Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Barbecue restaurant owner appeals mannequin's cover-up order
Suspect nabbed in child's death
Five years after attack, woman finds her way
Two men hurt in assaults in Kenmore
Hundreds in Canton for Tea Party
Promises look promising for Browns
New York congressman blasts Michael Jackson as 'pervert'
Blogs:
Pets:
Sunburn in canines and felines
The Heldenfiles:
Monday Notebook, New "90210" on DVD
Patrick McManamon:
Some Trevor Ariza tales
Akron Zips:
Opponent outlook: Northern Illinois
Browns Bulletin:
Single-game ticket sales begin July 11
Tribe Matters:
Marte is IL’s Batter of the Week
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth test showed marijuana
Kent State Sports:
Men's Basketball Scheduling update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Free Agency Update: Frye in View?
All Da King's Men:
The Obligatory Palin Post
Blog of Mass Destruction:
The "Limbaugh Babies"
Akron Law Café:
The Veil and the Burqa – Constitutional to Ban or Restrict?
Varsity Letters:
Solon’s Baldwin could decide soon
See Jane Style:
Picnic Wear
Car Chase:
Where do We Go from Here?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
ID My Bug
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jennifer inquires about a bus tour to Atlantic City
Sound Check:
Rundgren fans rejoice!: Second night of AWATS at The Civic added
HRLite House:
DDI One of Best Places to Work
Akron Gamer:
Hot link: Best of Nintendo at E3
Newspaper show gets it, 5th season DVD on way. 'Dave's World' is OK
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Sunday, Aug 10, 2008
One of the few things that John McCain and Barack Obama agree on is that they both like The Wire.
In separate interviews, each has praised the show, which brilliantly created memorable characters and examined various aspects of urban despair in the bleak landscape of modern Baltimore.
It was widely but not universally acclaimed. Emmy nominators, for one thing, have given it a total of two nominations in its five seasons. That's the same number as According to Jim. But it was for the most part remarkable; you should see the first four seasons, and pick up the final one when it lands on DVD on Tuesday.
The Wire: The Complete Fifth Season (HBO Video, 10 episodes, four discs, $59.99) not only wraps up the show, it tackles the issue of how newspapers work in an era of cutbacks, marketing focus and the occasional reporter who puts ambition ahead of ethics.
There was considerable controversy over its rendition of newspaper work — even though series creator David Simon is a former newspaperman. But after more than 30 years in the business, and with friends at papers around the country, I can tell you that Simon nailed it.
The DVD package includes commentaries on six episodes, a retrospective segment about the series and a second piece about the state of mass media.
A couple of '90s sitcoms hit DVD on Tuesday in Dave's World: The First Season (CBS/Paramount, 23 episodes, three discs, $24) and Caroline in the City: The First Season (CBS/Paramount, 24 episodes, three discs, $42.99).
Both sets include notes that ''music has been changed for this home entertainment version'' and that ''some episodes may be edited from their original network versions.''
I wasn't a fan of either show during their network runs. I have softened a bit about Dave's World. Based on the writings of columnist Dave Barry, it starred Harry Anderson as Dave and focused on his home life. That included wife Beth (DeLane Matthews) and two sons, as well as his friends Kenny (Shadoe Stevens) and Shel (Meshach Taylor). While it's sometimes predictable, the show was willing at times to let its characters just be themselves, instead of making nonstop jokes; it could also show some sharp edges. No DVD extras.
I am hard-pressed to come up with things I like about Caroline in the City, which starred Lea Thompson as cartoonist Caroline Duffy. OK, so the drawings — actually by artist Bonnie Timmons — were amusing. And Amy Pietz, as Caroline's best friend Annie, could wring some amusement out of a one-note part. But the show was so bland that, in this first-season DVD, the big fun comes from guest stars like Kathy Griffin and NewsRadio's Vicki Lewis. The lone DVD extra consists of promotional spots for episodes.
DVD notebook
The way you get to see movies and TV is, of course, rapidly changing. You can find an increasing amount of current and classic TV fare online, for one thing, not only through individual networks' Web sites but at places like Hulu (http://www.hulu.com).
Sales and distribution of titles at places like iTunes has led to speculation about the future of the hard disc — CD or DVD. And marketers are trying to appeal to all kinds of consumers.
Kiss of the Spider Woman, the marvelous feature film starring William Hurt and Raul Julia, has finally made it to home video — but it's aiming at the online crowd first. The two-disc special edition (from City Lights Home Entertainment) will be available from most retailers on Oct. 21.
But it is being offered now as an exclusive at http://www.Amazon.com, for $34.98; the company adds the Blu-ray version on Tuesday for $28. And Amazon is offering the movie as a download for rent ($2.99 for three days) or purchase ($9.99).
More marketing
MTV on Monday will air the musical movie American Mall, relentlessly touted as ''from executive producers of High School Musical.'' The next day, Tuesday, it will be out on DVD (MTV/Paramount, $19.99). The DVD has commentary by the director and cast, deleted scenes, bloopers, extended performances and music videos.
I expect better
The movie Smart People has a solid cast, including Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker, Thomas Haden Church and Juno's Ellen Page. There are even moments in it that are quite enjoyable. But when watching it on DVD ($29.99 in standard format, $34.99 in Blu-ray), I found my attention wandering from its tale of a college professor (Quaid) at a low point in life. Smart cast, maybe, but not so smart a movie. DVD extras are outtakes, a director commentary and deleted scenes.
Down the DVD road
A special 10th-anniversary set of the TV series Sports Night, with many extras promised, will be released on Sept. 30. . . . The first season of According to Jim will hit DVD on Oct. 21. . . . The Donna Reed Show: The Complete First Season is due on Oct. 28. . . . A special edition of the Paul Newman classic Cool Hand Luke will be on standard DVD and Blu-ray on Sept. 9.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
One of the few things that John McCain and Barack Obama agree on is that they both like The Wire.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
