Lincoln: 4-Disc Combo Pack (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Lincoln” is a fascinating, compelling film featuring fantastic cinematography, production and costume design but also magnificent performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and many others.  A Blu-ray release featuring great picture quality and lossless audio, “Lincoln: 4-Disc Combo Pack” is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2013 DreamWorks II Distribution Co. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Lincoln: 4-Disc Combo Pack

FILM RELEASE: 2012

DURATION: 150 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, English DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Language Tracks, Subtitles: English SDH, French and Spanish

COMPANY: Dreamworks Pictures/Touchstone Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (For an Intense Scene of War violence, Some Images of Carnage and Brief Strong Language)

Release Date: March 26, 2013

Directed by Steven Spielberg

Screenplay by Tony Kushner

Based on the book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

Executive Producer: Jonathan King, Daniel Lupi, Jeff Skoll

Co-Producer: Kristie Macosko, Adam Somner

Music by John Williams

Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski

Edited by Michael Kahn

Casting by Avy Kaufman

Production Design by Rick Carter

Art Direction by Curt Beech, David Crank, Leslie McDonald

Set Decoration by Jim Erickson, Charles Maloy, Peter T. Frank

Costume Design by Joanna Johnston

Starring:

Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln

Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln

David Strathairn as William Seward

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Robert Lincoln

James Spader as W.N. Bilbo

Hal Holbrook as Preston Blair

Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens

John Hawkes as Robert Latham

Jackie Earle Haley as Alexander Stephens

Bruce McGill as Edwin Stanton

Tim Blake Nelson as Richard Schell

Joseph Cross as John Hay

Jared Harris as Ulysses S. Grant

Gulliver McGrath as Tad Lincoln

Inspired by the true-life events confronting Abraham Lincoln and his monumental moral and political challenge to amend the United States Constitution to permanently abolish slavery, “LINCOLN” is a rich and compelling historical and human drama that has been hailed as one of the best film of the year. In-depth bonus features on the Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack takes viewers behind-the-scenes of director Spielberg’s life-long fascination with Lincoln and the 12 years it took to bring the story of one of history’s and mankind’s greatest triumphs to the screen.

As a young child, Steven Spielberg was captivated when he saw the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Decades later, the filmmaker would direct and produce the historical drama film “Lincoln” that is based on Doris Kearn Goodwin’s biography “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” focusing on the final four months of Abram Lincoln’s life and focusing on his efforts to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution passed by the United States House of Representatives. in January 1865.

Filmed in the Fall of 2011 and released theatrically int the Fall of 2012, “Lincoln” has received critical acclaim worldwide, earning seven Golden Globe nominations, twelve Academy Award nominations and grossing over $263 million at the box office, making “Lincoln” a financial success.

The film would feature an all-star cast including Daniel Day-Lewis (“There Will Be Blood”, “Gangs of New York”, “The Last of the Mohicans”), Sally Field (“Forrest Gump”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”, “Brothers & Sisters”), David Strathairn (“The Bourne Ultimatum”, “L.A. Confidential”, “Good Night” and “Good Luck”), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“Inception”, “Looper”, “(500) Days of Summer”), James Spader (“Boston Legal”, “Stargate”, “Secretary”), Hal Holbrook (“Wall Street”, Men of Honor”, “Into the Wild”), Tommy Lee Jones (“No Country for Old Men”, “Men in Black” films, “The Fugitive”), John Hawkes (“American Gangster, “Identity”, “The Sessions”) and many more.

And now “Lincoln” was released on Blu-ray and DVD, including a 4-Disc Combo Pack which includes the Blu-ray (2), DVD and Digital Copy in March 2013.

“Lincoln” is set during the time of the Civial War in 1865.  The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation which guaranteed slaves  in ten states that were in rebellion, enslaved by the Confederate to be free.  The worry was that with the Civil War coming to an end, the Proclamation would be discarded by the courts and slavery would continue.

So, President Abraham Lincoln (portrayed by Daniel-Day Lewis) felt it was imperative to pass the 13th Amendment by the end of January in order to ensure that all freed slaves, would not be re-enslaved.  Throughout all states, slavery will be abolished.

As the first Republican Party President, the problem that Abraham Lincoln faced was that the Radical Republicans feared the amendment will be defeated.  Republicans near the border states wanted to end the war and that was their priority and with more than a dozen votes needed for the 13th Amendment to pass, Lincoln and other fellow Republicans need to have the support of their own party but also Democrats.

But with time becoming a major challenge, Lincoln’s fellow Republicans try to urge the President that he wait until Congress is heavily represented by Republicans but Lincoln felt that with the war ending, the 13th Amendment must be voted now and that slavery is settled and the southern states are readmitted into the Union.

So, with the help and backing of Republican Party founder Preston Blair (portrayed by Hal Holbrook), who has the influence to win over the Republican conservatives in the western and border states, men are sent to help win them over.  Meanwhile, Lincoln and his Secretary of State William Seward (portrayed by David Strathaim) work on securing the Democratic votes but also to win over Radical Republicans such as Thaddeus Stevens (portrayed by Tommy Lee Jones), leader of the Radical Republican faction.

Meanwhile, Lincoln must deal with a wife Mary Todd (portrayed by Sally Field) who has rampant headaches, unstable and is haunted by the death of their sons Eddie (tuberculosis) and Willie (typhoid fever).  Mary also worried for their surviving sons Robert (portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Tad (portrayed for Gulliver McGrath), specifically their oldest Robert, who is tired of his parents putting him through law school (under Mary Todd’s direction as she wanted her son to be safe) as he desperately wants to serve in the military.

VIDEO:

“Lincoln” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1 aspect ratio).  With one of the most well-known cinematographers such as Janusz Kaminski (“Saving Private Ryan”, “Schindler’s List”, “Minority Report”, “Catch Me If You Can”) working on the film, one can expect nothing but the best in terms of cinematography, capturing the characters in fantastic lighting situations.    And once again, Kaminski’s cinematography is fantastic!  Featuring incredible detail and like era, using natural color to enhance the overall feeling of the film, skin tones are natural, the film features great contrast with outdoor scenes featuring a variety of colors, from a normal day to a cool, cold night where Abraham Lincoln and soldiers ride their horses through dead bodies during the war.  Black levels are nice and deep, Joanna Johnston’s costume design and Rick Carter’s production design of capturing authenticity is also captured amazingly on camera courtesy of Kaminski.

“Lincoln” looks fantastic on Blu-ray!

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, “Lincoln” is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HDMA, Envlish DVS 2.0 Dolby Digital, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital.  I was very impressed with the lossless soundtrack.  It’s one thing to expect crystal clear dialogue with wonderful music from legendary composer John Williams (“Star Wars” films, “Harry Potter” films, “Indiana Jones” films) but the amount of ambiance captured through the surrounds is wonderful.  With the constant chattering during the political debates, there is also use of LFE during certain scenes.  But even sounds of storms, sounds of wood upon wood, may it be a closure of a room, wheel making contact on the floor, good use of rear surround channels.  But it’s the dialogue and the ambiance along with Williams’ music that sounds incredible.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“Lincoln” comes with the following special features:

• The Journey to Lincoln - (9:24) Featuring interviews with Steven Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy and the cast about being part of the film and the creation of it.
• A Historic Tapestry: Richmond, Virginia - (4:00) Filmmaker Steven Spielberg and crew talk about being able to film at historic structures to recreate the feel of Washington, D.C. and Virginia during the Civil War era in Richmond, Virginia.
• In the Company of Character – (10:23) A featurette about the casting of the talent to play various characters and working with Daniel Day-Lewis.  Each cast member talks about their involvement in the film and meeting the other talents and how they immersed themselves and prepared for this film.
• Crafting the Past – (10:43) A special feature about costume and production design.  Production designer Rick Carter talks and costume designer Joanna Johnston about capturing the detail of the era and trying to make everything in the film look authentic.
• Living with Lincoln – (27:04) A special feature about a period biopic and the contribution to make this film feel like it was taking place in the past.  Capturing the look and feel but also through the performances.
• In Lincoln’s Footsteps – (16:35) A featurette about the editing of the film and how it was important to have the long periods instead of constant cuts.  Discussing the visual perspective of the film and the audio.

EXTRAS:

“Lincoln” comes with two Blu-rays (one for the feature film and the other for special features), a DVD and Digital Copy version of the film.  Also, a slipcover case is included.

When I was younger, my grandfather, an immigrant from the Philippines would always use Abraham Lincoln as an example for us and why people are fortunate today to be able to have a good education, strive for a good education because of what Lincoln was give people of color a chance of freedom in the United States.

He would always talk about the Emancipation Proclamation and I as I grew older, like every child taught in school about what Lincoln did to free the slaves, it was an important order from Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War.

Only until I became an adult, would you realize that there was much more to the story than the simple “Lincoln freed the slaves!” that we have been taught.  Along with the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, it wasn’t until the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 which abolished slavery, that the amendment was monumental.

But it wasn’t easy.  With so much focus of Lincoln on his assassination by John Wilkes Booth, I really didn’t know too much about Abraham Lincoln’s life until I saw the biographical silent film “Abraham Lincoln” (1930) directed by D.W. Griffith.  While this film focused on Lincoln’s earlier life as a storekeeper and rail-splitter and his earlier romance with Ann Rutledge and later being engaged to Mary Todd and the Lincoln-Douglas debates about the extension of slavery, there really hasn’t been anything showcasing the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment.

