Anjelah Johnson: The Homecoming Show (2013/Inception DVD)/The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Sixth Season (2012 – 2013/Warner DVD Set)/Blandings: Series One (2012/Acorn DVD Set)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: C+     Extras: C/B/D     Main Programs: C+/B/C

 

 

Now for some new comedy releases that have people in them more than capable of humor…

 

 

Anjelah Johnson: The Homecoming Show (2013) is a stand-up comedy concert with edge and a difference as our beautiful native of San Jose, California gets politically incorrect about the life she has led, is leading, deals with women, racism, how the two uniquely intertwine, opens up about her life, family, experiences and tells some jokes in between moments of irony and unfortunate occurrences.  The show has laughs, but there is more.

 

Miss Johnson offers a discourse that is not only purely female (some comediennes do not always do this), but one that offers a window into living we do not hear enough about, so running under an hour is the only thing hurting this release as she has much more to say and show.  Hope this is not the last we see or hear of her.

 

Extras include a featurette in three parts: Coming Home, Fans and Why Wasn’t Anjelah The Homecoming Queen?

 

 

The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Sixth Season (2012 – 2013) marks the latest set of howlers… I mean episodes, from the best comedy on TV anywhere.  As its spiritual sister The IT Crowd sadly folds in the U.K., this show continues to grow and evolve seamlessly integrating its characters into loonier and loonier discussions, plots, twists and purely hilarious moments that makes it the most important TV comedy in decades.  Remarkably, it is a blockbuster commercial success.

 

There are too many highlight to mention, though doing that would spoil everything, but Sheldon hires a sexy, young new assistant who hits on Leonard and makes the uncomfortable Amy all the more uncomfortable, Howard has a bizarre stay in outer space while his mother gets more annoying, Will Wheaton returns, Raj may have found a new intimate friend, male & female, Penny goes to college while her acting picks up and in a show that is sad and charming at the same time, Bob Newhart turns up as Sheldon’s TV idol, a serious scientist who played a science wizard on a children’s television show and has regrets as he still pays to be hired for parties and other events.  Sheldon learns of this and hires him for a party… of two!

 

A great show whose classic status grows with each season, the show has not relied on any formulas without variation, the actors just get better, the writing remains as sharp as anything and we expect the show has hardly peaked.  You can look for previous seasons reviewed elsewhere on this site, but join in on any season and it is impossible not to smile and laugh.

 

Extras include a paper foldout inside the DVD case with an episode guide, while the DVDs add two making of featurettes: The Big Bang Theory: The Final Comedy Frontier and Houston, We Have A Sitcom, plus The Big Bang Theory At PaleyFest 2013 where the cast and creators talk about the show, Electromagnetism about the couples and relationships on the show and a Gag Reel.

 

 

Finally we have Blandings: Series One (2012) based on P.G. Wodehouse’s works with Timothy Spall and Jennifer Saunders in what should be a home run of comedy about a family living in a mansion in the country and enjoying life and success.  He may be the head of the household, but is too busy trying to have his prized pig win awards that she, his sister, has to handle the important things instead and the eccentricity only begins there.

 

Jack Farthing is his son Freddie and has all kinds of wacky ideas of his own, including how to make money, live on high on money and fun women to date.  Mark Williams even plays his eccentric and loyal butler, but despite all this talent and opportunity, the show is slow-going six-episode series that disappointed me with obvious humor, limited use of its gifted cast, mixed teleplays and no big laughs.  I did not miss any Britishisms and despite being a good-looking show, it just does not work.  Now you can see for yourself.

 

There are no extras.

 

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on all three releases are just fine, but Bang has a very slight edge in color (which we would expect would be more than proven by the Blu-ray release) while the lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo on Johnson and Blandings are just fine, but nothing great, which is why the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix on Bang is slightly disappointing coming across as weaker than expected, though again we expect it might sound better on Blu-ray.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo