THE PLOT THUS FAR

The romantic tension between Jess (Emmyr Nominee Zooey Deschanel) and Nick (Jake Johnson) escalates in the hilarious, quirky second season of New Girl – but will they ever hook up? Meanwhile, Schmidt fails to be hip, Winston isn’t “prepared” for a hot date, and Nick faces a death in his dysfunctional family. While Jess does her best to replace Cece on a modeling job and a drunk Elvis impersonator at a funeral, Schmidt and Winston hope to rearrange Cece’s arranged marriage. Relive all 25 outrageous episodes featuring guest stars like Jamie Lee Curtis, Rob Reiner and Dennis Farina, and enjoy fun bonus material – including the extended version of the hugely popular Virgins episode – only available on the DVD.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Coming across a converted factory loft, you find Jess at the heart of three guy roommates, snot nosed, bleary eyed and watching re-runs of the pinnacle of romance films, Dirty Dancing. The Bachelors: Schmidt, a camp, Jewish Ladies man, with a severe case of ODC, Nick, a bartender with no proper life ambitions, also recovering from a messy break-up and Coach, a personal trainer, who is then replaced later on by Winston, who returns from playing basketball in Latvia for two years. He’s the type of guy who always misunderstands women and their feelings, loves ducks and hilariously sings songs from the musical wicked.

The guys eventually decide to take Jess in, on finding out that she knows Cece, a model who happens to be Jess’s best friend . What the gents are soon to discover is that, unlike the stereotypical model, she is smart, understanding, quick-tongued and very protective of Jess; she will do anything to stop Jess from falling into the mishaps of the lads and also Jess’s own naive plans of trying to find a new man in her life. The second season is more of the same, but you get a funny Elvis impersonator and some creepy celeb cameos. Plus, you get that really weird Woody Allen costume and I think JGL showed up. Maybe, I hallucinated that from last season. Who am I kidding? I’m just watching for Zooey Deschanel.

The DVD comes with deleted scenes, featurettes, extended episode, commentary and a gag reel are the special features. The A/V Quality is strong with a supportive transfer and a Dolby 5.1 audio track. The Dolby track doesn’t get much back channel action outside of the few major comedic slapstick. Hell, I didn’t realize until now that this was one of Dennis Farina’s last role. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to fans of the show.

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!

THE PLOT THUS FAR

In the late ’80s, the masses fixated on a single, sociopathic star. Morton Downey Jr. tore apart the traditional talk format by turning debate of current issues into a gladiator pit.

His blow-smoke-in-your-face style drew a rabid cult following, but also the title “Father of Trash Television.”

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Morton Downey, Jr. helped lead the way to trash journalism, even if his show appears obvious and amateurish compared to the slick format and presentation we see today. But a figure like Bill O’Reilly, in particular, owes a tremendous debt to Downey’s confrontational, damn-the-torpedoes style of doing “news” and interviews. At the same time trash-talk-show hosts like Jerry Springer and Maury Povich also partly owe their style of crazed three-ring-circuses to Mort. Even the Reverend Al Sharpton, perpetual African-American leader and professional racial ambulance-chaser, owes a debt to Mort, appearing on his show frequently during its short run.

The documentary itself has a bizarre, strange tone to it, critical of Downey, who was a polarizing figure, but not entirely hateful or against him. At points, it’s view is like I mentioned, critical, but at others it’s almost pitying, sympathetic, with interesting animated segments scattered throughout. I suppose the pity sensation was the one I felt the most after the piece ended, he was a man who struggled with many parts of himself but also did make something strong.

The DVD comes with featurettes, trailer and a commentary. The A/V Quality is pretty strong for a standard definition documentary. The Dolby 5.1 track drops background dialogue at times. Still, it works for what it is. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!

THE PLOT THUS FAR

Nothing Left to Fear was inspired by the legend of Stull, Kansas. Wendy (Anne Heche), her husband Dan (James Tupper of Revenge) and their kids have just moved to the small town of Stull, Kansas, where Dan is the new pastor. But in this sleepy community of friendly neighbors, a horrific series of occurrences awaits them: Their teenage daughter (Rebekah Brandes of Bellflower) is being tormented by grisly visions. Her younger sister (Jennifer Stone of Wizards of Waverly Place) has been marked for a depraved ritual. And deep within the heartland darkness, one of The Seven Gates of Hell demands the blood of the innocent to unleash the creatures of the damned. Ethan Peck (10 Things I Hate About You) and Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption) co-star in this demonic shocker featuring original music by producer Slash and inspired by the real-life paranormal legacy of Stull. Nothing Left to Fear is the first film from Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Slash’s production company, Slasher Films, and was written by Jonathon W.C. Mills and directed by Anthony Leonardi III.

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Wendy and Pastor Dan have arrived in a new town. The guy that they are replacing is fruit loop that leads to weird issues of possession. There are some decent moments to be had, but this is a film that is desperately in search of a point. That’s not to mention the litany of teen actors who function as drift wood. If this is the best that Slash has to offer, then stick to rock.

The depths of modern horror are shallow. We have pastiche, rip-offs and paper thin original ideas. When one views them on a long enough timeline, their shortcomings become more apparent. I’m not the bearer of bad news, but I wish to issue more of a call to arms. Horror is easy and can turn a fast profit. While this means that a lot of bad ideas get out there, let’s work together as fans to weed out the crap.

The Blu-Ray comes with a DVD copy, commentary and behind the scenes featurette. The 1080p transfer is strong enough. However, I found that the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track lacked any real definition. It was a bit of scattershot jump scare cues and nothing else. In the end, I’d only recommend a rental to the curious.

RELEASE DATE: 10/08/2013