I can understand why.  It’s not an easy subject for one to craft and make it entertaining for general audiences,   People know how the amendment was historic, but would one want to watch it as a film?

That’s where filmmaker Steven Spielberg comes in and the fact that he is directing the film, the answer is yes.  If Spielberg can make this film entertaining, it’s definitely worth giving a try.

Joining him are top people in the industry, from composer John Williams, director of photography Janusz Kaminski, production designer Rick Carter and costume design by Joanna Johnston, and many others involved with the film, you know you have a great team.

And what Spielberg is quite effective was building a storyline with showcasing how difficult of a time it was for President Lincoln.  While the Emancipation Proclamation helped give slaves a chance for freedom during the Civil War, if the war was to end, they would not be free any longer, and not too many were in favor of abolishing slavery, except President Lincoln and a few members of the US House of Representatives.  With wonderful production and costume design to keep the authenticity of the film and the amazing performances by actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathaim, Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon Levitt to name a few, you can’t help but be amazed with how wonderful this film looks, but also how powerful the film is thanks to its outstanding talent.

Daniel Day-Lewis captures the look of Abraham Lincoln, Sally Field who gained weight for the role was also able to play the unstable Mary Todd and of course other performers throughout the film, made the film feel authentic and real.

The film is smart, compelling but also a message about freedom and equality. Also, it’s a subject that not many people are familiar with and you learn that freedom did not come easy but also how President Lincoln took a risk that could have had him impeached.  But he was dedicated, persistent and also made others around him persistent, but most importantly have them put their faith in him to make it happen.  A lot was at stake for some people who voted for the amendment, some who were threatened but yet knowing what was right and debating within, whether or not to be loyal to their political party or to side with Abraham Lincoln in giving freedom to the slaves.

As for the 4-Disc Combo Pack of “Lincoln”, you get the Blu-ray release (two featuring the feature film, the other with special features), a DVD version of the film and a Digital Copy.  Picture quality along with lossless audio is magnificent, special features are good but I wished they were slightly longer.  It would have been nice to have an audio commentary or even other special features on Abraham Lincoln. But that is me being picky!  For the most part, “Lincoln” is a wonderful Blu-ray release and a film that is powerful and another cinematic masterpiece for Steven Spielberg.

Overall, “Lincoln” is a fascinating, compelling film featuring fantastic cinematography, production and costume design but also  a magnificent performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and many others.  Highly recommended!

 

The Amazing Spider-Man (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“The Amazing Spider-Man” may not be the most faithful film when it comes to film adaptation from the original comic books, but then again, not many superhero films are.  Overall, the film turned out to be much more exciting, much more deeper than I was expecting.  And every ounce of skepticism that I once had, was no longer there.  I absolutely enjoyed “The Amazing Spider-Man” and I loved this Blu-ray release for its wonderful PQ, AQ and the special features galore!  There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best “Spider-Man” film yet! “The Amazing Spider-Man” is highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © 2012 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Marvel, and the names and distinctive likenesses of Spider-Man and all other Marvel characters: ™ and © 2012 Marvel Entertainment, LLC & its subsidiaries. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The Amazing Spider-Man

FILM RELEASE: 2012

DURATION: 86 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (2:40:1), English, French, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Chinese, Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: Chinese (Mandarin Traditional), Chinese (Mandarin Mandarin Simplified), Chinese (Mandarin Traditional), English (US), French (Canadian), French (Parisian), Indonesian / Bahasa, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin Am), Thai

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: PG-13 (Sequences of Action and Violence)

Release Date: November 9, 2012

Directed by Marc Webb

Screenplay by James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, Steve Kloves

Story by James Vanderbilt

Based on the Comic Book Series by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Producer: Avi Arad, Matthew Tomach, Laura Ziskin

Executive Producer: Kevin Feige, Michael Grillo, Kyla Kraman, Stan Lee

Associate Producer: Beatriz Sequeira

Music by James Horner

Cinematography by John Schwarzman

Edited by Alan Edward Bell, Michael McCusker, Pietro Scalia

Casting by Francine Maisler

Production Design by J. Michael Riva

Art Direction by Page Buckner, Michael E. Goldman, David F. Klassen, Suzan Wexler

Set Decoration by Leslie A. Pope

Costume Design by Kym Barrett

Starring:

Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man/Peter Parker

Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy

Rhys Ifans as The Lizard/Dr. Curt Connors

Denis Leary as Captain Stacy

Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben

Sally Field as Aunt May

Irrfan Khan as Rajit Ratha

Campbel Scott as Richard Parker

Embeth Davidtz as Mary Parker

Chris Zylka as Flash Thompson

Max Charles as Peter Parker (Age 4)

Jake Keiffer as Jack

Kari Coleman as Helen Stacy

Teenage social outcast Peter (Andrew Garfield) spends his days trying to unravel the mystery of his own past and win the heart of his high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone). A mysterious briefcase belonging to his father, who abandoned him when he was a child, leads Peter to his dad’s former partner, Dr. Connors. The discovery of his father’s secret will ultimately shape his destiny of becoming “Spider-Man” and bring him face to face with Connors’ villainous alter ego, the Lizard.

For generations, many children, teens and adults have grown-up reading “The Amazing Spider-Man”.  The Marvel Comics series was created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko back in 1963 and in December 2012, will end it’s run (the series will be temporarily replaced with a new series titled “Superior Spider-Man” as part of the Marvel NOW! line).

But many people have grown up with Spider-Man, may it be the comic books, video games, animated series, live action series and in the last decade, treated with three live -action films directed by Sam Raimi.

But one thing that Marvel Comics have done for new generation of readers was to create an Ultimate Line featuring a story that has little similarity to the original history of a character or group, but revised for a modern audience, with a modern storyline.

And while the three Sam Raimi films were blockbuster films that made a lot of money, it would end as a trilogy as the success of the films would set a pretty high price tag to retain filmmaker Sam Raimi and its main cast. also, the price tag for the original cast to continue in the films was quite high.  And the budget for the films were also quite high.

So, how to get away from that high price tag?  Reboot the film series and making it different from the original storyline using modern elements.

And so, we have “The Amazing Spider-Man”, a film directed by Marc Webb (“(500) Days of Summer) and a screenplay by James Vanderbilt (“Zodiac”, “The Losers”, “The Rundown”), Alvin Sargent (writer for “Spider-Man 2″, “Spider-Man 3″, “Unfaithful”) and Steve Kloves (“Harry Potter” films, “The Fabulous Baker Boys”).

The film would star Andrew Garfield (“The Social Network”, “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”), Emma Stone (“The Help”, “Easy A”, “Zombieland”), Rhys Ifans (“Notting Hill”, “Anonymous”, “Little Nicky”), Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”, “Ice Age”), Martin Sheen (“The West Wing”, “Apocalypse now”, “The Departed”) and Sally Field (“Forest Gump”, “Brothers and Sisters”, “Mrs. Doubtfire”).

“The Amazing Spider-Man” begins with a four-year old Peter Parker, looking for his dad in his office.  But suddenly his father and mother are seen gathering their belongs, and his father, a scientist, gathering his work and taking young Peter to stay with his uncle Ben (portrayed by Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (portrayed by Sally Fields).

His parents leave with no explanation of where they are going.

Fast forward over a decade later and Peter Parker is a talented photographer and a smart student who excels in science.  But he’s not an athlete and is constantly bullied by jock, Flash Thompson (portrayed by Chris Zylka) and not popular with the girls at school either.

But one student recognizes his intelligence and compassion, Gwen Stacy (portrayed by Emma Stone), a girl that Peter Parker likes.

While living with his uncle and aunt, Peter accidentally finds a hidden bag in the house containing information left behind by his father, including a photo of his father with another scientist. Dr. Curt Connors.  But unfortunately, not much is known of why Richard and Mary Parker left.  But being the curious teen who wants to know what really happened to his parents, Parker’s investigation leads him to Oscorp Industries. where Dr. Curt Connors works and interesting enough, where Gwen Stacy works as an assistant.

He amazes Dr. Connors on his knowledge but is unable to talk to him and we learn that Dr. Connors is being pressured by Dr. Ratha to complete a serum that will cure a terminally ill Norman Osborn, the head of Oscorp Industries. But for Dr. Connors, he is more interested in regenerating his right arm, which he lost long ago.

As for Peter, Peter goes into a lab, where genetically modified spiders are kept. One of the spiders ends up escaping and crawling on Peter Parker and bites him on the neck.  Not feeling well, Peter Parker starts to learn that he has the ability to stick to things, has superhuman speed, strength and a heightened sense of danger.

When Peter tracks down Dr. Connors, he reveals himself to be the son of Richard Parker and Dr. Connors explains that the two were working on a project to combine genetics but Richard Parker left without the missing key.  But since Peter has found his father’s hidden work, he gives Dr. Connors the key.  And he begins to spend time helping Dr. Connors, unfortunately while disobeying his uncle and not following up on his responsibilities.

And during a night where he was supposed to pick up his Aunty May, he ends up working late with Dr. Connors, which upsets his Uncle Ben and leads to a heated argument.   His Uncle Ben explains how his father would talk about how his father would talk about the importance of responsibility.  But this infuriates Peter even more as his father didn’t live up to his responsibility of being a father.  The argument leads Peter to run out, while his Uncle Ben goes out to look for him.

While at a convenience store, Peter tries to buy some milk but is two cents short.  The convenience store owner denies in giving Peter a break and before Peter leaves the store, he sees the customer that was standing behind him, stealing money from the cash register.  As the thief runs away, he trips and his gun slides on the pavement.

