Veronica Mars: Season Three on DVD

Acquired by: Free copy from marketing firm

Rating: 4 out of 5

About a month ago, I gave a head’s up that I’d be reviewing the DVD set of Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season. I’m a little overdue to talk about it, but better later than never!

Let’s just start by saying that I felt there’s no need to evaluate the actual episodes contained on these discs. We can take it as a given that Veronica Mars was a quality television program, worth watching, and it’s a sad loss for the fans that it never continued beyond the third season.

My review, then, is based mainly on the bonus content on this six disc set. Discs one through five contain the twenty episodes of season three: disc six is filled with a larger collection of featurettes, commentary, and more than was ever included in the Season One and Two sets.

In fact, this is the first time we have commentary at all, provided by Rob Thomas, Creator and Executive Producer, and Dan Etheridge, Supervising Producer. Rather than offering it as an alternative sound track overlaid on the individual episodes, it’s given as small featurettes, in the section Going Undercover with Rob Thomas.

Divided into featurettes based on topics (such as Rob’s Directing Experience, Favorite Guest Star Moments, and The Politics of Veronica Mars), Rob and Dan talk mostly about experiences and decisions from the Third Season. They do, however, dip back occasionally to Seasons One and Two where appropriate to give more back story behind their stories. Considering this is the first Season’s DVD’s that have had commentary, that was nice to see. They aren’t afraid to shed an unfavorable light on themselves, either. In the section titled Do-Overs?, Rob and Dan show and discuss some scenes that made it to air that they weren’t happy with for one reason or another.

Unaired Scenes are offered with introductions by Rob Thomas explaining why they didn’t make it to the aired version of the show. In most cases they were cut for time, of course. There were occasions where he had a difficult choice to make, however, and he tells us why, perhaps, one scene was kept in preference over another.

Ultimately, however, the best - and most poignant - bonus features on these discs for any of us fans have to be the Season 4 Presentation and Pitching Season 4. Here, at last, we see the direction that the series could have taken if only the CW had been wise enough to pick it up. It’s a new Veronica, dated several years after the events of Season Three, a Veronica who has gone through the FBI Academy at Quantico and is now ready to embark on her life as a Special Agent.

There is enough of the old Veronica Mars flavor - voice overs, interactions with people around her, her snappy wit - to feel a continuity with where the show had been in the first three years. And at the same time, there’s a sense of a new, grown-up Veronica, dealing with more serious villains, but finding that even though her peers are “grown-up,” too, people still often behave in a very high-schoolish way to get what they want.

Ultimately, probably the best compliment I can pay to the bonus features on this set is this - the Season 4 pitch and background information made me long for the series to return, and the commentary by Rob Thomas made me want to go back and watch Seasons One through Three all over again.

If you’re a Veronica Mars fan, and haven’t got this set yet, I’d heartily recommend you pick it up.

Related Links:

• Order at Official Site: Veronica Mars at Warner Bros. Online Store
• Order at Amazon: Veronica Mars/Season Three on DVD

Posted: November 7th, 2007 under DVD Television.
Comments: 1

I came to the Veronica Mars party late. It wasn’t until the beginning of the third season that I started checking the show out. Little did I know that I would soon be deprived of new Mars adventures. The series was canceled before a fourth season could happen.

I watched to the bitter end, enjoying what I saw. Then I NetFlix’d the first two seasons, and finally understood some of the larger story arcs that were either resolved, or hinted at in past tense, in the third season.

Now, that final season is coming out on DVD on October 23rd. I’ve been offered a review copy, and when it arrives, I’ll have a chance to check out the commentary and featurettes. There’s one that is purported to be

An in-depth interview w/ Creator Rob Thomas discussing a new direction for the series presented to network executives that picks up years later, with Veronica as a rookie FBI agent.

Which will mostly tease us with the Veronica Mars that will never be, I fear, but I’m still interested in seeing what they might have done.

