THE PLOT THUS FAR

They’re back and hotter than ever! It’s the fourth season of the hit sitcom Hot In Cleveland. Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves, Wendie Malick, and Betty White reunite with some familiar faces from their family, career and love lives. And for the first time re-watch the highly anticipated LIVE episode “It’s Alive”. Whether they’re caught in a love triangle at their new job, landing major movie roles or preparing for wedding (hush hush) these four fabulous women make Cleveland the hottest destination on DVD.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Hot in Cleveland” is a show about nostalgia featuring ladies that you might want to bone. Yeah, I’m looking at the Betty White humpers out there. Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper show up for people wanting their Mary and Rhoda fix. Honestly, the whole show plays as a menopausal flashback show for ladies trying to remember when they’re relevant. That being said, I’d still love to venture where Van Halen went before. If that’s the only thing I’m thinking about while watching your show, you’ve got a turd on your hands.

The DVD comes with favorite moments and outtakes. The A/V Quality is strong enough for recent TV on DVD. Still, there is some digital noise on the transfer. It’s not terrible, but it is noticeable. In the end, I’d recommend a rental.

RELEASE DATE: 12/03/2013

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Chronicles the epic battle between the Decepticons and the Autobots in their mission to defend Earth and one day restore their home planet of Cybertron.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Predacons Rising” is slightly over an hour to find out that Unicron wants Cybertron destroyed. The people fight and the Beast Hunters come to be. Brawls are had, as robots fight and nearly die all over the place. At least the 1986 film had a chance to kill off most of the lesser bots. This keeps going on and on, until most non fans will leave the room. Honestly, I was almost out the door myself.

The Blu-Ray comes with featurette and DVD copy. The A/V Quality is pretty sharp for HD. The 1080p transfer and DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track holds up. I love what we see here, but it works for fans and nobody else. That being said, they’ll eat this up with a spoon.

RELEASE DATE: 10/08/2013

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Not since the show’s original network run has anyone been able to experience this iconic cult classic in its entirety. In the fictional town of Fernwood, Ohio, the heroine, housewife Mary Hartman, lives a life that is a quest for perfection as portrayed by the Reader’s Digest and TV commercials. She is ravaged by a never-ending onslaught of mass murders, venereal disease, low-flying airplanes and a waxy yellow buildup on her kitchen floor. Louise Lasser stars in the title role of Norman Lear’s innovative and bent serial, which combines the drama and pathos of a traditional soap opera with a wry, satirical sense of humor.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, was not truly a sitcom at all. It could be more accurately described as a prime-time soap-opera. More specifically, a spoof of the soap-opera genre. Like the film Airplane poked-fun at those airport disaster movies, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was a satire of the classic soap-opera. This show set the template for other bizarre comedy series that followed in its wake, such as Married With Children, and Strangers With Candy. Like both of those shows, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman was funny precisely because of it’s warped premise, not in spite of it. It was the first TV comedy of it’s kind, and the most avant-guard comedy on TV in the 70s.

What’s hard to explain to people who weren’t there, is how weird the 70’s were. The whole country was in this very odd mood, partly giddy, partly freaked out, partly numb. I don’t know if I can explain how Mary Hartman fit in to that, but it did and maybe not enough time has passed where it won’t seem dated. The other thing is that the show had a whole parallel life running at the same time in the live soap opera of Louise Lasser’s sudden fame. Her personal trajectory towards a nervous breakdown tracked Mary Hartman’s journey.

As a new viewer to this series, it took me several weeks to process it. I grew up watching “Fernwood 2 Night” on Nick at Nite. Eventually, they started showing random episodes of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and we learned that Fernwood was a spinoff. Hell, I didn’t even know that Martin Mull could play mean. So much of the show is done in quick clips, but the series seems to have ran forever in an 18 month period. But, proper context is always going to be the bitch of this series.

If you weren’t alive at the time, it’s hard to understand how bizarre this must have been. I’ve talked to Hartman fans about how the show was dropped late night after the news in most markets and left to die on the vine. It was pretty deceptive, but played to the norms of the genre. The room for parody is there, as The Carol Burnett Show loved to take potshots at it. That being said, nothing can top the oddity of the death of the kiddie preacher.

So much of this series is built on moments like this. Characters aren’t real, as they are controlled by the satire worthy setups. At times, it’s like walking into a Doonesbury comic strip. The kind of vain satire that comes from a New Yorker cartoon trying too hard to make a point. But, it’s dated. Dated as hell. That being said, I wouldn’t change a thing regarding this weird time capsule permanently lodged in the throat of 70s television.