Ben, who is looking for Peter, spots the gun and fights with the thief and during the altercation, the thief shoots and kills Ben.

Because of this incident, Peter uses his new skills to become Spider-Man and search for the criminal responsible for killing his uncle.

Meanwhile, Dr. Connors is under the gun to help develop the serum for Norman Osborn but has been focusing on regenerating his arm.  And because he refuses to help develop the serum, he is fired from his job.  But not long after, the regeneration of his arm seems to have worked as Dr. Connors has found a way to use a lizard to regrow his arm.

But unbeknown to Dr. Connors, by doing what he has done, his whole body has turned into a lizard.  And now, the Lizard is terrorizing the streets.

As for Peter Parker, he tries to learn about to know about his responsibilities with his new power, but also how he can use this power for good, not just for revenge in searching for the murderer of his uncle.

While Peter’s relationship with Gwen Stacy starts to grow, her father (portrayed by Denis Leary), a police captain is deadset in trying to capture Spider-Man who he regards as a vigilante and not helping the police.  And as the Lizard continues the rampage, Captain Stacy puts the blame on Spider-Man.

VIDEO:

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:40:1 aspect ratio).  And as one can expect, this film looks absolutely magnificent on Blu-ray.  Everything from the detail of Spider-Man’s costume, detail on the strands of webbing to the beautiful skyline and of course, character close-ups, the film looks absolutely gorgeous.  Even the shots from high above the city looking down towards Spider-Man and just the overall look and environment looks believable and breathtaking.  Black levels are inky and deep, skin tones are natural and if anything, videophiles will no doubt love how “The Amazing Spider-Man” looks on Blu-ray!

It is important to note that there is a 3D release of the film on Blu-ray (not included with the Blu-ray+DVD+UltraViolet version).

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is presented in English, French, Portuguese 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Chinese, Thai 5.1 Dolby Digital.  And as one can expect from this film, filled with many action-packed scenes, the lossless soundtrack sounds magnificent and is truly immersive.

The use of surround is done remarkably well.  From Spider-Man shooting out his web, swinging through the city to Peter Parker being thrown around by the Lizard to getting into a fight with Flash, the dialogue and special effects are crystal clear and good use of surround sound usage and LFE.

But also equally impressive is James Horner’s music for the film.  There are tracks that just captivate you, such as the wonderful “The Ganali Device” which showcases James Horner’s piano playing.  But you will also have the action-driven sequence  upbeat tracks such as “The Bridge”, “Lizard at School!”, “Saving New York” (which was an effective style of James Horner to use the piano in such a way).

For the most part, James Horner is a master in creating beautiful music, emotional music.  From his orchestral direction, his use of piano, voice utilization, the music for “The Amazing Spider-Man is original and manages to be different than Elfman’s “Spider-Man” compositions.

Similar to the film, the soundtrack for “The Amazing Spider-Man” is emotional and he builds upon each track that it begins to grow on you and you find yourself enjoying the soundtrack even more.

But I have to say that this is one of the most original soundtracks when it comes to how the piano is utilized.   But at the same time, aiming for beauty, aiming for emotion, there is not a score that  found that sticks out, a track that I found memorable.

Subtitles are in English, English SDH, Chinese (Mandarin Traditional), Chinese (Mandarin Mandarin Simplified), Chinese (Mandarin Traditional), English (US), French (Canadian), French (Parisian), Indonesian / Bahasa, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin Am) and Thai.

SPECIAL FEATURES

“The Amazing Spider-Man” comes with the following special features:

As a child who grew up reading and enjoying Spider-Man fan, from being introduced to the comic books at a young age and having collected (and recently sold) decades of Spider-Man comic books and toys that I collected over the years, I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical of a new Spider-Man film, especially a film not so long after the third film of Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” trilogy.

Being familiar with what Marvel Comics have done to modernize the character(s) for their films, especially to bring in a new generation of fans not so familiar with the comic books, let alone the ever changing storylines of the character, I look at this reboot as a way of meeting older and newer fans half-way with the classic Spider-Man and the new Ultimate version of Spider-Man, but with newer technology of today, bringing Peter Parker and Spider-Man to the modern age.

And while I know hardcore fans can easily get dismayed with how Hollywood tends to give their own version of super heroes and their origin, personally, I don’t think anyone should be too shocked by now, considering how different other superhero films have been compared to the comic books.   You’re just just not going to get a 100% faithful film adaptation.  And it’s best to come into watching a film based on popular superhero and just accepting that things will be different, while some things will be similar but most importantly, how effective the story will be be, especially the superhero itself.

“The Avengers” and even the recent Dark Knight (Batman) films have shown how these films could be exciting, well-written and enjoyable.  So, can “The Amazing Spider-Man” right?

For “Spider-Man” fans who are trying to forget the third Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” film, fortunately, “The Amazing Spider-Man” manages to incorporate a good balance between the old and the new.

First, let’s talk about the storyline.  The evergoing battle between Spider-Man and the Lizard has been ongoing for so long in the comic books. A good choice for antagonist but it’s also a good way to show a connection Oscorp Industries because of this Peter Parker/Gwen Stacy storyline.

But one thing that was never introduced in the original comic books was Peter Parker’s parents.  It became more of a bigger topic in the ’90s when Marvel introduced this nonsense of clones, but for the film, I actually enjoyed how they brought in the parents, made things a mystery and unlike the comic books, trying not to have this Weapon X connection.  While it’s too early to see how this plays out, I’m glad the subject was introduced into this film.

As a “Spider-Man” fan, while the Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson storyline (and their happiness as a couple to a married couple) will always be important in the life of Peter Parker, what is also important is the relationship between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy.

Before Peter Parker and Mary Jane, the story of Gwen Stacy has always been important in the Spider-Man universe because Peter Parker will truly learn about the great responsibility he has of being a super-hero.  While a lot of us who have read the comic book series, pretty much knows what will happen to Gwen Stacy, I felt that the writers did a good service for fans by making Gwen the counterpart to Peter Parker.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” is a film that tries to make compromises with both classic and modern versions.  While Peter Parker is seen as a non-popular guy in “The Amazing Spider-Man”, gone is the science nerd with glasses.  Also, modern technology plays a big part of the film.

I’ve always wondered how a high school student would effectively create powerful webs with the technology used back in the ’60s but at least with “The Amazing Spider-Man”, Peter Parker utilizing technology from Oscorp Industries, makes sense.

I actually like the costume design for “The Amazing Spider-Man” this time around and with the always change in technology, the special effects for “The Amazing Spider-Man” looks absolutely fantastic.  When you see Spider-Man swinging from building to building, you can feel the height and was quite pleased with how technology has improved since the release of the past “Spider-Man” trilogy.

But it’s the characters that really brought a lot heart and soul to the film.  Andrew Garfield may not look super nerdy but he played the part of Peter Parker quite effectively.  Different from Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of Spider-Man, I felt that Garfield brought a positive, cool vibe to the character that fans can sympathize for.

Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy was fantastic!  Just the final scene alone with Peter Parker, just the look in her eyes and the smile she gives, is more than enough to make me feel that the right person was cast for the role!

And while Sally Field may not look like the elderly Aunt May that was portrayed in the comic books, to have Sally Field and Martin Sheen play Uncle Ben and Aunt May was another positive when it comes to casting.  Both also did a wonderful job.

And last, Denis Leary did a wonderful job of playing Captain Stacy.  You need a man with attitude to play the role and he nailed it!

As for the primary antagonist, while Rhys Ifans did a great job with Dr. Curt Connors, I was a little iffy when it came to the Lizard’s design.  I wanted to see more the protruding snout that was seen of the character in the comic books with the razor sharp fangs and hissing long tongue.  He looked more like an alien from out of space or swamp creature than the Lizard that I was hoping to see.

But I felt the writers did a wonderful job of separating this reboot from the Sam Raimi trilogy.    And because Gwen Stacy is the love of Peter Parker in this film, one can only wonder how things will playout in the second film.

But overall, I felt that Marc Webb was able to craft a different kind of Spider-Man film that although not 100% faithful to the comic book series, does a magnificent job in capturing those important elements and is able to take the plot and entertain audiences of today!

And with newer technology for CG and special effects, the film looks very fluid during the more action-intense sequences and it played to this film’s overall efficacy.

Speaking of technology, for the Blu-ray release, it’s important to note that there are two versions out on Blu-ray.  One includes the 3D version of the film, while this Blu-ray release features the film via Blu-ray, DVD and UltraViolet.

The Blu-ray is bundled with many special features and the picture quality and lossless audio is fantastic!  Video and audiophiles should be pleased with this Blu-ray release.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” was a risky film to reboot, not long after the original “Spider-Man” trilogy had ended.  But with over 60-years of comic book history, there is a lot of Spider-Man stories to be told.  And one of those most significant storylines involve Spider-Man and Gwen Stacy.

While Spider-Man fans know how much of an impact Gwen Stacy had on Peter Parker’s life through the comic books, what better than to bring these two characters and put them in the forefront of this Marvel reboot.  Where the Sam Raimi films did a lot of experimentation of Spider-Man, the superhero, especially his relationship with Mary Jane Watson.

Also, “The Amazing Spider-Man” manages to take the character to a more modern setting and for the most part, the technology behind Peter Parker’s web shooters to the modern technology utilized in his suit, now makes sense.  But it was important to make that distinction of how Peter Parker, a science whiz, was able to incorporate this technology for Spider-Man.  You have to have that connection and that connection is with Oscorp Industries and if you have Oscorp, comic fans know what hopefully, the future of this film series will lead to.

