Acceptable
Risk (2017/Acorn Blu-ray
Set)/Fuller House: The
Complete Second Season
(2017/Warner DVD Set)/MidSomer
Murders: John Barnaby's First Cases (2017
compilation/Acorn DVD Set)/The
Strain: The Complete Series
(2014 - 2017/Fox DVD Set)/24:
Legacy (2017/Fox DVD Set)
Picture:
B/B-/B/C+/B- Sound: B-/B-/B/C+/B- Extras: C+/D/C/C+/C+
Episodes: C+/C/B/C+/C
Here's
a set of new TV releases, mostly for recent shows and a few of them
you might not yet heard of...
We
start with Acceptable
Risk
(2017), another thriller series set in Ireland, this one launching
from the simple, happy domestic space of a new family. Sarah (Elaine
Cassidy) has two great children and a great husband, but everything
takes an unexpected turn when he turns up dead in another country
(Canada) where he was on another one of his business trips. However,
the more she asks what happened and the more she looks into things,
the more bizarre things get.
Though
a local detective gets involved and she has some support, she still
has to face this alone in a still-stunned fashion. Then things get
odder....
Set
in the pharmaceutical industry and going beyond Ireland, the six
episodes have some good moments, but writer Ron Hutchinson (the
original Traffic
mini-series) eventually throws in so many things, suspension of
disbelief becomes much tougher by the end of the first-half of the
episodes as he throws in too much and that kills some suspense. The
locations ands a cast we need to see more of in the future save the
mini-series from its excesses and though I was disappointed and felt
some simple mistakes hurt this, I still thought it was worth a look
simply because they were trying. If you're interested, you should
try this smart show out.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer may show more
shaky camerawork than one would like and has some moments where the
image is oddly degraded on purpose for effect, but that's the look of
the show and it looks as good as we will likely ever see it here. I
did like their variant on jump cuts, though. The
DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 5.1 lossless mix is good, but the music
often overpowers the dialogue via music levels being too high and
possibly limits to location recording, so expect the soundfield to be
uneven at times.
Extras
include a nice group of Behind-the-scenes featurettes (62 minutes in
all) and cast interviews (19 min.) across both discs, but only watch
them AFTER
seeing the show.
Hard
to believe that Fuller
House
got renewed for a second season in one respect, seeing that the
original show is cringe-worthy in retrospect. However if feel-good
family sitcoms are your bag, then you're sure to love Netflix's
spin-off/revival series which features a matured cast along with
several new faces. Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, Andrea
Barber, Lori Loughlin, John Stamos, and others star in what we can
simply think of as Fuller
House: The Complete Second Season
(2017).
Episodes
include Welcome
Back, Mom Interference, Ramona's Not-So-Epic First Kiss, Curse of
Tanner Manor, Doggy Daddy, A Fuller Thanksgiving, Girl Talk, A
Tangled Web, Glazed and Confused, New Kids in the House, D.J. and
Kimmy's High School Reunion, Nutcrackers,
and the season finale Happy
New Year Baby.
Presented
in standard definition with an anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1
widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, the show
looks fine on DVD and likely not much better on Netflix streaming.
The show is shot well in HD and has strong production value
considering what it is. The show initially appeared on Netflix in Feb
2016 and is just now making it onto disc.
No
extras.
If
you're a fan of British television or crime television, then you owe
it to yourself to check out this interesting series, MidSomer
Murders,
which is available on disc from Acorn, who've been issuing the show
for eons. The show has been around for a while, as this MidSomer
Murders: John Barnaby's First Cases 2017
compilation
set brings together 'cases' from Series 14 and 15. In a way, I might
compare it to Twin
Peaks
in that it centers around a small town where all sorts of bizarre
things unravel. It doesn't have the David Lynch surrealism of
course, this is much more grounded in reality. This compilation
edition groups some fan favorite episodes for newcomers to embrace.
As
has been the case for a long time, MidSomer
Murders
centers around John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon) and takes place in
Midsomer County, a place where murder is a commonplace practice.
Guest
stars include Samantha Bond, Edward Fox, Pam Ferris, Warren Clarke,
James Callis, Julie Graham, Kerry Fox, Sinead Cusack, Hattie Morahan,
Martine McCutcheon, Kate Ashfield, Charity Wakefield, Kevin Doyle,
and Harriet Walter.
Mysteries
include...
