The Sweeney One Of The Year’s Best Action Flicks

Courtesy: Entertaniment One

The Sweeney is one of the best action movies of 2013.  This direct to DVD and Blu-ray release was not received to the most shining reviews by a  critics in its original release.  Most of the critics that lambasted it did so perhaps not even realizing that it was based on a British crime drama from the 1970s.  Something else that most American critics and audiences perhaps never took into account with this movie is that it (and the TV series on which it is based) is also the basis for the former hit FX series, The Shield.  Taking all of this into account, anyone that is a fan of action flicks and crime dramas, and that is open minded enough will agree that The Sweeney, while not a major motion picture, is just as good as any major theatrical work released by any of Hollywood’s big guns (no pun intended).  Ironically enough, it is noted in the movie’s bonus features that this movie had in fact been eyed by 20th Century Fox and its independent offshoot, Fox Searchlight Pictures, but ended up instead with Entertainment One.  That’s one company’s loss and another’s gain.

What is it that makes The Sweeney so worth the watch?  Let’s start right from the top.  The story is simple.  This is the most obvious factor in the movie’s success.  The story centers on old school cop Jack Regan (Ray Winstone).  Jack hardly goes by the book (sound familiar yet?)  He and his department—The Sweeney—is anything but conventional in its methods.  The thing is that because of its unorthodox methods, it gets set up and put in danger of being disassembled in this story when one of its operations goes wrong, and it’s made to look like it arrested the wrong individuals in a big case.  When Jack is disgraced as a result of this, he sets out to clear not only his name, but that of his squad.  And thanks to the help of a younger member of the squad, he’s able to do just that.  Thus the action ensues, leading up to one of the biggest car chases and shootout scenes that the action genre has seen in a long time.  As a matter of fact, the amount of action in the final climactic shootout and car chase is more than enough to make any action movie buff squeal with glee like a little schoolgirl. 

Understanding the central portion of what makes this story work, one can move on to the movie’s cinematography.  The shooting style moves just as fast as the story.  This helps to really heighten the story’s tension even more.  It’s not one of those movies in which the cameras keep the audience at bay so to speak.  Rather, the cameras are right up there with the squad quite often in an almost guerilla style shooting manner much like that of The Shield.  It is that heightened sense of action that will keep any open minded action movie fan engaged from the movie’s opening fight scene to its final moments.  This is especially the case with the big Trafalgar Square shootout scene.  This scene gets its own bonus feature on the new Blu-ray release.  Anyone that has any interest in cinematography will appreciate the discussion on how this scene started out with actual storyboards and eventually after dealing with certain agencies came to life.  The cast and crew discuss in this feature how this scene alone had been planned and developed for two years.  Keeping this in mind, the final product came out in outstanding fashion.

Staying on the topic of the movie’s bonus features, the bonus features included in the new home release of The Sweeney are extremely in depth.  As already noted, there is an extensive discussion on the massive climactic gun battle at Trafalgar Square that any production nut will appreciate.  It’s just one of the many bonus features included that help enhance the overall viewing experience of this flick.  Also included is a discussion on everything that went into bringing the movie to life, as well as an equally in depth behind the scenes making of featurette.  Fans of the original crime drama will also enjoy the discussion on “The New Regan and Jack” as well as the crew heading to “The Shooting Range.”  Audiences are always crying foul over movies that are not realistic.  While this feature is short, it does add to the ability of a viewer to suspend his or his disbelief.  That’s because audiences see that the crew wanted to get a detail as small as proper weapons handling correct.  They show through this feature that they made the valid attempt to learn how high powered weapons were properly held because of the kick of said weapons.  Big things come in little packages.  And as small as this package was, that tiny, simple factor made a big difference, making the movie so much better and more believable.  It, along with everything else noted that went into bringing The Sweeney to life, makes this movie one of the best action movies of 2013 and one of the best independent movies of the year.  It all came together to make The Sweeney a movie that any action movie fan should see at least once before the year is out.

Action movie fans can order The Sweeney online now at http://www.amazon.com/Sweeney-Blu-ray-Ray-Winstone/dp/B00B999EZS/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1367960408&sr=1-2&keywords=The+Sweeney.  A trailer for the movie is available to watch online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBk8At1YfRI. 

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K-9 Fun For Dr. Who Fans New And Old

Courtesy: Shout! Factory/Park Television productions

Any pure blooded fan of Dr. Who’s canine companion, K-9 (I am not a dog!)–Sorry, he had to interject, there—is back at last.  K-9: The Complete Series has been made available for audiences in a four-disc set thanks to the good people at Shout! Factory and Park Television Productions.  The twenty-six episode series ran from October 31, 2009 – November 2010 in the U.K.  And now younger audiences who may only know Dr. Who through its more recent re-incarnation on BBC and BBC America will be introduced to this classic Dr. Who character.  In turn, it could lead those same audiences to gain interest in the more classic Dr. Who series.  On the same tip, it could re-ignite the love for the classic series that fans of that series once had while also generating interest both in this spinoff and in the new Dr. Who franchise.  So while it may have only lasted a total of twenty-six episodes, K-9: The Complete Series is a valuable addition to the library of any fan of Dr. Who.