“The Amazing Spider-Man” may not be the most faithful film when it comes to film adaptation from the original comic books, but then again, not many superhero films are.

Overall, the film turned out to be much more exciting, much more deeper than I was expecting.  And every ounce of skepticism that I once had, was no longer there.  Sure, I enjoyed “The Avengers” much, much more than “The Amazing Spider-Man”, but I have to admit that I enjoyed this film much more than any of the three Sam Raimi films.  I felt the way the characters were handled, was much more effective.

Especially the handling of the Peter’s parents but also this new, fresh and cool vibe with its characters utilizing modern technology and setting.  Everything seemed right!  The technology seemed right!  And with the solid performances by its characters with a much more entertaining storyline, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the best “Spider-Man” film yet!

I absolutely enjoyed “The Amazing Spider-Man” and I loved this Blu-ray release for its wonderful PQ, AQ and the special features galore!

Highly recommended!

Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season (A J!-ENT DVD Review)

The final leg of this emotional rollercoaster ride with the Walker family comes to an end.  “Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” is entertaining, fun, emotional but overall a good conclusion for the series.  Fans of the series will definitely want to pick up this final season DVD set!

Images courtesy of © ABC Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season

TV SHOW AIRDATE: 2010-2011

DURATION: 938 Minutes

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

RATED: TV 14 DLS

COMPANY: abc studios

RELEASE DATE: August 23, 2011

Created by Jon Robin Baitz

Directed by Ken Olin, Michael Owen Morris, Michael Schultz, Laura Innes and David Paymer

Written by Jon robin Baitz, David Marshall Grant, Molly Newman, Sherri Cooper, Cliff Olin, Monica Breen, Peter Calloway, Alison Schapker, Michael Foley, Liz Tigelaar, Jennifer Levin, Jason Wilborn, Daniel Silk, Josh Reims, Brian Studler, Nancy Won

Executive produced by KenOlin, Monica Breen, Alison Schapker

Produced by Suzanne Geiger, Nicole Carrasco, Sparky Hawes, Jennifer Lence, Michael Foley, Nancy Won, David Marshall Grant, Jennifer Levin, Sherri Cooper, Josh Reims, Molly Newman, Michael Morris, Stephen Judge, Sarah Caplin

Music by Blake Neely

Cinematography by Cynthia Pusheck, Michael Mayers

Edited by Barbara Gerard, Imelda Betiong, Kristin Windell

Casting by Gillian O’Neill, Jeanie Bacharach

Series Production Design by Lee Mayman

Series Set Decoration by Bryan Venegas

Series Costume Design by Melina Root

Cast:

Dave Annable as Justin Walker

Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker

Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon

Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden

Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper

Sally Field as Nora Walker

Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker

Kerris Dorsey as Paige Whedon

Balthazar Getty as Tommy Walker

Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker

Maxwell Perry Colton as Cooper Whedon

Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper

Luke Macfarlane as Scotty Wandell

Ken Olin as David Caplan

Gilles Marini as Luc Laurent

Peter Gerety as Dennis York

The final season of the star-studded ABC drama continues the story of the Walkers, a contemporary picture of the American family. At the heart is matriarch Nora, who finds personal satisfaction in knowing her family is happy, however sometimes allows her intentions to be a little overbearing. Her five adult children, friends as much as they are relatives, come together to support each other through the joy and heartache as they try to manage their professional, romantic, and familial lives. Together they face genuine, relatable life issues in this warm and witty drama.

“Brothers and Sisters” is a show created back in 2006 by Jon Robin Baitz (a writer who worked on “Alias” and “West Wing”). The series revolves around the Walker family, an upperclass family that owns a major company known as Ojai Foods.

In the history of “Brothers and Sisters”, the family is rocked by the death of the father and business owner, William Walker. But even more shocking to the family is that their father had a mistress and an illegitimate daughter but that William had embezzled money from the company. So, the family focuses on the lives of the Walker family and how the brothers and sisters must move on with the family business and make sure it is not run into the ground and try to keep it afloat.

As the first two seasons had to do with the family and the family matriarch Nora (played by Sally Field) trying to keep everyone together, we see the family members going through various tribulations in their career and personal life.

In the third season, changes are afloat with Ojai Foods experiencing financial difficult. That leaves the Walker family having to partner up with Holly Harper, the mistress of William Walker. Throughout the third season, Kitty and Robert experience the highs of a family wanting to have children but also the lows as a family where their dedication to their careers interferes with their relationship.

For Sarah, knowing that she has a family to take care of, she knows that her brother Tommy is becoming the main family member dedicated to the company. As for Tommy, he starts to unearth things about his dead father and what he has done to the company, causing Tommy to make some decisions that can harm his position. Kevin will see chances for him to advance his career, but he will have to make a difficult decision of whether or not he should stay true to the person he loves and to himself or to do what he can to become a partner at his law firm. As for Justin, he tries his best to clean up, especially now that he has found love with Rebecca but has issues with recruiting people for the military.

Meanwhile, for the third season, the bombshell was that William may have had another illegitimate child, will become a significant issue for season three. If anything, relationships and family will be tested more than ever and whether or not the family matriarch, Nora can keep the family together is going to be important.

By season’s end, Kitty and Robert’s married is tested nearly to a point where Kitty nearly gets into an affair with another man, Tommy having left to Mexico, Kevin trying to keep things going right with his husband and Justin and Rebecca furthering their relationship and growing closer. Meanwhile, we are introduced Ryan Lafferty, the siblings half brother that came from an affair that William Walker had with another woman.

In season 4, the family goes through an emotional time.  While the business is doing terribly, the family goes through healing and bonding.  Kitty and Robert’s marriage grows stronger as Kitty has cancer and Robert dedicates his life to being with his wife, Justin meanwhile grows closer with Rebecca and get married, Sarah falls in love with an artist named Luc, Kevin and Scotty try to find a surrogate mother to have a baby and Nora and Holly grow their friendship.

And as everything seems to be going right for the Walker family and to celebrate, the whole family goes out on a retreat.

But just when you think all is good with the Walker family, as they leave a retreat, all get involved in a serious traffic accident and life for the Walker family will never be the same again.

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” features a total of 22 episodes on six DVD’s. In the fifth and final season of “Brothers and Sisters”, it has been a year since the accident and life for the Walker family has not been the same.  How will life go?

The main characters of “Brothers and Sisters” are:

The Walker Family

• Nora Walker (Sally Field, “Gidget”, “The Flying Nun”, “The Girl with Something Extra”, “ER”) – The Walker matriarch and the mother who likes to get involved with her children’s lives. In the first season, she tries to get over her husband’s death, learns that her husband had an illegitimate daughter and is now trying to move on. She now tries to keep the family together no matter what challenges they may face.  In Season 5, since the tragedy, Nora has not been vocal and has taken a stand back when it comes to her family.
• Sarah Walker (Rachael Griffiths, “Six Feet Under”) – The family business woman and mother who has tried to lead the family business as the company president. Has a strained relationship with her husband Joe which eventually led to a divorce. She has since left Ojai and started her own company.  In season 5, since the tragedy, her business is doing well and she is dating Luc, an artist and model.  She and Luc are planning to move to France.
• Kitty McCallister (Calista Flockhart, “Ally McBeal”) – A former radio host who marries politician, Senator Robert McCallister. Has adopted a child and has beaten cancer. In season 5, since the tragic accident, Kitty is keeping Robert alive through life support.  The family is very worried about Kitty and the Republican party needs her to return back to politics.
• Tommy Walker (Balthazar Getty, “Charmed”, “Alias”) – The other family businessman who has butted heads with his sister Sarah. Married to Julia Walker (Sarah Jane Morris), the two have major problems in their marriage. He had caused problems for Ojai and is now living in Mexico.
• Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys, “Shooters”, “The Lost World”) – A successful lawyer and a gay man. Tends to bail out his family when they need legal help but most of all but also put in situations in opposition to some of his family members. He is married to Scotty. In Season 5, since the tragedy, Kevin is working pro bono and still trying to deal with he and Scotty not being able to be parents.
• Justin Walker (Dave Annable, “Reunion”) – The youngest of the family who joined the Army and went to Afghanistan. When he came back, Justin was no longer the same as he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and also battled with drug addiction and now trying to clean himself up. In Season 5, after the tragedy, Justin rejoined the military because he is unable to deal with the situation and now his marriage to Rebecca is in big trouble.

Other Key Characters:

• Saul Holden (Ron Rifkin, “Alias”) – Older brother of Nora Walker and works at Ojai Foods and once had a relationship with Nora’s husband’s mistress Holly Harper but in season 1, it was revealed that Saul was involved in a gay relationship. In season 2, Saul comes out and admits he is a gay man.  In season 5, since the tragedy, Saul has found a person to love but Nora worries about him because he is HIV positive.
• Holly Harper (Patricia Wettig, “Prison Break”, “Alias”) – Holly is the mistress of William Walker (for 20 years) and owns a large share of Ojai Foods. In season 2, she has become the Ojai Foods CEO. Her relationship with her daughter Rebecca is stronger than ever. She and Tommy Walker are business partners and own Walker Landing Winery.  In Season 5, since the tragedy, Holly has amnesia and lost her memory.  Her relationship with Nora is sour once again.
• Rebecca Harper (Emily VanCamp, “Everwood”) – The illegitimate daughter of William Walker and Holly Harper. She works at Ojai Foods as an advertising executive and is married to Justin Walker.  In Season 5, due to Justin’s decision to join the military, their marriage is in shambles.
• Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane, “Iron Road”) – A head chef who is married to Kevin Walker.  In Season 5, since the tragedy, his relationship with Kevin is on the rocks, especially since their surrogate mothers have been unsuccessful and have not been able to have children.

