MLB World Series Takes Top Honors In The Phil’s Picks 2014 List Of Best New Box Sets For Grown-Ups

The days are officially ticking away to the end of another year. That means that all of the critics out there are now putting out their annual “Best Of” lists. This critic is still working on some of those lists while others are official. The jury’s still out on some right now such as the year’s Best New Documentaries, Independent Movies, Re-Issues, and Best New Movies overall. The lists for all the new music are still in the works, too. So while those lists are being completed, Phil’s Picks offers to everyone to start off the year, a look at the Top 10 Best New Box Sets for Grown-Ups. This year’s list is capped by a box set featuring the entire 2014 World Series, courtesy of Lionsgate, A&E Home Video, and MLB Productions. Also on this year’s list are some blasts from the past and some imports from our neighbors across the pond, and one surprise entry in the Honorable Mention list. The box sets’ packaging, bonus material and more were collectively taken into account in building this (and the other lists to come). Only 15 titles total could make the list. So there were some that didn’t make the list such as the sixth and seventh seasons of Star Trek The Next Generation on Blu-ray or the full six-season run of Ancient Aliens among others. It goes without saying that this was not an easy list to build. But it feels right. So without further ado, here is the list of 2014’s Top 10 New Box Sets For Grown-Ups.

2014 Best New Box Sets For Grown-Ups

1. 2014 MLB World Series Collector’s Edition

2. Endeavour: Series 2

3. Here’s Lucy: The Complete Series

4. The Carol Burnett Show: Carol’s Crackups

5. The Dean Martin Show: Fully Roasted

6. The Roosevelts

7. Inspector Lewis: Series 7

8. Psych: The Complete Series

9. Secret Agent (A.K.A. Danger Man): The Complete Series

10. The Wonder Years: Season 1

Honorable Mention

11. The Red Skelton Show: The Early Years–1951 – 1955

12. The Almighty Johnsons: Season 1

13. Hell on Wheels: Season 3

14. The Definitive WWI & WWII Collection

15. I Love Lucy: Ultimate Season 1 (BD Re-Issue)

Tomorrow, Phil’s Picks looks into the list of the year’s best new box sets for Children and Families. Stay tuned! To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Anchor Bay’s Born To Race Franchise Revs Up Again This Summer

Courtesy: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Born To Race: Fast Track, the latest movie in Anchor Bay Entertainment’s Born To Race franchise, will be released this summer. The movie stars Brett Davern and Beau Mirchoff, both of MTV’s Awkward. The pair star as small-town racing rivals Danny and Jake. The pair ends up being partnered together after summer scholarship to a top tier racing school. Danny also finds himself in a relationship with love interest played by Tiffany DuPont (Greek). Veteran actor Corben Bernsen (Psych, L.A. Law, Major League) co-stars along with Diogo Morgado (The Messenger, The Bible, Son of God), Grant Show (Devious Maids, Melrose Place, Private Practice, Big Love), and Sharon Lawrence (Rizzoli & Isles).

Director Alex Ranarivelo returns to helm this latest installment of the Born To Race franchise. He also directed the franchise’s previous film. He is joined by screenwriter Steve Sarno, who also crafted the script for the franchise’s previous film, and producer Ali Afshar. Afshar also produced the previous Born to Race film. He is also a professional race car driver.

Born To Race: Fast Track will be available for digital download via iTunes August 29^th. It will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and OnDemand Tuesday, September 9th. The DVD will retail for SRP of $22.98 while the Blu-ray will retail for SRP of $26.99. More information on Born to Race: Fast Track is available online via Facebook and Twitter at http://www.facebook.com/BornToRaceMovie and http://twitter.com/borntoracemovie. More information on this and other releases from Anchor Bay Entertainment is available online at http://www.facebook.com/AnchorBay, http://www.anchorbayent.com and http://twitter.com/Anchor_Bay. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Timeless Media Group Announces Release Date, Details For I Spy Box Set

Courtesy: Timeless Media Group

Timeless Media Group will bring audiences yet another long lost piece of television history this Summer.

Timeless Media Group will release the classic series I Spy on Tuesday, June 24^th. The classic dramedy series, starring Bill Cosby (The Cosby Show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids) and character actor Robert Culp. It could be argued that the show’s witty writing and equally strong acting on the part of Cosby and Culp were the influence behind hit dramedies such as Monk and Psych. The series ran on NBC from 1965 to 1968 and produced a total of eighty-two episodes in that span. It won countless awards over the course of its three-year run including: the Golden Globe® for Best Dramatic Series in 1967, three consecutive Prime Time Emmys® for Outstanding Lead Actor for Bill Cosby, and the Prime Time Emmy ® for Outstanding Musical Composition for Earle Hagen. Cosby’s co-star received his own accolades for his work on the show. He was nominated for a number of Prime Time Emmy® Awards including: three Outstanding Lead Actor nominations and one for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama.