Related Links:

• Pre-Order at Official Site: Veronica Mars at Warner Bros. Online Store
• Pre-Order at Amazon: Veronica Mars/Season Three on DVD
  

Posted: October 1st, 2007 under DVD Television.
Comments: none

Journeyman (NBC)

Starring: Kevin McKidd as Dan Vasser

Premieres: Monday, Sept. 24th at 10 p.m.

Airs: Mondays at 10 p.m.

Viewed: Via free advance download offer from NBC and Amazon UnBox for Tivo.

My rating: 4 out of 5

I reviewed two of NBC’s other new science fiction offerings last week. Even though I’d also downloaded Journeyman through the same offering at Amazon UnBox, I didn’t review it with the others because, simply, I hadn’t watched it yet.

I corrected that oversight this weekend, and now, although I’ve already posted to this blog today, I want to tell you about Journeyman. Because it premieres tonight, and I don’t want you to miss it. It’s that good.

Journeyman caps off a full Monday night of science fiction on NBC that begins with the new series Chuck, followed by the returning favorite Heroes. This placement is a good decision - Chuck gives us a humorous, high action beginning to the evening. Heroes ups the intensity and drama, and delivers mind-blowing special effects and action. At the end of the night, Journeyman will now offer a drama that’s still intense, but somewhat quieter, and with lots to think about.

Kevin McKidd stars as our title character, Dan Vasser. He’s a newspaper reporter in San Francisco, with a wife and kid, a brother who’s a cop, and a backstory. Dan was once engaged to Livia, but for reasons I can’t reveal without spoiling the story for you, they are no longer together.

One day, Dan starts traveling in time. This happens a few times before he starts to understand why. In the process, he crosses paths with his old life again - including Livia. And because he disappears in the present time for the same period that he spends in the past - 2 days then equals 2 days gone now - he begins to have troubles with his editor for missing deadlines, and his wife, son, and brother for disappearing without explanation.

Journeyman is a well-crafted story, with excellent performances by all the cast. We’ve been offered hints at the larger concept behind Dan’s time voyages, and intriguing glimpses at his past life. I’m eager to find out what happens to him next, and that’s why, based on only a single episode, I’m rating this show 4 out of 5, for “I hate it when I miss an episode!”

It’s my fear that Journeyman won’t find its audience. It’s high quality science fiction, as well as an engrossing human drama. But it requires that the viewer pay attention to what’s going on. The story isn’t handed to us on a platter - rather, we are shown events and objects, we listen to discussions, arguments, and dialogues, and we must observe the ways that people interact. Sometimes the clues are as subtle as seeing the same event we were shown a few minutes ago, but from a different perspective on a different time trip.

On the surface, Journeyman most resembles Quantum Leap. But beyond the concept of a man traveling into the past to help troubled people, the two shows are completely different. Journeyman is a personal story of a man dealing with a huge transition in his life, and how it affects him, and the people around him.

Watch it, please. Journeyman is the sort of quality programming we want to encourage. If you miss the airing tonight, it’s available at Amazon UnBox to download to your Series 2 or higher TiVo, or to your computer.

• NBC’s Official Site: Journeyman at NBC
• IMDB: Journeyman at IMDB
• Amazon UnBox
• Journeyman listing at Amazon UnBox

Posted: September 24th, 2007 under Television.
Comments: none

Chuck (NBC)

Starring (l. to r.): Adam Baldwin, Zachary Levi as Chuck, and Yvonne Strechowski

Premieres: Monday, Sept. 24th, 8 p.m.

Airs: Mondays at 8 p.m.

Viewed: Via free advance download offer from NBC and Amazon UnBox for Tivo.

My Rating: 3 out of 5

NBC found a massive hit last fall in Heroes. Now, a year later, the network is building a solid block of science fiction series on Monday evenings, with Heroes anchoring the same 9 p.m. time slot it held last year, and the new series Journeyman bringing up the rear.

The opening number at 8 p.m. will be a new series called Chuck. Chuck is a hyrid show - part sci-fi, part comedy, part espionage. Anytime you try to mix genres, there’s potential for disaster. If you don’t do them all well, your show will likely fall flat.