Here is a spoiler-less summary of the 22 episodes from season five:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 88 – The Homecoming - It has been a year since the car tragedy and the family has gone through changes.  Meanwhile, Justin arrives back from serving another year in the marines.
• EPISODE 89 – Brief Encounter – Luc’s underwear ad campaign is the hot item and everyone wants to attend.  Meanwhile, Kevin tries to help his runaway teenage client and Kitty wonders if her mother is dating a woman…
• EPISODE 90 – Faking It – Kitty meets Jack and Sarah worries that her lie about her age may turn Luc away.  Rebecca is back and meets with her mother Holly.
• EPISODE 91 – Righteous Kiss - Holly has a breakdown and Justin and Rebecca decide what to do about their marraige.  Meanwhile, Saul is afraid to tell his boyfriend that he is HIV positive.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 92 – Call Mom - Nora auditions for a radio show, meanwhile Kitty and Jack get closer.
• EPISODE 93 – An Ideal Husband – Scotty has a one night stand with another man and now Kevin feels betrayed.
• EPISODE 94 – Resolved - Kevin and Scotty’s relationship is tested, meanwhile Justin meets a nurse named Annie.
• EPISODE 95 – The Rhapsody of the Flash – Luc’s mother arrives to town but for some reason, Luc is not so thrilled about it.  Meanwhile, Nora goes out on a date.
• EPISODE 96 – Get a Room – Nora and Dr. Karl’s friendship may be getting stronger.  Kevin and Scotty plan to adopt.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 97 – Cold Turkey – Nora and Karl go away for Christmas, thus ending the Walker Family tradition. So, now Kitty and Kevin debate on who will host the family celebration.
• EPISODE 98 – Scandalized – As Kevin and Scotty decide to adopt, everyone finds out that Kitty is dating a young graduate student named Seth.
• EPISODE 99 – Thanks for the Memories – Kitty is getting back into politics, Scotty and Kevin spend time with Olivia and Sarah deals with her daughter who may have a boyfriend.
• EPISODE 100 – Safe at Home – Tommy is back and he has a big surprise for the family and in other good news, Sarah announces her wedding date.
• EPISODE 101 – The One That Got Away – It’s Valentine’s Day and and Tommy reveals another secret about their mother which had been buried since they were kids.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 102 – Brody - Nora and Brody seem to be getting closer, meanwhile, Justin tries to help out a homeless vet.
• EPISODE 103 – Home is Where the Fort Is – Nora and Sarah wonder why Kitty has not returned home.  Meanwhile, Kevin and Scotty bring their adoptive child home.
• EPISODE 104 – Olivia’s Choice – Olivia’s brother fights for custody as he doesn’t feel two men should raise Olivia.
• EPISODE 105 – Never Say Never – Sarah and Luc have pre-wedding jitters and Scotty’s mother comes to visit his and Kevin’s new adoptive daughter.
• EPISODE 106 – Wouldn’t It Be Nice – It’s Luc’s first solo art show and one again Luc and Sarah have pre-wedding jitters.  Nora wants to tell Brody how she really feels.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 107 – Father Unknown – Luc and Saul prepare for a surprise wedding and Justin confronts his mother about Brody’s lie.  Meanwhile, Kevin and Scotty may have a baby…
• EPISODE 108 – For Better or For Worse – Sarah confronts Brody about his “lie” and Olivia wonders if Kevin and Scotty will want her now that she has a baby.
• EPISODE 109 – Walking Down the Aisle - FINAL EPISODE! It’s Sarah’s and Luc’s wedding day and other issues affect the family.

VIDEO:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1), enhanced for 16×9 televisions.  For a TV series, “Brothers and Sisters” has always looked good.  The series has a lot of lighting, especially outdoor shots, so for the most part, picture quality for a TV series on DVD, “Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” looks very good.

There are a lot of outdoor and indoor shots and “Brothers and Sisters” does have quite a bit of grain but nothing too distracting. But for the most part, picture quality is very good.

AUDIO:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, the show is mostly dialogue-based but there are quite a bit of music featured in the episodes, but the audio is pretty much front and center channel driven and audio is clear. There are no really need for major sound effects for “Brothers and Sisters” but for the most part, dialogue and background music are heard quite clearly.

My receiver setup preference was set to “Stereo on all Channels” for a much more immersive soundtrack.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth Season” comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

• Deleted Scenes – A total of two deleted scenes: “You’re Really Leaving” and “True Wreckage”.

DISC 2:

• Deleted Scenes – A total of two deleted scenes: “taking sides” and “let’s get started”.

DISC 3:

• Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary for “Cold Turkey” with Production Coordinator Jonathan Deiner, Co-Producer Stephen Judge and Producer Nicole Carrasco.

DISC 4:

• Deleted Scenes- Featuring one deleted scene “We Could Lose Her”.
• Audio Commentary – Featuring audio commentary for “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” with Production Coordinator Jonathan Deiner, Co-Producer Stephen Judge and Producer Nicole Carrasco.

DISC 5:

• Gilles Marini Uncovered  - (6:06) An interview with the cast about Gilles Marini (Luc) joining the cast of “Brothers & Sisters”.
  
• Writing for the Walkers – (10:00) The writers of “Brothers and Sisters” talk about the episodes of season five.
• Deleted Scenes – A total of one deleted scene and one alternate ending: “extremely awake” and “alternate ending: An Engagement Ring”
• Bloopers & Outtakes – (2:20) Outtakes from season five of “Brothers and Sisters”.

EXTRAS:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” comes with a slip over case.

With the last season of “Brothers and Sisters”, I have commented of how the last season was the best season ever!

Every episode was well-written and the season finale was an absolute shocker!  But prior to the fifth season, it was a given that Rob Lowe would not return but with news that Patricia Wettig (Holly Harper) and Emily VanCamp (Rebecca Harper) were leaving the show, needless to say, it put a damper on my excitement for the fifth season.

By the end of the fifth season, as things have ended with a good season finale, “Brothers and Sisters” was canceled.  The producers tried to get a shortened sixth season to end the season with closure for the fans but unfortunately, they were denied.

So, I do have a small bittersweet feeling about “Brothers and Sisters” because I felt that I invested watching five seasons of this series and one can only imagine how the producers and writers would have ended the series, but there were a few loose ends that I wished were touched upon.

But with the way the season ended, I suppose it works as a series finale and does end on a good note, but this is the nature of the business when it comes to television series and “Brothers and Sisters” has come to an end.

I will say that I will miss the Walker family.  As one friend told me, “Brothers and Sisters” was a show that she can watch on her DVR on the weekend, drink fine wine and enjoy the series.  I happen to agree with what she told me because the series was fun, granted, the series had its share of emotional highs and lows that comes along with a dysfunctional family but the Walker family were resilient.  They confronted their issues and challenges, like many American’s they faced a bad economy, ending of a business, health problems, adoption, surrogate mothers, raising children, finding love, crumbling of a relationship, starting over, rebuilding and like all family’s, having their fights and bonding moments.

Among the many ABC family one-hour drama series, “Brothers and Sisters” was probably one that was easily accessible because their issues and challenges are real and people can identify with these characters because despite them being from a slightly upperclassed American family, the Walker family was far from perfect, they are no different from anyone else.

While “Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth Season” was an entertaining final season, of course, because of the insurmountable challenges faced in the last season, season four was just incredible but there was no way to pull of something that emotional and tragic for a second year straight.  You needed some normalcy, real problems and that’s viewers got with season five.  Nora, single mother trying to find love.  Sarah, aging sister getting married but also dealing with a teenage daughter.  Kitty, dealing with the death of her husband, but also finding love once again.  Kevin and Scotty dealing with adoption and trying to keep their marriage alive.  And Justin, the person who had to get away from life by re-enlisting in the marines and leaving his family but returning back to find out that the sacrifice he made to get back his sanity came with a price.

But I have always felt the series was well-written, well-cast and while last year was spectacular, I admit that I was a bit upset of the direction of the Justin and Rebecca storyline hitting a dead end before the fifth season even started, but after the events that have taken place at the end of season four, I found it interesting that the one person who was instrumental in making things right was Justin, especially since he was somewhat of the problematic character because of what happened during his last enlistment with the Marines.

But like for everyone in the series and how things have played out for this fifth season, it was important to show that families must go on living.  And so in hindsight, after watching every episode and thinking about the fifth season, despite my feeling before the series began, Now that it is done, I’m actually content with how everything had ended.

Overall, “Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” marks the end of a pretty solid drama series.  Fun, enjoyable and emotional…I’ll miss this series!

It’s shame that “Brothers and Sisters” didn’t get the chance to end the way the producers/writers probably would have wanted if given that shortened sixth season.  But yet they managed to give a season finale that does provide some closure and enough to know that the Walker family has embarked in a new chapter of their lives and like all families with problems and taking care of those problems, they’ll be OK.  And like all families, we continue living with our highs and our lows but we keep on going, living life day-by-day.

There are a good number of special features included with this final season DVD set but for the most part, as a fan and viewer of “Brothers and Sisters”, it was an emotional roller coaster ride that has come to a close.

