American Restoration, Volume Two (2012)/Duck
Dynasty – Season One (2012)/Top Shot
– Season Four (2012/A&E/History DVDs)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: D/C/C Episodes: B/C/C+
Now for
more of that special brand of “reality TV” from A&E and The History
Channel…
American Restoration, Volume Two (2012) continues to be my
favorite of all the shows that deal with collectibles and memorabilia, as my
thoughts on the first DVD set shows at this link:
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11285/American+Restoration+%E2%80%93
Though
some of the set-ups are obviously preset (even prescripted?), the gang at
Rick’s Restorations has the most natural chemistry of any of these shows and
Rick now has a wife, which can add to the amusements. I continue to be amazed by the great items
they find or are hired to restore, the amazing work that goes into them and
results that show real heart and soul on all involved. They are saving the past, preserving it and
that includes some real choice pieces that anyone with a brain would appreciate
and want to own.
This
2-disc set has 19 more half-hour-ish episodes, but sadly no extras.
New to
the fold is Duck Dynasty – Season One
which features the newly rich Robertsons and their family business, making
groundbreaking, handmade, wooden duck call whistles that trick more ducks than
anything before them and has increased any hunter’s ability to capture/kill
them. It seems an unlikely show, but
then it is an interesting success story and shows once again a simple idea made
by hand by people who care can lead to great success.
They are
even a tight family, but I felt the show lost any potential to work early on by
staying with the same “reality TV” formula and it became redundant
quickly. Back in the day, this real-life
set up would have made a great piece for 60
Minutes and people would talk about it for weeks afterwards, but this
series by its nature is not that probing and unless you are entertained by it
the way it stands or really like the family, it falls flat.
Extras
include additional footage that is OK.
Finally
we have Top Shot – Season Four which
I am surprised has lasted so long, but it has been popular enough and the makers
have been lucky enough to keep finding people who know who to do some fancy
shootin’ that they have come up with another good series of shows for the
latest contest.
If you
are unfamiliar, here is our coverage of the previous seasons on DVD:
Season One
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/10671/The+Universe+%E2%80%93+7+Won
Reloaded/Season Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11222/America:+The+Story+Of+Us+Collecto
Gauntlet/Season Three
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/11568/Billy+The+Exterminator:+Season+Fou
This can
become a blur like MTV’s The Real World
did in its early seasons, but the show takes itself and the talent present
seriously without making a joke out of them and with most of the serious
competition shows usually set in the world of cooking, I’d say this is as good
as any of them. I would still start with
the first season and go forward chronologically, but you can watch any select
set and you’ll be fine.
Extras additional
footage, Contestant Bios and a featurette amusingly titled Behind The Bullet.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on all three releases have good color, a
little styling and the limits one expects from DVD, but I would like to at
least see Restoration hit Blu-ray,
though Top Shot on Blu-ray would
allow us to see the marksmanship even better.
All three are HD shoots. The
lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound on all three are also about even with good
location recording, good post-production editing and music & even sound
effects that are usually not intrusive.
- Nicholas Sheffo
