Gabrille and Lynette’s friendship is starting to deteriorate. Orson finds out who the man Bree was having an affair with. Meanwhile, disaster strikes Wisteria Lane when a plane crashes in the neighborhood.
EPISODE 122 – If… - The aftermath of the plane crash and each of the housewives ponder about their life of “what if”?
EPISODE 123 – You Gotta Get a Gimmick – With things now better between Lynette and Gabrielle (and both families), Carlos gives Tom a chance to take on her position. Meanwhile, Juanita finds out that she’s of Mexican descent and Gabrielle deals with feelings that she has about her heritage.
EPISODE 124 – How About a Friendly Shrink? – Lynette doesn’t want to see a couple’s therapist, meanwhile Orson makes life harder for Bree.
EPISODE 125 – The Glamorous Life – Gabrielle and Carlos are concerned with Ana and Danny’s relationship, meanwhile Tom and Lynette disagree about their new therapist. Meanwhile, Bree fears that Orson may attempt suicide and Gabrielle and Carlos know that the Bolen’s have a secret.

DISC 4:

EPISODE 126 – Lovely – The housewives are not so happy that Susan has a stripper named Robin living at their home. But somehow Robin helps each housewife in their own way. But Susan gets a bit jealous when she starts to help Mike with personal massages.
EPISODE 127 – The Chase – Gabrielle stays with Bob and Lee because Celia has the chicken pox (and she has never had it) and now enjoying the party life, she doesn’t want to go back. Tom and Lynette forget about Penny’s birthday and now Penny’s gone missing.
EPISODE 128 – Chromolume #7 – Gabrielle and Angie head to New York to find Ana and Danny. Meanwhile, Preston returns back from Europe with a new girlfriend and Lynnete and Tom think he is being used. Meanwhile, Katherine tries to figure out if she is lesbian or not. (Special guests Heidi Klum and Paulina Pořízková). Bree meanwhile hires her new VP but is shocked to find out his true identity.
EPISODE 129 – My Two Young Men - Susan and Gabrielle continue to compete of which children are the best. This time in a chocolate selling contest. The housewives throw a party for Mrs. McCluskey and Katherine makes a big decision. Meanwhile, Angie’s ex-husband finds out about her location and Bree’s son Andrew is jealous of his new half brother.
EPISODE 130 – We All Deserve to Die - Lynette tries to stop Preston from marrying Irina and she discovers the truth about Irina. Gabrielle wants to donate her eggs to Lee and Bob, Mike is having financial problems. Meanwhile, Angie’s ex-husband has tracked her down and the strangler has been revealed.

DISC 5:

EPISODE 131 – Epiphany – We learn a little about the Fairview strangler and how the Housewives of Wisteria Lane may have affected him in the worst way possible. The episode also shows us how Mary Alice Young came in contact with the boy who would grow up to be the strangler.
EPISODE 132 – A Little Night Music - Angie has been on the run from her ex-husband for years but what happens when she comes face to face with her ex, Patrick Logan.
EPISODE 133 – The Ballad of Booth – With Susan and Mike suffering from financial problems, they must make a major decision. Angie goes to Gabrielle for help when Patrick threatens Angie that he will hurt her son. Lynette finds out the identity of the strangler. Sam blackmails Bree with a dark secret from the past that involves Andrew.
EPISODE 134 – I Guess This is Goodbye – Bree decides to hand over the company to Sam in order to protect her secret. Susan and Mike are planning to move out of Wisteria Lane and Lynette is held hostage by the Fairview strangler and is about to give birth. Meanwhile, a former nurse confesses to something bad that she did in the maternity ward.

VIDEO:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season – The All Mighty Edition” is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1), enhanced for 16×9 televisions. “Desperate Housewives” looks very good on DVD. Outdoor scenes are nice and vibrant, blacks and low-light scenes do not have the excessive noise problems that some series tend to exhibit on a DVD release.

AUDIO:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season – The All Mighty Edition” is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and pretty much, “Desperate Housewives” has always been a dialogue-driven television show and is primarily front and center channel driven. For the most part, dialogue is clear and understandable. The show uses minimal music and nor is it the kind of series that utilizes a lot of sound effects (the final episode has a little). For the most part, the setting I preferred to watch the series was to set my receiver setting and have stereo on all channels.

The series includes subtitles in English SDH, Spanish and in French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season” comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

ABC Starter Kit – If you hit play all on disc 1, you will get the ABC Starter Kit which briefly explains about what happened in the previous seasons of “Desperate Housewives”.