If you invested your time into watching this series or a person who has just jumped aboard and is interested in the series, “Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fifth and Final Season” is recommended!

Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

The sequel to Reese Witherspoon’s popular film “Legally Blonde” receives its HD treatment and if you are a big fan of the film, it is worth upgrading to Blu-ray for “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde” for the slightly better PQ and AQ.  But if you have never watched the film, by no means is this sequel anywhere close to the enjoyability of the first film.

Images courtesy of ©2003 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2003

DURATION: 94 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, Widescreen (1:85:1), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 DTS, AVC @ 34 MBPS, Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

COMPANY: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/20th Century Fox

RATED: PG-13 (Some Sex Related Humor)

RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2011

Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld

Story by Eve Ahlert, Dennis Drake, Kate Kondell

Screenplay by Kate Kondell

Characters by Amanda Brown

Producer as David Nicksay, Marc Platt

Co-Producer: Jennifer Simpson, Stephen Traxler

Executive Producer: Reese Witherspoon

Music by Rolfe Kent

Cinematography by Elliot Davis

Edited by Peter Teschner

Casting by Joseph Middleton

Production Design by Missy Stewart

Art Direction by Mark Worthington

Set Decoration by K.C. Fox

Costume Design by Sophie Carbonell

Starring:

Reese Witherspoon as Elle Woods

Sally Field as Rep. Victoria Rudd

Regina King as Grace Rossiter

Jennifer Coolidge as Paulette

Bruce McGill as Stanford Marks

Dana Ivey as Congresswoman Libby

Mary Lynn Rajskub as Reena Giuliani

Jessica Cauffiel as Margot

Alanna Ubach as Serena McGuire

Bob Newhart as Sid Post

Luke Wilson as Emmet Richmond

When Elle (Witherspoon) discovers that her lovable chihuahua Bruiser’s mom is locked in a cruel animal testing facility, she heads to D.C. to fight for animal rights, give Washington a makeover and prove once and for all that America really is the land of the free…and the home of the blonde!

Reese Witherspoon returns as the blonde fashion conscious activist Elle Woods in the sequel to the popular “Legally Blonde” film, “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde”.

A film from 2003 that did well in the box office with a budget of $45 million, the sequel took home $124 million in the box office.  “Legally Blonde 2″ is directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld (“The Boxer”, Kissing Jessica Stein”, “Stella”) and a screenplay by Kate Kondell.

Now “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde” receives the HD treatment on Blu-ray.

The sequel revolves around the popular Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon) who is doing quite well.  She works at a law firm and is planning to get married to Emmett Richmond (played by Luke Wilson) and a wedding planned at Fenway Park in Boston.

But for Elle, the wedding would not be perfect unless the parents of her pet chihuahua Bruiser is there and so she hires a private investigator to find his mother.  Needless to say, by hiring the best PI, he is able to find her and she can be found at the cosmetic company C’est Magnifique Corporation’s VERSACE lab.

When Elle comes to visit along with her dog Bruiser, she finds out that his mother is being used for make-up testing at the laboratory and can not be released to the public, especially Elle.  Putting a hamper on her perfect wedding, Elle will not sit quietly and so she goes back to her law firm to fight against animal testing and since her law firm represents C’est Magnificque Corporation, she feels that they would drop the client if they found out what kind of testing was being done.  Unfortunately, her law firm does not agree with Elle and when she tells them that she can’t work for a company that has a different belief than her, they fire her.

Now with no job and unemployed, Elle is now determined to fight animal testing and what best than to work with her good friend Congresswoman Victoria Rudd (played by Sally Field) who hires her get the job done and fight animal testing.

But of course, Elle’s style is met with skepticism by her colleagues who think she is like a “Capitol Barbie!”.  Despite the challenges that Elle may face, she is determined to fight animal testing and needs other politicians on her side to support a bill to ban animal testing.

Aided by her best friend Paulette Bonafonte (played by Jennifer Coolidge) and a knowledgeable door man who has catered to the politicians, Sid Post (played by Bob Newhart), can Elle make her goal happen in time before her wedding?

VIDEO:

“Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde” is presented in 1080p, widescreen 1:85:1.  While the sequel does feature vibrant colors (especially the various colors of the clothes that Elle wears throughout the film), picture quality for the most part is good but I did notice scenes where dust and speckles tend to show up from time-to-time and also scenes that looked as if it has aged on the negative.  But for the most part, “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde” looks much better than its original DVD counterpart and is a transfer worthy of upgrading if you enjoyed the film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde” is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and French 5.1 DTS.  There are scenes where you get crowd ambiance through the surround channels such as when Elle is at the House of Representatives or a committee meeting but for the most part, this film is center and front-channel driven. Dialogue is clear and also the music for the film (which there is quite a bit of music used throughout the film). The lossless audio is quite adequate for this film and once again, if you enjoyed the sequel, the upgrade to a lossless soundtrack does sound very good on Blu-ray.

Subtitles are in English SDH, Spanish and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde” comes with the following special features:

• Audio Commentary – Audio commentary with Jennifer Coolidge, Jessica Cauffiel and Alanna Ubach – An intriguing commentary as you have actress Jennifer Coolidge and two actresses who play Elle’s best friends (which was surprising) in the film.  If anything, sometimes you feel as the ladies were playing in character.  It’s a commentary that may annoy or amuse listeners.
• Deleted Scenes – (9:31) Featuring a total of seven deleted scenes including the original opening scene.
  
• Blonde Ambition – (22:27) Director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld talks about the humor and goodwill of the film and also featuring the talent talking about the film.
  
• Pretty In Pink – (6:36) Production designer Missy Stewart talks about the various sets used in the film and what she wanted to accomplish for the look and feel of the set.
• Stars and Stripes, Never! – (7:35) Costume designer de Rakoff Carbonell talks about the costume designs used in the film.
  
• Hair Apparent – (6:56) – Anne Morgan, hairstylist for Reese Witherspoon, talks about the various hairstyles that Elle has throughout the film.
• Elle’s Anthem – (7:15) Composer Rolfe Kent talks about the 91-piece orchestra and recording the music for the film.
• Gag Reel - (2:39) The bloopers for “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde”.
• Puppy Love – (2:24) A featurette about gay dogs.
• Bruiser’s Outtakes – A total of four outtakes with Bruiser in front of the green screen
• Music Video – (3:41) “We Can” by LeAnn Rimes.
• Theatrical Trailer - (2:12) The original theatrical trailer for “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde”.

If you watched the first film, you pretty much know what you are going to get for the sequel.

The woman who represents all things cute and fluffy, always dressed nicely, always bubbly and despite her having an “airhead”, stereotypical blonde type characteristic, Elle Woods always proves that she’s not an airhead and she has what it takes to get the job done, granted whatever she talks about will have some relation to fashion or female upkeeping.

And so, coming into this film, I wasn’t phased nor was I going to be disappointed because the first film, I found it to be fun but also kitschy.

But can the sequel be better than the first?  In the case of “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde”, the answer is unfortunately, no.

First the positive, When the film focuses on Elle and shows her proving to everyone that she is not ditsy and that she has what it takes to get this bill to stop animal testing, that is when the story is fun and enjoyable.  But somehow, the writers wanted to include some of the most ridiculous scenes that undermines the context of the film and it’s humor by bringing it down a notch to audacious and embarrassing kitsch.

We know that her pet Bruiser was a big part of Elle’s life but to see the story about Elle trying to fight animal testing was one thing but the way she gets her Sigma Nu friends involved and getting the female politicians to have boofy/puffy hairstyles and crazy makeup was a bit too farfetched and yes, I’ll say it, it was very lame.

While Reese Witherspoon does a fantastic job of playing Elle Woods and the costume design is absolutely fantastic for this film, especially showcasing hairstyles and fashions throughout different time periods of American fashion couture, Witherspoon was delightful to watch as you know what to expect from Elle (if you watched the first film) and she does it with a high level of efficacy.

And for anyone who knows of Reese Witherspoon’s charity efforts in the public eye, she is nothing like Elle Woods but she is also very active in various charities and events and is a wonderful actress (and deserving of the Oscar in 2006 for “Walk the Line”) and watching her transform to Elle Woods and playing the character so well was fun to watch.

It was also fun to see both Sally Field and Bob Newhart in this film as well.  Both did a wonderful job and very different from the type of roles we are used to seeing of both talents.  And it was also interesting to see Mary Lynn Rajskub of “24″ fame in this film as well.

But unfortunately, while the writers were trying to go for more humor for the film, unfortunately many of the jokes just didn’t feel right and dumbed the film down quite a bit.  Sure there is some humor in a conservative Republican trying to accept that his dog is gay or a staunch and strict congresswoman who dislikes Elle suddenly open up and become a cheery person when she finds out that Elle came from the same sorority.  But maybe the writers wanted “cheesy” humor in this sequel and if so, then they achieved it.

The Blu-ray of “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde” contains all the special features from its DVD counterpart and it’s definitely a step-up from the picture and audio quality of the DVD, so for those who did enjoy this film, you’ll enjoy the transfer.

Overall, as much as I enjoyed “Legally Blonde”, the sequel had its delightful moments but more often in certain scenes, I kept saying to myself “oh…why did they do this!” or “oh…that was horrible!”.  “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde” continues the humor of the first film but is it better than the first, unfortunately, not even close.

 

Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season (A J!-ENT DVD Review)

There was something special about this fourth season of “Brothers and Sisters” that I really loved and needless to say, this season was the most dramatic, heartfelt, tear-inducing season yet.  Well-written, well-acted and just a fantastic season!  One of the better drama series currently on television and a series on DVD which I definitely recommend!