The good news is, Chuck seems to have gotten it all right. The show simultaneously skewers our modern, consumer culture and our high-tech espionage films, while still providing exciting action and interesting mysteries. And on top of it all, we have the average daily life of Chuck, a 20-something nerd who still lives with his sister and has no girlfriend.

I found the entire package fun to watch, and I’m looking forward to the next episode. It’s hard to give a rating to a show based on a single episode, but so far, Chuck has itself firmly on my list of programs worth TiVo’ing, making it a 3 out of 5. I wouldn’t be surprised, though, to find it quickly rising to a 4 within a few episodes.

Related Links:

• NBC’s Official Site: Chuck at NBC
• IMDB: Chuck at IMDB
• Amazon UnBox

Bionic Woman (NBC)

Starring: Michelle Ryan as Jamie Sommers

Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 26th, 9 p.m.

Airs: Wednesdays at 9 p.m.

Viewed: Via free advance download offer from NBC and Amazon UnBox for Tivo.

My Rating: 3 out of 5

Not on Monday evenings, but continuing NBC’s venture into more science fiction programming, is Wednesday evening’s Bionic Woman. If you are thinking fondly of the Jamie Sommers you grew up with, as played by Lindsay Wagner, think again. The series has been given the same sort of reinvention that brought Battlestar Galactica back to great accolades on the Sci-Fi channel.

The new Jamie has a troubled teenage sister who lives with her; a boyfriend doctor who hasn’t told her everything about what he does; and a bartending job that seems to do well for her. Everything changes one day when a tragic car accident leaves Jamie at death’s door - until her boyfriend has her med-evac’d to the secret lab he works at.

The bulk of the initial episode is spent introducing us to the characters, and shows the beginning of Jamie coming to terms with a reality that turned upside down on her very abruptly. The world will never be the same for her again, and she knows it. But she also, by the end of the episode, starts to feel a sense of what her new abilities can do for, and to exercise some of that power.

The tone of the new series is dark. There was at least one giggle thrown in to lighten the mood of the pilot, but for the most part, we’re watching a more defnite drama than we did with the original series in the 70’s. No Sasquatch here, folks! The drama, the evil, and the secrets are all human - making them even more threatening.

I won’t tell more, because that would spoil the fun of watching the premiere for yourself. Except to say that Jamie isn’t the first Bionic Woman in this version of the series. There are many backstories to all the characters, many secrets hinted at, little tidbits of information given to us that intrigue and draw us in because we want to know more.

At least, I know I want to know more. Which is why I’ll be watching Bionic Woman every week.

As with Chuck, I think it’s early to give more than a 3 out of 5 rating. But, just like Chuck, I suspect that Bionic Woman will be rising in my estimation quickly.

Related Links:

• NBC’s Official Site: Bionic Woman at NBC (Warning: site plays video and audio.)
• IMDB: Bionic Woman (2007) at IMDB
• IMDB: The Bionic Woman (1975) at IMDB
• Amazon UnBox

Posted: September 20th, 2007 under Television.
Comments: 1

Second Life by Linden Labs

Game Type: Online virtual world

Cost to Play: Free for Basic Account;
$9.95 one-time fee for additional Basic Accounts;
$9.95/month for Premium Account (discounted prepay plans also available)

Okay, I’m going to come clean. One of newest distractions that is eating up some of my time is Second Life. If you don’t know what that is, Second Life an online, virtual world. People can interact with each other, create virtual objects, own land (if you have a Premium Account), build houses and decorate them, attend live concerts, and much more - all online.

I’m not entirely new to Second Life. I originally created my account back in December of 2005. I think I may have logged on all of two, maybe three times back then. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted to do with it, so I just never went back.

Until recently, that is. I have a First Life friend now who is an avid CG artist, and who has been playing in Second Life for a number of months. I’ve been hearing her stories about the house she built, the objects she created, and the fun she has in there for all this time. Finally, she guilted me into logging in to actually see what she’s been talking about.