DISC 5:

Miss Piggy Gets Desperate – (10:40) Miss Piggy arrives on the set of “Desperate Housewives” and wants to be part of the cast of “Desperate Housewives”.
Desperate Housewives Master Class – (13:04) The crew talks about challenges that the cast of “Desperate Housewives” have to face. The cast talks about working on the series and how they became interested in acting.
Cherry Picked: Marc Cherry’s Favorite Scenes – Featuring optional commentary, series creator Marc Cherry talks about his favorite scenes of the sixth season: An Indomitable Will (5:02), Niffit (3:45), Guess Again Big Boy (4:09) and Blanking Off (1:40).
Bloopers – (4:34) “Desperate Housewives” season six outtakes.
Deleted Scenes – A total of seven deleted scenes.

EXTRAS:

“Desperate Housewives – The Complete Sixth Season” comes with a slip cover case.

Last season, I felt that the “Desperate Housewives” reboot was necessary in establishing a new beginning for the Housewives. As each housewife deals with becoming parents and the story now benefiting from the five year advance, I felt that creator Marc Cherry did what he can to help jumpstart the series.

Season four had the housewives dealing with a tornado, season five dealt with a new beginning for the housewives and now season six continues that storyline of the housewives learning about parenthood, others dealing with new loves, lost love and this time, with a new mysterious family moving to the neighborhood. To make things even more crazy, there is a strangler on the loose and people are now ending up dead.

I felt with the reboot last season, “Desperate Housewives” has a new fresh start and I liked how they had the storyline of Susan and Mike together (these two deserve each other and I can’t see them with anyone else) but we also got that creepy feeling with Katherine going a bit crazy when she loses Mike and is unable to cope with the loss that well.

Last season, the relationship between both Gabrielle and her daughters were hilarious to watch. To watch Gabrielle and her daughters together is just fun to watch because she’s not exactly sure how to be a good mother and her kids, especially little Juanita is also fun to watch as she has Gabrielle’s attitude. And the addition of Ana proves to be quite interesting as Gabrielle kind of sees herself in the teenager. And as the rambunctious children of Lynette were always focused on in the first two seasons, it was great to see Gabrielle and Susan have these parenting contests against each other.

As for Tom and Lynette, we tend to see how the couple has faced various challenges throughout the years and we have seen how Lynette had wanted to get back into a career and now she is very successful until she gets pregnant again and now scared to find out what would happen if Carlos finds out. Especially since Carlos depends on her daily presence and even moreso as he promotes her to VP.

And as for Bree, less focus on the actual business and more is focus on her infidelity with Karl, her relationship with Orson and finding out that her dead husband Rex has another child.

Throw in another housewife who has her own set of skeletons in her closet and you have yourself an enjoyable sixth season of “Desperate Houswives”.

Saying anything more will spoil the series but I feel that those who were attracted to the dark but yet enjoyable and fun storyline of the first season, can find enjoyment with the sixth season. For the most part, I enjoyed the sixth season but I have to admit that I was expecting a little more from the strangler storyline (since the first episode kicked off with it) and something a bit more dark and sinister but for what it’s worth, the way they ended things was OK.

Especially with the Bolen storyline, at first it seemed that there was something rather significant and I liked how the storyline went, but somehow the urgency started to dissipate and I felt that the way the series ended with the family was fine.

Usually, for “Desperate Housewives”, I’m used to seeing a finale that is quite explosive or shocking but this year, it was an average season finale but for the whole season, I actually enjoyed this season. The storylines were highly entertaining, I liked how the writers utilized the supporting characters such as Mrs. McClusky, Roy, Lee, Bob, Julie, Ana, Robin, Lynette’s kids, etc. and incorporated them to the episodes and once again, I enjoyed each episode a lot. It’s just that if people were expecting something shocking and something that would have them in awe, the shock factor wasn’t tremendous but it was good. If anything, I felt that the buildup to the plane crash episode was more surprising but it will be interesting to see what the writers have in store for season seven.

As for “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season – The All Mighty Edition”, the DVD set is a pretty solid release. I wish there was audio commentary for certain episodes like last year but there are none with this latest season DVD box set. But for the most part, you do get a few entertaining special features included and overall, it’s another solid “Desperate Housewives” DVD release.

If you are a fan of “Desperate Housewives”, then “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season – The All Mighty Edition” is definitely recommended!

Filed Under: DVD Reviews