Bang:
Series 1 (2018)/Heart
Guy: Series 3
(2018)/Simple Heist:
Series 1
(2018)/Wire In The Blood:
The Complete Collection
(2002 - 2008/all Acorn DVD Sets)
Picture:
B/B/C+/C+ Sound: B/B/C+/C+ Extras: C-/D/D/C Episodes:
B+/B+/C+/B-
Acorn
Home Video is quietly issuing as many TV shows and new, usually
unheard of in the U.S. shows. They started with many new and classic
shows, but now, its more new than ever. The following group shows
what the new shows are like, plus they picked up a decent past show
we covered some of before that many might like to catch up with...
Sam
and Gina are brother and sister. After their father murdered 12
years ago, Gina decided to follow in her father's footsteps and join
the police. But her brother Sam has gotten nowhere in life, but when
a gun falls into his hand he begins committing crimes, each one
getting more bolder, more dangerous. Unknown to them both, the gun
is connected to their father's murder and secrets from the past that
will haunt them forever in Bang:
Series 1 (2018).
Gina
is a rookie police officer who only wants to serve like her father,
but every time she is up for promotion it is stolen from her by upper
management. Sam is a lowly factory worker, weak in character, he
falls for the new girl next door, Mel... a bad girl. She manipulates
Sam and she asks him to hide a gun for her in promise of sexual
favors. Sam becomes embolden by the gun, but he is continually
beaten, tortured and blackmailed into doing more crime by Mel other
boyfriend/lover. When Gina finds out, she discovers that the gun is
connected to their father murder, she also discover that he was a
crooked cop. She and Sam were raised on blood money and a secret
human trafficking ring. Unfortunately, the criminals knows the
system better than the police and seem always one step ahead of them
and each time there is a break through in the case they discover
another dead body.
This
was another police drama murder series, it is filled with multiple
twists and turns and no one is who they appear to be. The series is
filled with strong female characters where a woman uses her
sexuality, blackmail or force to get what she wants. Interesting
fact was the use of South Wales language in the series, for people
who don't speak Walsh there IS a need for subtitles. Extras includes
a behind the scenes featurette.
Hugh
Knight was genius heart surgeon, but was forced to return to his
hometown Whyhope on probation to serve as a town GP. After two
years, Hugh has now become part of the town and has become closer
with it's residents and especially Penny his boss. Neither the town
or himself can imagine the town without him there now. But with
Hugh's probation being up, he has a chance to return to Sydney and
the glamorous city life ...can he really leave Whyhope?
Picking
up from the last set we covered and continuing here with Heart
Guy: Series 3 (2018),
the Knight Family has been rocked by the death of Jim, Hugh's father
and he suddenly finds himself inherited with the family farm ...along
with 11 Million in debt. Now, Hugh must find a way to save the farm
while managing the family grief. Ajax and Haylee become new parents,
but all Ajax's wisdom comes from Call of Duty. Matt and Charlie
begin drifting away from each other, Matt wants a child and Charlie
doesn't, Matt pulls a Hugh and has an affair. On the bright side,
Penny and Hugh unable to hold back their feelings for each other
finally have sex, but then Hugh's ex-wife returns and they find out
she is pregnant with Hugh's child. Hugh decides selling the farm is
the only way to save themselves, but the rest of the Knight Family
searches for other ways to save the farm.
This
was a comical medical drama along with family drama in a small town.
All the character become endearing with their quaint characteristics.
The whole problem in general is that while they are adults, not
enough people want to take responsibility for their action. However,
on a side note, all their problems could be solved if they practiced
polygamy, then no one would have to worry who is sleeping with who.
But all that aside, it is about family and how sometimes even in the
worst of times can bring out what is most important in each other.
No extras.
Two
middle class old ladies find themselves one day broke and out of
money. After a lifetime of hard work they lose everything. Jenny an
old school teacher finds herself in a nasty divorce settlement where
her husband has left her with nothing, while Cecilia a doctor finds
out she lost everything after a failed stock investment, but when
Cecilia hears a plan from a dying patient on how to rob a bank, this
one job could solve all their problems... or have their problems just
begun?
In
Simple Heist: Series
1 (2018), Jenny
and Cecilia are best friends and two sweet old ladies, but life
doesn't seem to goes as far anymore. After a lifetime of honest and
hard work, they are looked down by their husbands, their employers
and the rest of society as worthless and now they are about to lose
their homes. After planing (and much worry) they seem to have the
plans for a perfect bank heist (if they don't lose their nerve), but
even after a (barely) successful heist they have find a way to get
the money out of their locked cases without dye pacts exploding.
However, that's when the real problems start, can they keep a secret?
Can they keep from talking to others, even their own families? Not
only are the police after them but bad guys too, including a old
female detective who doesn't realize how accurate her theories are.
When other criminals hear about the heist they want a piece of their
take too.
This
was a Swedish TV drama in the Swedish language, it was like a mix of
Martha Stewart and pulling off bank heists. Who would suspect sweet
old ladies to be capable much less suspects in a bank heist? Most
the drama is between character's relationships with their family,
most the comedy is how close the characters almost get caught/give
away their secret (and their wild imaginations). One thing keeps on
leading to another, things keep getting more complex. You would
think getting caught would be the problem, but keeping the money
attracts more attention that one realizes. No extras.
Finally
we have Wire
In The Blood: The Complete Collection
(2002 - 2008) bringing together all six seasons of the hit Robson
Green series that is one of the few good attempts to make a smart
takes on the Manhunter/Silence
Of The Lambs
smart detective vs.. smart serial killer cycle that is only just now
finally dying down after several decades. The first three seasons
were filmed and kept a dark look that worked, but thee fourth season
was an HD production and as you can see from our coverage of it, it
was a switch for the worse...
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6689/Wire+In+The+Blood+%E2%80%93+The+Complete
The
last two seasons are new to us, but I had caught a few of the shows
and they also made cast changes and the mood was just too lite,
indifferent and the sudden infusions of color looked more like a poor
music video than any kind of suspenseful mystery show about murder.
Green should have become a bigger star off of all this, but did not,
though I will add the writing on the first three seasons is still
smart and the shows hold up well enough. Its worth getting the whole
set if you are a mega-fan or just want to cover the whole thing, but
it is a reissue of a show that deserves to be in print (especially
considering how bad some many shows in print are) and it is very
smart of Acorn to pick this one up.
All
the releases here are presented in anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1
image frames, all produced in HD, but early Wire episodes were
filmed in the 1.66 X 1 frame and you can see that before the image
zooms into 1.78 X 1 leaving out some image information. These are
the older transfers from the older DVD release, but will do until a
Blu-ray set turns up. The later shows were early HD shoots, changing
the shows look and not in a good way.
All
releases have lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo as well and only the
new, earlier two shows sound as good as they could or should, though
all deserves lossless treatment when they arrived on Blu-ray at some
point.
-
Nicholas Sheffo (Wire)
and Ricky Chiang