Images courtesy of © ABC Studios. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season

TV SHOW AIRDATE: 2009-2010

DURATION: 1032 Minutes

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

RATED: TV 14 DLS

COMPANY: abc studios

RELEASE DATE: August 24, 2010

Created by Jon Robin Baitz

Directed by Ken Olin, Michael Owen Morris, Michael Schultz, Laura Innes and David Paymer

Written by Jon robin Baitz, David Marshall Grant, Molly Newman, Sherri Cooper, Cliff Olin, Monica Breen, Peter Calloway, Alison Schapker, Michael Foley, Liz Tigelaar, Jennifer Levin, Jason Wilborn, Daniel Silk, Josh Reims, Brian Studler, Nancy Won

Executive produced by KenOlin, Monica Breen, Alison Schapker

Produced by Suzanne Geiger, Nicole Carrasco, Sparky Hawes, Jennifer Lence, Michael Foley, Nancy Won, David Marshall Grant, Jennifer Levin, Sherri Cooper, Josh Reims, Molly Newman, Michael Morris, Stephen Judge, Sarah Caplin

Music by Blake Neely

Cinematography by Cynthia Pusheck, Michael Mayers

Edited by Barbara Gerard, Imelda Betiong, Kristin Windell

Casting by Gillian O’Neill, Jeanie Bacharach

Series Production Design by Lee Mayman

Series Set Decoration by Bryan Venegas

Series Costume Design by Melina Root

Cast:

Dave Annable as Justin Walker

Calista Flockhart as Kitty Walker

Rachel Griffiths as Sarah Whedon

Ron Rifkin as Saul Holden

Patricia Wettig as Holly Harper

Sally Field as Nora Walker

Matthew Rhys as Kevin Walker

Kerris Dorsey as Paige Whedon

Balthazar Getty as Tommy Walker

Sarah Jane Morris as Julia Walker

Maxwell Perry Colton as Cooper Whedon

Rob Lowe as Robert McCalister

Emily VanCamp as Rebecca Harper

Luke Macfarlane as Scotty Wandell

Ken Olin as David Caplan

Luke Grimes as Ryan Lafferty

Gilles Marini as Luc Laurent

Peter Gerety as Dennis York

No matter how much life changes, family stays the same. The Walkers are a contemporary picture of the American family. At the heart is matriarch Nora (Sally Field), who finds personal satisfaction in knowing her family is happy, however sometimes allows her intentions to be a littler overbearing. Her five adult children, friends as much as they are relatives, come together to support each other through the joy and heartache as they try to manage their professional, romantic and family lives. Together they face real life issues – from bankruptcy and addiction, marriage and divorce, to deceit and redemption – in this warm and witty drama.

“Brothers and Sisters” is a show created back in 2006 by Jon Robin Baitz (a writer who worked on “Alias” and “West Wing”). The series revolves around the Walker family, an upperclass family that owns a major company known as Ojai Foods.

In the history of “Brothers and Sisters”, the family is rocked by the death of the father and business owner, William Walker. But even more shocking to the family is that their father had a mistress and an illegitimate daughter but that William had embezzled money from the company. So, the family focuses on the lives of the Walker family and how the brothers and sisters must move on with the family business and make sure it is not run into the ground and try to keep it afloat.

As the first two seasons had to do with the family and the family matriarch Nora (played by Sally Field) trying to keep everyone together, we see the family members going through various tribulations in their career and personal life.

In the third season, changes are afloat with Ojai Foods experiencing financial difficult. That leaves the Walker family having to partner up with Holly Harper, the mistress of William Walker. Throughout the third season, Kitty and Robert experience the highs of a family wanting to have children but also the lows as a family where their dedication to their careers interferes with their relationship.

For Sarah, knowing that she has a family to take care of, she knows that her brother Tommy is becoming the main family member dedicated to the company. As for Tommy, he starts to unearth things about his dead father and what he has done to the company, causing Tommy to make some decisions that can harm his position. Kevin will see chances for him to advance his career, but he will have to make a difficult decision of whether or not he should stay true to the person he loves and to himself or to do what he can to become a partner at his law firm. As for Justin, he tries his best to clean up, especially now that he has found love with Rebecca but has issues with recruiting people for the military.

Meanwhile, last season’s bombshell that William may have had another illegitimate child, will become a significant issue for season three. If anything, relationships and family will be tested more than ever and whether or not the family matriarch, Nora can keep the family together is going to be important.

By season’s end, Kitty and Robert’s married is tested nearly to a point where Kitty nearly gets into an affair with another man, Tommy having left to Mexico, Kevin trying to keep things going right with his husband and Justin and Rebecca furthering their relationship and growing closer.  Meanwhile, we are introduced Ryan Lafferty, the siblings half brother that came from an affair that William Walker had with another woman.

But for Ryan’s return and trying to get close to the family, he has a burning hatred towards them because his mother ended up committing suicide because of William Walker.

This storyline is further fueled in season four as the Walker family and Holly are facing major challenges in their personal life, family member’s health and most of all tragedy.

The main characters of “Brothers and Sisters” are:

The Walker Family

• Nora Walker (Sally Field, “Gidget”, “The Flying Nun”, “The Girl with Something Extra”, “ER”) – The Walker matriarch and the mother who likes to get involved with her children’s lives. In the first season, she tries to get over her husband’s death, learns that her husband had an illegitimate daughter and is now trying to move on. She now tries to keep the family together no matter what challenges they may face.
• Sarah Walker (Rachael Griffiths, “Six Feet Under”) – The family business woman and mother who has tried to lead the family business as the company president. Has a strained relationship with her husband Joe which eventually led to a divorce.  She has since left Ojai and started her own company.
• Kitty McCallister (Calista Flockhart, “Ally McBeal”) – A former radio host who marries politician, Senator Robert McCallister. Has adopted a child but with Robert busy with his campaign, their relationship is starting to sour.
• Tommy Walker (Balthazar Getty, “Charmed”, “Alias”) – The other family businessman who has butted heads with his sister Sarah. Married to Julia Walker (Sarah Jane Morris), the two have major problems in their marriage.  He had caused problems for Ojai and is now living in Mexico.
• Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys, “Shooters”, “The Lost World”) – A successful lawyer and a gay man. Tends to bail out his family when they need legal help but most of all but also put in situations in opposition to some of his family members. Has a relationship with Scotty.  Kevin is now the campaign director for Robert.
• Justin Walker (Dave Annable, “Reunion”) – The youngest of the family who joined the Army and went to Afghanistan. When he came back, Justin was no longer the same as he had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and also battled with drug addiction and now trying to clean himself up.  He is now engaged to Rebecca.

Other Key Characters:

• Saul Holden (Ron Rifkin, “Alias”) – Older brother of Nora Walker and works at Ojai Foods and once had a relationship with Nora’s husband’s mistress Holly Harper but in season 1, it was revealed that Saul was involved in a gay relationship. In season 2, Saul comes out and admits he is a gay man.
• Robert McCallister (Rob Lowe, “The West Wing”, “St. Elmo’s Fire”, “About Last Night”, “Oxford Blues”) – Married to Kitty Walker and is a Republican Senator in California. Once a candidate for the US Presidency.  He is currently having marital problems with Kitty.
• Holly Harper (Patricia Wettig, “Prison Break”, “Alias”) – Holly is the mistress of William Walker (for 20 years) and owns a large share of Ojai Foods. In season 2, she has become the Ojai Foods CEO. Her relationship with her daughter Rebecca is stronger than ever. She and Tommy Walker are business partners and own Walker Landing Winery.
• Rebecca Harper (Emily VanCamp, “Everwood”) – The illegitimate daughter of William Walker and Holly Harper. She works at Ojai Foods as an advertising executive and is engaged to Justin Walker.
• Ryan Lafferty (Luke Grimes, “Assasination of a High School President”) – The illegitimate son of William Walker who has a grudge towards his father and blames him for the death of his mother and secretly will do what he can to destroy his company.
• Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane, “Iron Road”) – A head chef who is married to Kevin Walker.

Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season features a total of 24 episodes on six DVD’s.  In the fourth season, Robert is busy with his gubernatorial campaign and because his relationship with Kitty is suffering, things change when Kitty is diagnosed with cancer.  Meanwhile, Kevin and Scotty are working on trying to adopt a baby but because Kevin is busy working for Robert and Scotty as a chef, are the two ready for a child?  Tommy is still in Mexico and hasn’t been heard of, Sarah is in France and meets a man that she has fallen for but doesn’t know if she’s ready to fall in love again and the same with Nora who meets a doctor who may have other intentions in why he’s trying to get close to her.  As for Justin and Rebeccah, they are dealing with their engagement, planning for their wedding but for Justin, his mind is set on trying to pass medical school and because he’s so busy with that, he ends up neglecting his girlfriend.

And the Ojai Foods woes continues as the economy has hurt the business which is literally bleeding and losing money every day.  Saul and Holly are trying to find ways to save the company but there may be someone there who is trying to sabotage it.  Also, Holly is hit by financial problems as she gets caught up in a Ponzi scheme in which she loses nearly everything.

Needless to say, each character is facing their biggest challenge yet in their personal life and careers but can the Walker family stay strong this time around?  Will the family business survive this economy?