I think a big part of why I didn’t do much back in 2005 was that I was learning the interface entirely on my own, trial-and-error pushing buttons and clicking on options and not having a clue what I was doing. This time, having my friend Arondelle as a guide, I felt like I could get some control over what was happening.

Gryphon and I used to be very active in EverQuest - I was even a guide for a short time - and we were beta testers for Star Wars Galaxies. What I loved best was exploring the virtual worlds, and making use of the crafting skills available in each game.

Unfortunately, the most important part of most such online games is getting together in groups and going out to kill critters and monsters. Which is fine. But I really, really wanted a world I could just wander around in, discovering and doing cool things.

I think Second Life may be that world. For me, it’s all the best parts of EQ and SWG (the well-detailed world to explore) and the offline game The Sims (a virtual dollhouse), without the annoying parts like being obligated to spend time killing things to make any progress, or having to monitor your Sims’ health and social activities when you’d rather be decorating the house.

So what are some of the cool things to see and do in Second Life? Lately, it seems like just about anything you can imagine from First Life can be found there!

Recently, for instance, Suzanne Vega played a live concert in Second Life, streaming the audio from the real world, and with an avatar with a custom-built guitar performing on a virtual stage. Republican Newt Gingrich will be holding a virtual workshop in Second Life later in September.

Politicians, marketing departments of large corporations, and universities have all been looking at Second Life as a forum for advertising their causes or products, holding conferences, and providing online education. A glance at the Community Events calendar shows upcoming Al-Anon meetings, more live concerts, dance parties, workshops on life in SL, and more.

A recent issue of TV Guide reported that the hit CBS television series, CSI: New York, will be creating a virtual CSI Lab on Second Life later this year. Viewers will be able to register to participate, then can visit the lab to solve a different virtual murder every month.

All these real world tie-ins are cool, and show that Second Life - which opened to the public in 2003 - has made a mark on our First Lives. Ultimately, though, the real magic in Second Life is entirely created by the people who inhabit the virtual world. Nearly everything you will ever encounter, every object you will ever use, every building you will visit, is created by the users of the world. Not by some programmers sitting in the corporate headquarters for the game somewhere, but by people just like you who are living an extra layer of life online.

Content in Second Life is, therefore, constantly changing and improving - and without forcing you to buy new software to continue playing! There are new, exciting objects to discover wherever you go, and when you re-visit someplace you’ve been before, odds are it will not be the same-old same-old that you saw last time.

That’s what is drawing me into Second Life at last - the possibility that I, too, can be part of creating a new world.

My Recommendation: Different strokes for different folks, they say. Shoot ‘em up, kill the monster games weren’t for me. Nice thing is, Second Life can be all things to all people - for those who like the combat or hunting, there are even options for you! And if you’re more the Sudoku type, there are games you can play in SL, too. Since it’s free to sign up and free to play, why not check it out?

If you’re not lucky enough to have such a great personal guide as I do, in game help is plentiful, with tutorials and educational locations that teach you everything you need to know about navigating the world. The best advice - just get out there and look around, and don’t be afraid to ask questions!

Final Note: If, by chance, you’re already a Second Lifer, my online name is Probably Perhaps. Yeah, you heard me right. It was, back in Dec. 2005, the best I thought I could do with the choices of last name I had to pick from, and I wasn’t too happy with it. Now that I’m going into the game more often, I’ve been receiving a lot of compliments on my name, and I think I’m glad I picked it. Anyhow, feel free to look me up and add me as a friend. And one of these days, I just might pay for that Premium Account so I can own a piece of land, and invite you to my housewarming!

If you’re not a Second Lifer yet, but think it sounds interesting, it’s absolutely free to try. That’s right - free. If you want to, you can play forever in the game without ever having to spend a First Life penny. So what’s to stop you from checking it out? If you decide to come in, look me up!

Related Links:

• Main website for game sign-up and information: Second Life

Posted: September 19th, 2007 under Online Gaming.
Comments: 1

Ballet Shoes (1975)

Genre: Family, Children, Literature

Acquired by: Netflix rental

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5

I was an avid reader as a child. My local public library didn’t limit how many books we could take out at a time, and my habit was to fill the baskets on my bicycle every time I went.

