Abbott
Elementary: The Complete Fourth Season
(2025/Warner DVD Set)/Dr.
Cliff: Worldwide Vet
(2023/IndiePix DVD)/I Can
Only Imagine 2
(2026/Lionsgate Blu-ray)/I
Love Lucy 75th Anniversary: The Complete Series
(1951 - 1960/CBS DVD Set)/Over
The Garden Wall
(2014/Cartoon Network/Warner Blu-ray)
Picture:
C+/C+/B/C+/B- Sound: C+/C+/B/C+/B-* Extras: D/C-/C/B+/C+
Main Programs: C+/B-/C/A-/C+
Now
for some revisits and other family-aimed releases...
Abbott
Elementary: The Complete Fourth Season
(2025) is more of the same drama (and sometimes melodrama) for the
hit TV show we previously just covered the previous season of a year
before at this link:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16603/Abbott+Elementary:+The+Complete+Third+Season+(2
It
is consistent enough and works for the approach it has, but it has
become more than formulaic at this point, despite maintaining a
certain quality throughout. How much longer will the show last? Who
knows, but it audience is sticking with it and there is far worse on
TV these days, so that helps it by default.
There
are no extras.
Dr.
Cliff: Worldwide Vet
(2023) is the too-short look at the amazing work of Dr. Cliff Redford
and his team, going all over the world to help animals in all kinds
of medical and physical issues that will either permanently damage
them or kill them. Some of the situations are ugly, disturbing,
awful, hard to watch and work necessary to help these innocent
creatures out.
Even
at 66 minutes, this might be too much to handle, but I had still
wished this was longer, especially with all the room on this disc.
It is still a must-see documentary work and I was glad this was
released. We need to see more such releases and the issues seen more
often.
Extras
include Trailers.
Andrew
Erwin & Brent McCorkle's I
Can Only Imagine 2
(2026) is a sequel to a film hardly anyone saw, but since a new cycle
of faith music is upon us, even if most of it is forgettable, too
laid back and no match for its sister movement in the 1970s, it is a
melodrama about music between families and how they make said music.
However, can the genre to any other one and you can imagine how
formulaic and generic this becomes.
The
cast is not bad, consistent in their performances, but all of this is
too laid back and predictable for its own good. The best I can say
is see the first film first, maybe that will make this work better,
but as it stands, its a slow-burn dud.
Extras
include
an Audio Commentary with Producer and Lead Singer of MercyMe, Bart
Millard, and Singer/Songwriter Tim Timmons
Audio
Commentary with Writer/Co-Director Brent McCorkle and
Producer/Co-Director Andrew Erwin
Making
I Can Only Imagine 2
Recording
at Abbey Road
Joy
in the Making
Finding
the Song ''Even If''
Early
Access Bonus Content
Deleted
Scenes
and
a Theatrical Trailer.
I
Love Lucy 75th Anniversary: The Complete Series
(1951 - 1960) is a DVD set capturing the entire run of what is still
one of the most successful, influential and important TV shows ever
made, comedy or otherwise as it becomes more and more apparent just
what Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz had achieved by insisting on
shooting a higher quality TV series at a time when the medium was
being treated as somewhat disposable. Already totally issued on DVD
over the years, it was also arriving on Blu-ray when it arrived in an
entire Blu-ray set complete, as covered here:
https://fulvuedrive-in.com/review/16529/Elvira:+Mistress+Of+The+Dark+4K+(1988/Arrow+4K
That
CBS is reissuing it on DVD shows the demographic they still thinks is
out there for the show, thus this release. I still recommend the
Blu-ray set over any of the DVD sets, but these are the freshest DVD
pressings, so you might want to go with this set if you still want
the show in this format.
Extras
repeat those of the previous Blu-ray and DVD sets.
Over
The Garden Wall
(2014) is Cartoon Network's first TV mini-series and apparently a
favorite hit as two young boys find themselves drifting and traveling
around in a forest unexpectedly, facing all kinds of adventures and
some dangers. At a time when some are not happy with Cartoon Network
(and other networks like Nickelodeon, et al) it makes sense this
would find itself on Blu-ray finally.
With
a voice cast that includes Elijah Wood, Collin Dean, Christopher
Lloyd, Melanie Lynskey, John Cleese, Fred Stoller, Sam Marin, Shirley
Jones, Tim Curry, Chris Isaak, Bebe Neuwirth, Thomas Lennon and Jack
Jones, they alone help make this a curio and it does have its
moments. However, it is still a little too formulaic, predictable
and the animation only worked so much for me. Running 10 episodes,
they are at least consistent and respect the audience, so I give it
that.
Creator
Patrick McHale recently co-wrote on the Del Toro Pinocchio and
is best know for the Cartoon Network megahit Adventure Time,
which we've reviewed multiple times. In the end, if this is your
kind of storytelling, you'll need to see it yourself to see if you
like it, but I would just say do not have hopes to high and maybe
you'll like it.
Extras
include the Behind Over the Garden Wall featurette
Now
for playback performance. The 1080p 2.35 X 1 digital High Definition
image on Imagine
2 is
consistent, if
dull and a little flat, but well shot for what it is, while the
lossless Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mixdown for older systems) has
some good moments, but is not always dynamic and all-around good,
though that matches the narrative. The combination is passively
professional, but not very memorable, much like the release itself.
The
1080p 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image transfer on Over
The Garden Wall
may have os-so animation, but it looks good for what it offers with
some good color, while the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) 2.0 Stereo
lossless mix has its moments, but also has some weak sports here and
there. This likely is the best it will ever sound, but I wonder if a
4K edition would make this look better.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Abbott is as
consistent as the last set, which is the same thing I can say about
the lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. Again, why no Blu-ray, but this
is passable for fans.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on Dr. Cliff is fine
for the DVD format with good color and some good definition, detail
and depth, but I had wished it were Blu-ray in some shots when it
gets more interesting. The lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is
location recorded often, but with music (sometimes more than it
needs) later, so this plays just fine.
The
1.33 X 1 black & white image on
I Love Lucy
is as good as it can be throughout for the older DVD format, but
looks pale as compared to the Blu-ray releases, even though the
condition of each episode can vary a bit. The lossy Dolby
Digital 2.0 Mono is good for what it is, but the lossless mono on the
blu-rays sometimes reveals more information at times than even I
expected, so you know what you get if you get this older-format
version of the series.
-
Nicholas Sheffo