K-9: The Complete Series was originally aimed at younger audiences during its original run overseas.  And while it was aimed at younger audiences, it’s still a fun show for any fan of the seminal sci-fi series.  Fans of the original series will like this updated take on the companion to The Fourth Doctor’s (Played by actor Tom Baker) robotic companion.  Actor John Leeson reprised his role once again for this series.  And yet again, he was the right choice for the job, as he showed that he had just as much chemistry with a new generation of companions (ba-dump-bump-bump) as he did with the original doctors.  He even got the chance to be a little bit edgier than he would have had with K-9’s previous incarnation, since he is working with a group of teens in the setting of late Twenty-First century London.  That more edgy side will especially entertain younger audiences.  And it may be just as entertaining to some older audiences that are more familiar with the original K-9.  They will even be impressed with his updated look, which is explained away through the plot element in the very first episode, ‘Regeneration.’  This instance of K-9 sacrificing himself isn’t the first time that the robotic dog has done so.  Long-time Dr. Who fans will recall that it has done this before.  And just as interesting is that this is one of very few references made to the original Dr. Who series made anywhere in this specific spinoff.  The only fleeting references made to the original series (including in the bonus “Interview with K-9” feature) are a result of broadcasting and distribution rights, allegedly.  But that is not entirely an issue as this series is certain to garner enough interest in that franchise to lead to a younger generation giving that franchise new life.

While there is little to no reference in K-9 to Dr. Who, it doesn’t necessarily need a link to the aforementioned sci-fi hit as it manages to succeed on its own thanks to the show’s writing staff and those behind the show’s production and costumes.  The show—one part Torchwood, and one part Men in Black—starts out as a grouping of stand-alone episodes.  But even when it does start to become a serial, it still manages to maintain its balance of comedy for younger audiences and action for all audiences, thus keeping audiences engaged throughout every episode.  The show’s writers are to be commended for this.  Everything leads up to a number of revelations that no one would have seen coming.  For all the enjoyment that K-9: The Complete Series offers, it’s sad that it only lasted twenty-six episodes.  The final minutes of the series finale were predictable.  But that’s not a bad thing.  If anything, it will leave audiences who have made their way to those moments wish more episodes had been written, as it leaves the door wide open for even more adventures.  One can only hope that perhaps one day those episodes will happen, and when they do, they will be given more opportunity both in the U.K. and here across the pond in the United States.  Until then, audiences finally get to enjoy all twenty-six episodes offered in this collection any time that they want beginning Tuesday, May 7^th.  It will be available both in stores and online.  It can be ordered online via the Shout! Factory store at http://www.shoutfactory.com/?q=node/216940. 

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Downton Abbey Season 3 Coming To TV, DVD, Blu-Ray In January

Courtesy: BBC/PBS

The countdown is on.  For fans of the British drama, Downton Abbey, the show’s third season will finally come to America on Sunday, January 6^th on PBS affiliates across the country.  Downton’s second season was met with mixed reviews, but as fans will see in the season premiere of Season Three, things have gotten much better.  Season Three opens where Season Two closed.  Audiences see Lady Mary and Matthew are finally getting ready to get married.  But among all the happiness of the impending nuptials, things at the abbey aren’t entirely rosy.  Financial issues have the fate of Downton Abbey up in the air.  Fans will also find interesting Matthew’s thoughts that maybe he doesn’t want to live at the abbey after he and Lady Mary are wed.  It’s obvious that things at the abbey are changing through this revelation.  And the introduction of Cora’s mother (played wonderfully by veteran actress Shirley MacLaine) makes for the possibility of plenty of great moments of cultural differences between herself and Lady Violet, Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith—Harry Potter).  There is so much more for audiences to look forward to in Season Three’s premiere, and the season’s other episodes, too without giving away too much.  Even more to look forward to is the upcoming release of Downton Abbey Season Three on DVD and Blu-Ray. 

Downton Abbey Season Three will be available on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, January 29^th.  Included in the upcoming release will be a feature on Shirley MacLaine, a standard behind the scenes featurette, and a bunch more.  Fans will be able to order Season Three online at PBS’s online store, http://www.shoppbs.org. 