I also took ballet lessons for three years, from about age 9 to 11, and of course, I had my own dreams of being a ballerina some day. It should be no surprise, then, that Noel Streatfeild’s book, Ballet Shoes, was among my favorites. It’s one of a class of children’s books that I called “brown-bread-and-butter” books - feel good stories of families in trouble who somehow make things all better by the final page. I’d take a nice brown bread - Roman Meal was my favorite - spread it lightly with butter, and slowly savor the slices and the book at the same time.

It was through Kat with a K’s blog that I recently learned that not only was there an upcoming television production of Ballet Shoes (the cast includes Harry Potter’s Emma Watson as Pauline Fossil) - there already existed one from 1975! I dashed over to Netflix, located the DVD, and bumped it to the top of my queue.

I just finished watching it a short while ago, and you know what? I really wish I’d had a few slices of brown bread and butter to nibble at during the movie! It’s been a while since I read the book, but this television film version - for all that it only had two hours to tell the story - was quite faithful in all the details and characters.

Ballet Shoes is the story of three adopted girls, and their life as they attend a ballet and theater school in London. Posy is a natural dancer; Pauline a talented actress. Petrova, whose real desire is to be a mechanic and/or pilot, is neither as good a dancer as Posy, nor as special an actress as Pauline, but manages to hold her own.

There are struggles along the way. The family has little money for daily expenses, and must take in boarders. Pauline nearly loses a paying role on the stage when her pride and arrogance get in the way of her performance. Petrova has terrible stage fright, and would really rather be studying automotive repair manuals. Posy, while not performing on stage as her sisters are, is skilled enough as a dancer that the Madame of the dance school takes her as her private pupil - but then Madame becomes ill, and can no longer give her lessons.

In the end, of course, everything works out well. I won’t spoil it by telling you how! In two hours, however, this BBC production somehow tells the entire story, without leaving you feeling rushed, or like you’ve missed details. Probably because, as well as I remember the book, you haven’t.

This production originally aired on television in the UK on October 4, 1975. It was brought to America by PBS, and aired on December 27, 1976 as part of a variety series called Picadilly Circus, which presented an assortment of British documentaries, dramas, comedies, and family films. Ballet Shoes went on to win a 1977 Emmy for “Outstanding Children’s Special”.

Nearly none of the actors will be very familiar to American audiences, though the woman playing “Guarnie” - Sylvia Brown, the guardian for the three girls, struck me immediately as someone I’d seen. I took a poke at IMDB, and realized why - anyone as fond of British television comedies as I am will recognize her as Angela Thorne, who played Marjory Forbisher, best friend of Penelope Keith’s lead character, Audrey fforbes-Hamilton, on To The Manor Born.

The DVD offers no extras, and is not close-captioned. But then, this BBC production originally appeared on television in the UK in October of 1975 - it’s a wonder we even have it on DVD! The master copy must have been pristine, however, because the video was clear and without fading, skips, or other noticeable problems.

Modern audiences, especially children, will find the production much quieter than we’re accustomed to today. The story is told through simple, skilled acting. The soundtrack, when it comes into play, is mostly ballet music. But that’s all fine - this is a story that doesn’t need flashy camera tricks and punchy music to charm your heart.

And charm your heart it does. Go to Netflix, rent it, and have a few slices of brown-bread-and-butter ready to go. Especially if you have a budding ballerina or actress in your family - Ballet Shoes will help to fuel her dreams!

I’m very glad I found this DVD - thank you, Kat! I don’t feel a need to buy it, but it pleases me to know that it’s out there, available to rent again.

Related Links:

• Buy the DVD - Ballet Shoes (1975) at Amazon.com
• Rent the DVD - Ballet Shoes (1975) at Netflix.com
• Buy the Book - Ballet Shoes at Amazon.com
• IMDB Listing - Ballet Shoes (1975)
• About the Author - Noel Streatfeild fan page with full biography and bibliography

Posted: September 10th, 2007 under DVD Movies.
Comments: none