The DVD comes with featurettes and 10 bonus episodes of Fernwood 2 Night. The A/V Quality is decent for a show of its age. The Dolby track almost sounds like mono, so it gave my receiver fits trying to read it. But, I just want these classic releases to look good enough. DNR is for the birds. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans.

RELEASE DATE: 12/03/2013

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Gene Autry is the only entertainer with all five stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, one each for Radio, Recordings, Motion Pictures, Television and Live Performance. By the middle of the 20th Century, Autry was a box office smash with his musical B Westerns, touring with his rodeo across the United States and the British Isles, and had several gold records including his Christmas classic Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer. Autry’s highly anticipated television debut on CBS-TV, July 23, 1950, placed him immediately in the ranks of television’s topmost attractions. What’s more, with TV, America’s beloved cowboy star added still another to his long list of illustrious firsts. He became the first topflight motion picture star to make films especially for the Golden Age of Television.

The Gene Autry Show, sponsored by Wrigley’s Doublemint Chewing Gum, originally aired on CBS from 1950 to 1955. The program follows the adventures of singing cowboy Gene Autry, his Wonder Horse Champion, and his sidekick Pat Buttram, who travel the Southwest to maintain law and order. The series is a collection of stand-alone half-hour episodes: sometimes Gene and Pat know each other sometimes they do not; some shows are set in the past and some are in the near present of the early 1950s. Each unique show has Gene’s trademark mixture of action, comedy, and singing. See for yourself why the hard riding, furious fighting, and smooth singing Gene Autry is considered America’s favorite cowboy.

This collection contains 14dvd’s plus a Bonus Disc – Gene’s venture into television led to the creation of Flying A Pictures, which produced five popular half-hour Westerns, presented here for the first time in one package.
You ll see two episodes each of The Gene Autry Show, The Range Rider, Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, Jr. and The Adventures of Champion.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“The Gene Autry Show” was a showcase of singing and Western talent in a time where you couldn’t turn the dial without hitting similar junk. Spreading faster than polio was America’s love for the singing cowboy. Honestly, the guy had some quality songs. The shame is that his other material was paper thin and didn’t go anywhere. But, America was young and didn’t have discerning television tastes.

This complete release shows the five or six seasons that made up the series’ run. Fifteen of the episodes were shot in color, but there’s no difference other than flesh tone between those and the early shows. Seeing the old school Wrigley’s Gum commercials was funny. However, I felt that the bonus episode was a wasted opportunity due to not showing where Gene Autry was on other shows during the era. Meh, I wanted a complete history which wasn’t the case here.

The DVD comes with bonus episodes as the special features. The A/V Quality is strong enough for a classic television series. Still, there is some digital noise on the transfer. It’s not terrible, but it is noticeable. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: 12/10/2013

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Marvel makes cinematic history again with the most unexpected team-up in the universe! Joining forces for the first time ever, Hulk’s pulverizing brute strength and Tony Stark’s high-tech brainpower come together to face off against the ultimate enemy.

When “Zzzax,” a seemingly invincible, energy devouring monster threatens to destroy the planet, Marvel’s unlikeliest pairing of Avengers is mankind’s only hope. Alone, neither can defeat the awesome power of Zzzax. As a duo, they just might have a chance – if they can find a way to work together without smashing heads before time runs out!

Packed with explosive action, loaded with exclusive bonus features and presented in groundbreaking Marvel CG Animation, Iron Man & Hulk: Heroes United is a must-own movie event that will blow you away.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

“Heroes United” seems to be the first official Marvel Movieverse team-up of Hulk and Iron Man. I’d say that it is its own cartoon thing, but it wants to tie back into The Avengers so damn hard. Introducing Zzzax was a cool choice to keep the science themed supervillains going. But, Zzzax is more of a monstrous by-product than evil super-villain. Naturally, the Hulk draws parallels even in this short 71 minute running time.

If this is what we can expect for DTV adventures, then count me in. I love seeing random sections of the Marvel Universe explored, while keeping the character developments of the film. Cashing in on comic storyline adaptations or kiddie stuff is pretty trite. Painting in broad strokes has allowed Marvel and Disney to capture fans and casual viewers. This is the key to success and it’s the only way to make the large world swallow electricity monsters.

The Blu-Ray comes with a DVD, Digital Copy, featurettes and some nifty Marvel Inter-Missions when you pause the movie. I’m loving putting the new Disney titles on pause to watch the cool animations happen. The 1080p transfer and DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track also kick in where it’s needed. Still, I’ve seen digital animation look far more impressive in HD. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the Marvel die-hards.

RELEASE DATE: 12/03/2013