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New Gift Set A Good Idea For Any Downton Abbey Fan

Courtesy: PBS

Far too often, British programs get a bad reputation by most American audiences.  But when the hit show, Downton Abbey cleaned up at last year’s awards shows, it proved that British programming still had a place on American airwaves.  Forget that it was largely shut out at this year’s Emmys.  Downton Abbey is more proof of the value of PBS.  And now fans of this standout serial drama can own the show’s first two seasons on Blu-ray in a single set.

PBS released the first two seasons of Downton Abbey to a very special Blu-ray gift set last month.  The set contains every episode aired so far, including the special Christmas episode.  So one who has never seen this show might ask what is the big deal over it, right?  Right.  So much goes into Downton Abbey to make it a show that any drama lover would enjoy.  Yes, it’s a period show.  But as is pointed out in the included “Making of” bonus feature, a lot of work went into maintaining the show’s believability.  The crew behind the show went to painstaking efforts to properly reconstruct the setting inside the house, from the rooms to the costumes, and other even more minute details.  Audiences will gain even more appreciation for every drama filled episode after viewing this bonus feature, and the others.  Each one intertwines with the other and the episodes themselves to make for a fully immersive viewing experience.

The episodes contained in this set, and the included bonus features make for a wonderful viewing experience.  They are just one part of the overall picture that makes this new gift set perfect for any fan of Downton Abbey.  As minute as it is, even the set’s packaging plays a role in its overall success.  The Blu-ray packaging sees the first two seasons distributed across five discs.  Rather than placing them into a bulky box, each disc gets its own space on inserted “leaves.”  This is a doubly positive packaging effort.  On one hand, placing the discs in this fashion protects them, reducing the possibility of each disc being scratched.  This in turn preserves them, allowing them to be viewed for much longer than less wisely packaged discs.  In combination with the safety of the discs, their packaging also makes the overall packaging ergonomically sound.  The manner in which the discs were placed allowed the box in which they were placed to be smaller than other boxes.  This means the box as a whole will take up less space on anyone’s DVD/Blu-ray rack. 

Whether for the packaging or the bonus features, or for the well written episodes themselves, PBS’ new release of Downton Abbey Seasons 1 & 2 comes together to be a good fit for any fan of the show this holiday season.  Fans can avoid the crowds and order it just as easily via PBS’ online store, http://www.shoppbs.org.

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Secret Life of Birds is feathery family fun

The Iolo Williams hosted and produced Secret Life of Birds was a big hit when it originally aired on BBC in 2010.  Now nature lovers on this side of the pond get the chance to see the five part series in its entirety.  Mill Creek Entertainment has officially released the entire high flying documentary on a single disc.

Secret Life of Birds is a wonderful piece of film making for nature lovers the world over.  Technically, this documentary could be considered a mini-series, as each of its five episodes runs roughly half an hour.  That’s a grand total of two and a half hours.  None of that time is wasted, either.  Host and producer Iolo Williams focuses on one specific part of birds’ lives in each episode.  The whole thing starts off with a look at the importance of the different calls of different birds.  Who ever would have thought that woodpeckers “drumming” was actually a mating call or that certain “songs” from other birds were actually their way of establishing certain spots as their terriroty?  Williams also explains that birds even have specific calls that serve as warnings to birds around.  So what makes this so important?  Simple.  It shows that the “singing” people hear may well be more than mere singing.  It’s actually part of a much larger communication system within the bird world.  This is just one part of a whole documentary that shows just how intelligent and resourceful birds are.

Whether in Wales or elsewhere, birds have to be very resourceful and intelligent in order to survive.  Secret Life of Birds examines what birds have to do to survive both in the wild and in human company.  The documentary’s segment, ‘Living on The Edge’ explains the perils that birds face in order to survive in the wild.  It’s an interesting segment in that it revleas birds have a lot of obstacles and perils.  That’s especially the case in comparison to the mini-series’ final episode, which focuses on the shared relationship of birds and humans within human confines.  Seeing how resourceful birds are within a given city is eye opening.  From adapting their “songs” to deal with the noise of traffic to using discarded materials for food and shelter, to placement of nests, Williams shows viewers that the world of birds is so much more complex and interesting than most people would even begin to think.

The informational content in Secret Life of Birds isn’t all that makes it the enjoyable documentary that it is.  The discography’s cinematography is beautiful.  The contrast of the birds having to live within city limits makes for an interesting juxtaposition.  Even out in the wild, the footage quality is amazing.  It’s even better viewed on an HDTV. 

Secret Life of Birds has so much going for it.  From the footage, to the informational content, this documentary mini-series is a great fit both for the casual viewer and for the seasoned birder.  It’s an equally impressive tool for an educational setting, too.  Regardless of the setting, Secret Life of Birds is one of the best specialized nature documentaries to come along in some time.  And considering that so much of television in the United States is just “reality” shows, it stands out that much more among the flock.