Here is a spoiler-less summary of the 24 episodes from season four (featured on a total of six DVD’s):

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 64 – The Road Ahead - It’s Justin and Rebecca’s engagement party but when Justin finds out he is doing terrible in med school, he feels pressured.  Meanwhile, Kitty is being diagnosed by the doctor.
• EPISODE 65 – Breaking the News – Kitty finds out the results of her test and needs to tell her husband but the Senator is having a problem with his campaign rival.
• EPISODE 66 – Almost Normal – Kitty and Robert discuss possible treatments for Kitty’s cancer and they receive news from a surprise visitor.
• EPISODE 67 – From France with Love – Sarah returns from France and tries to distract Kitty from her chemo treatments.  Meanwhile, Justin continues to struggle in school.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 68 – Last Tango in Pasadena - Everyone is hooked on Luc (Sarah’s boyfriend from France) except Nora.  Robert does all he can to distract Kitty from her cancer.
• EPISODE 69 – Zen & The Art of Mole Making – Sarah tries to find a way to tell her kids about her new boyfriend, meanwhile Kevin and Scotty move forward in their decision to find a surrogate.
• EPISODE 70 – The Wig Party - Kitty finds out the ramifications of her cancer treatment and is devastated.  Meanwhile, Rebecca learns some big news.
• EPISODE 71 – The Wine Festival – The family puts their hope into this new wine.  Meanwhile, Nora falls for a younger man.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 72 – Pregnant Pause – Rebecca decides to reveal a secret that may affect her relationship with Justin and Holly faces major financial problems.
• EPISODE 73 – Nearlyweds – Justin and Rebecca celebrate their beachside wedding but Justin is not sure if he wants to get married.
• EPISODE 74 – A Bone to Pick – After Kitty’s collapse at the wedding, Kitty faces a new challenge in her life in which she needs a bone marrow transplant and time is running short.
• EPISODE 75 – The Science Fair – Will Sarah find love at her daughter’s science fair?  Meanwhile, Kevin learns more about himself by trying to help Sarah’s daughter with her science fair project.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 76 – Run Baby Run - Sarah has a new love interest.  Is she ready to move past her feelings and emotions for Luc?
• EPISODE 77 – The Pasadena Primary – Robert and Nora try to help Scotty as guest chef for his restaurant.  Meanwhile, Kitty wants to run for Robert’s senate seat.
• EPISODE 78 – A Valued Family – The family suffers loss during Valentine’s Day.  Meanwhile, Kitty hires a new campaign manager.
• EPISODE 79 – Leap of Faith – Sarah has problems when Luc has Visa issues and now is worried that she may lose him.  Meanwhile Justin worries about Rebecca.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 80 – Freeluc.com – Nora tries to help Tommy and the company as they face their longtime nemesis Dennis York.  Meanwhile, the paparazzi start focusing on Sarah and Luc’s relationship.
• EPISODE 81 – Time After Time (Part 1 of 2) – The Walker family reminisce of an accident that took place in 1986 and realize a shocking secret that will affect the Walker family.
• EPISODE 82 – Time After Time (Part 2 of 2) – Norah and Holly go on a trip to discover how much Ojai Foods is truly worth.  Meanwhile, Justin and Rebecca make a big decision.
• EPISODE 83 – If You Bake It, He Will Come – Kevin is still upset at Nora for withholding the family secret from him.  Meanwhile, members of the family confront Dennis York and Rebecca tries to give Ojai Foods more time.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 84 – Where There’s Smoke… – A Walker family member may be pregnant, meanwhile Nora finds out that her mother has dementia.
• EPISODE 85 – Love All – Everyone is going through changes in their personal life.  Sarah and Luc must deal with Sarah’s son who is not adjusting well to Luc.  Meanwhile, Justin is dealing with a fellow soldier’s death.
• EPISODE 86 – Lights Out – The Walker family are preparing to say goodbye to Ojai Foods.
• EPISODE 87 – On the Road Again – The Walkers struggle with the financial ruin due the closure of Ojai Foods and a member of the family is killed.

VIDEO:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season” is featured in Widescreen (1:78:1), enhanced for 16×9 televisions. There are a lot of outdoor and indoor shots and “Brothers and Sisters” does have quite a bit of grain but nothing too distracting. But for the most part, picture quality is satisfactory.

AUDIO:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season” is featured in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, the show is mostly dialogue-based but there are quite a bit of music featured in the episodes, but the audio is pretty much front and center channel driven and audio is clear. There are no really need for major sound effects for “Brothers and Sisters” but for the most part, dialogue and background music are heard quite clearly.

My receiver setup preference was set to “Stereo on all Channels” for a much more immersive soundtrack.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season” comes with the following special features:

DISC 1:

• Deleted Scenes – A total of  four deleted scenes: Ryan steps up, taking a second, kitty’s caught in the middle, a meeting of mothers.

DISC 2:

• Deleted Scenes – A total of six deleted scenes: what to do, advice from Tommy, phone connections, happy birthday mr. governor, official entry and going for it.

DISC 3:

• Deleted Scenes – Featuring a total of three deleted scenes: Justin’s promise, being there, make a deal

DISC 4:

• Deleted Scenes – Featuring two deleted scenes: lost keys, next republic senator

DISC 5:

• Deleted Scenes – A total of three deleted scenes: tell me what happened?, second thoughts and mug shots.

DISC 6:

• The Red Carpet – (08:11) Featuring the red carpet premiere of the first episode of season 4 at the “Brothers & Sisters” premiere party.
• Off the Clock – (11:09) Behind-the-Scenes of what happens “Off-the-Clock” of “Brothers and Sisters”.  Featuring the crew of “Brothers and Sisters” and fun things that the cast take part in.
• Bloopers – (2:14) Featuring outtakes from the fourth season of “Brothers and Sisters”.
• Deleted Scenes – A total of four deleted scenes which include what’s going on?, hell of a backhand, Ojai Foods and like old times.

EXTRAS:

“Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season” comes with a slip over case.

Heartfelt, humorous, dramatic and enjoyable, this is probably my favorite season of the popular ABC drama series yet.

I have to admit that many of my favorite drama series on television have somehow gone astray with the writing this year.  And without mentioning any series, I will say that the “thinking outside of the box” has literally brought many quite a few of these once wonderful drama series to unusual lows with unrealistic, make-believe and idiotic storylines.

Unfortunately, this is not the case with “Brothers and Sisters”.  For this fourth season, writers for this season went for accessible storylines that people can relate to.

With the Walker family, everything that had to do with the characters are stories that people can relate to.  With Nora, we see a single mother trying to get on with her life and start dating again, also having to deal with a mother who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease via Dementia.  With Kitty, having to face the reality that she may not be there for her young child because she is suffering from Lymphoma and having to deal with stage 3 cancer.  With Kevin and Scotty, two gay men who want to adopt and are having problems.  With Sarah, also a single mother testing out the dating scene but also having to deal with a daughter.  Tommy who has to deal with divorce and custody issues.  And then we have Justin and Rebecca who are stressed out because of their wedding, having to think of parenthood and even for Justin trying to get into medical school and realizing that he may have a learning disability.

And of course, it doesn’t stop there.  You have Holly, having to deal with losing her money to a Ponzi scheme, the reality that all that she had worked for is now gone and now finding herself in the worst position in her life and facing a future of being broke, starting over and even more which I don’t want to spoil anyone one who hasn’t seen the episodes yet.

And this is what makes the fourth season of “Brothers and Sisters” so believable and we can laugh during the jokes but when can also shed a tear when things get tough.  We can sympathize with the characters and that is one thing that really distinguishes “Brothers and Sisters” from many other drama series as many of them have become so unbelievable that these one popular shows have lost its sparkle.  Fortunately, “Brothers and Sisters” fared well and not only did it get people tearing over Kitty’s battle with cancer but with a finale so shocking, no one expected the writers to really end it in this fashion.  Definitely one of the most impressive and tragic season finales that I have ever seen.

I admit that the writers really pulled things off for the fourth season but it’s going to be quite interesting to see how they can improve on the fifth.

Another reason why I enjoyed this season so much is how much time was given to characters such as Holly Harper, Rebecca Harper, David Caplan and Scotty Wandell.  It was good for the series to explore the relationships other than Kitty and Robert and give more screen time to these characters and see how the Walker’s have affected their relationships with these people.  Rebecca has grown to a character I enjoy watching and I also feel that the writers have treated Kevin and Scotty’s relationship was tastefully done.   And also to see Holly in a new light and to see how her relationship with Nora is evolving.

Also, the introduction to new characters was well-done.  At first, I thought they would treat the character of Luc Laurent as more of just utilizing his looks and overplay it but he has become a pretty cool character for the season and it’s always good see Sarah not so neurotic or angsty all the time.  Luc seems to have brought some stability with that character and I like that.  Also, for the younger viewers, to see Roxy Olin of MTV’s “The City” reality TV show on “Brothers and Sisters” was a bit surreal but the fact that both of her parents are on the series didn’t surprise me.

As for this DVD set, although there are not as many special features compared to last season’s DVD boxset, nor are there any commentary tracks, you do get a lot deleted scenes but also “The Red Carpet” featurette and also quite a few featurettes via the “Off the Clock” and bloopers included in this fourth season set.  So, if that was my only nitpick of this DVD set, it was the lack of audio commentary.

Overall, “Brothers and Sisters – The Complete Fourth Season” is definitely my favorite season of the drama series yet.  Well-written, well-acted and from beginning to end of this fourth season, viewers will be crying, laughing and then shocked by the season finale.  It’s that good!

Definitely recommended!