Death
in the Slow Lane
Dark
Secrets
Echoes
of the Dead
The
Oblong Murders
The
Sleeper Under the Hill
The
Night of the Stag
A
Sacred Trust
A
Rare Bird
The
Dark Rider
Murder
of Innocence
Death
and the Divas
Written
in the Stars
The
Sicilian Defense
Schooled
in Murder
Hardcore
fans can take note that these Mysteries were previously available in
sets 21,22,23, and 24 and the Series 14 and 15 box sets. You can
read more about many of the other sets elsewhere on this site.
The
presentation on the disc is fine for the format with a standard
definition, anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 widescreen presentation
and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix on all shows. Commercial
and watermark free is always a plus as it gives the show a more
cinematic and uninterrupted feel. The colors and production value
comes across fine, however an HD transfer would be preferable.
Special
Features include...
Midsomer
Murders in Conversation (34 min.)
The
Dark Rider
audio commentary with star Neil Dudgeon and director Alex Pillai
Behind
the scenes of Death
and the Divas
(15 min.)
Biography
of Sykes the dog
The
Strain
has wrapped up after four seasons as planned, but not because it was
a big critical or commercial hit, but a show that found its fans and
we should have shows like this that don't have to be megahits to
exist. The
Complete Series
(2014 - 2017) is here, if only as a Dvd box set, but we have covered
the initial three seasons as follows...
One
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/13585/The+Strain:+The+Complete+First+Season+(2014/
Two
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14401/The+Strain:+The+Complete+Second+Season+(20
Three
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/14992/The+Strain:+Season+3+(2016/Fox+DVD+Set)
Needless
to say the is all from a fan of both Guillermo del Toro and what the
show achieved, and though I like del Toro as well, I did not think
the show was able to overcome the feeling that I had seen too much of
this before. I could also see this being fresher for viewers younger
and/or newer to the genres involved, but it is not a show that ever
stayed with me or comes up much, though it can be bold, exotic,
impressionistic and is not just another generic genre run-through.
Ultimately,
the weekly TV grind caught up with the narrative here and this
wrap-up (for now) lacks good overall flow.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image and lossy
Dolby Digital 5.1 on all four seasons are fine for the format, but
anticlimactic versus the 1080p Blu-ray sets for the first two
seasons. If any show needs higher definition, this one with its
darkness, shadows and often darker color schemes is it, so the DVDs
can only go so far. Same with the high quality soundmasters that
deserve better with a lossless treatment.
Extras
in this slipcase packaging repeat all the extras of the first three
full season sets (save the bust from Season
One),
the Season
Four
set adds the Coping
with The Strain: A Therapy Session
featurette, more Deleted Scenes, a Gag Reel and these featurettes...
First
Look
Father
and Sons
Dutch
and Setrakian
The
Mongrels
The
Partnership
The
Baby Factory
The
Highway Battle
Quinlan
Stop
the Master
Eichhorst
Finale
Following
the same narrative structure as previous incarnations of the series
(the original 24
and 24:
Live Another Day),
this revival season dubbed 24:
Legacy
(2017)
follows the exploits of Eric Carter (Corey Hawkins) who fights an
omnipresent terrorist attack. He sides with Rebecca Ingram (Miranda
Otto of Lord
of the Rings
fame), who is the head of CTU. Together, over the course of twenty
four hours an explosive chain of events unravel. The show also stars
Anna Diop, Teddy Sears, Ashley Thomas, Dan Bucantinsky, and Jimmy
Smits.
Following
its network broadcast on Fox, the show isn't going to return for a
second season. The season consists of twelve episodes, which stars
from 12:00 (Noon) - 1PM and concludes with 11:00 PM - 12:00PM. Three
episodes per disc.
Presented
on standard definition DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphically enhanced
widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 track, the show
looks comparable to its original television broadcast despite not
being HD here, thus, up to par with the standards of the format. An
HD version would be preferable but has yet to be released at the time
of this writing.
Special
Features...
24:
The Legacy Lives On
featurette
Deleted
Scenes
The
show is nicely produced with decent action and acting but overall
feels a bit stale and uninspired. The network has hinted at future
episodes of the series using the same narrative formula and flashy
editing, but judging from the lukewarm reception of this season it
may be taking a hiatus for the time being.
Still,
if you enjoyed the show then this is a nice four disc edition of it
that offers a commercial free version that's ideal for fans.
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Risk,
Strain)
& James
Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