Along with its groundbreaking acting and writing, I Spy also featured a number of guest stars that would go on to be some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Those names include the likes of: Gene Hackman (Hoosiers, Enemy of the State, Unforgiven), Jim Backus (Mr. Magoo, Gilligan’s Island), Ron Howard (The Andy Griffith Show, Happy Days), Boris Karloff (Frankenstein, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Raven), Martin Landau (Ed Wood, North by Northwest, Mission: Impossible), George Takei (Star Trek), Don Rickles (Toy Story 1 – 3), and Eartha Kitt (Batman).

The upcoming release will have all eighty-two episodes of I Spy contained on eighteen discs. More information on this and other releases, including pricing and how to order the box set, is available online at http://www.timelessvideo.com. To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment news and reviews in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.

Series 6 A Solid Send-Off For Inspector Lewis

Courtesy: itv/PBS

It looks like the end is here for Detective Inspector Robert “Robbie” Lewis and his partner Detective Sergeant James Hathaway….or is it?  If the final scenes of the third and final episode of Inspector Lewis: Series Six are any indication, it would seem that this show that debuted just over seven years ago has come to an end.  Though, the rumor mill is buzzing that this may not be the last that audiences see of Inspector Lewis after all.  If it is in fact the end for the fan favorite pair of detectives, Series Six is a fine send-off for this hit show.

Series Six is a fine send off for Inspector Lewis and his partner in these supposed final episodes.  The show’s writers have crafted a trio of stories that are some of the finest that audiences have seen over the course of its seven-year run.  This series takes Detective Inspector Lewis and his partner into the world of parapsychology in its opening episode, and then onto the very twisted trail of a drug smuggler before investigating the death of a man that was killed by someone with his own car shortly after being released from jail.  The murder victim had himself been jailed for accidentally killing another person in a wreck.  The three stories together offer just enough mystery to keep audiences fully engaged throughout this series’ four-plus hours.  The most deeply engaging of the episodes included in this new set is the series’ second episode, “The Ramblin’ Boy.”  This episode is a long, in-depth episode that starts with an unidentified body being found in a ditch.  Through all of its twists and turns, it eventually leads to a plot by an associate of Lewis who is running a complex drug smuggling scheme.  The story gets deeper and deeper as it progresses.  But it’s not so deep that audiences will get lost in everything.  Those audiences that allow themselves to be fully engaged in this episode will thrill in the way that the writers tie everything together.  Those audiences that do so will see that this is just one example of how rich the writing in this series is.

 The writing in “The Ramblin’ Boy” is just one example of what makes Inspector Lewis: Series Six so enjoyable.  Audiences will be just as impressed as Inspector Lewis and Detective Sergeant Hathaway investigate the death of a man who claimed himself a clairvoyant.  The pair is drawn into the world of the paranormal after two people are killed by a mysterious individual, and a third person’s life is at risk.  The writing in this episode is just as solid as the series’ second episode.  Again, it offers just enough twists and turns to keep viewers engaged through the entire ninety minutes.  It’s not all that will keep viewers watching whether in this episode or either of the other two.  Audiences also have expert acting on the part of Kevin Whatley and Laurence Fox.

The scripts of the episodes on Series Six are just as expert as any of those in previous installments of this hit itv/PBS crime drama.  Solid scripts do plenty for any show.  But they can only go so far without proper acting on the part of the cast.  Thankfully for audiences, the acting on the part of Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox far exceeds expectations.  Having played their roles as long as they have (Whately has played Lewis since the late 1980s in the former series, Inspector Morse) the pair has learned each other.  Because of this, they gel better than ever on screen.  One wonderful example of this is seeing Lewis’ slight insecurities at working with someone other than Hathaway. “The Ramblin’ Boy” shows a rare side of Lewis when his partner goes on vacation, and he is forced to work with someone else temporarily.  It shows just how comfortable Lewis had become having one partner and how truly vulnerable he is.  It’s little intricacies such as this that makes this allegedly final series so wonderful.  Audiences finally see Lewis’ romance with Dr. Hobson (Clare Holman) revealed once and for all.  The reaction on the part of Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent (Rebecca Front) is classic.  It will leave any viewer, new or not, laughing.  His embrace with Hobson is another one of those moments that shows a more human side of Lewis.  Those moments really make Lewis so much more believable.  And they exemplify once more Whatley’s skill in front of the camera.  It’s just one more factor that makes this allegedly final series so enjoyable.  Though, there is one more factor that makes this final series so much better than any American crime drama.  That factor is something most audiences don’t take into account.  It’s the show’s costume department. 

American crime dramas are a dime a dozen.  Just as common as the mass of crime procedurals on American television is their overt objectification of both male and female characters alike.  The exact opposite is the case with both Series Six of Inspector Lewis and its previous series.  The characters in this long-running series aren’t exactly “the beautiful people.”  That’s probably a big part of the reason that it isn’t largely popular among young American audiences.  The lack of overt sexuality in this latest series (and every series before) is one of the most subtle but important factors in the series’ success.  It forces the writers to write a compelling story, rather than rely on sexuality to drive it. It’s such a welcome change.  And along with everything else already noted, it makes this series one a wonderful jumping on point for new viewers, and equally wonderful for those who have seen this show through from its beginning.  Inspector Lewis: Series Six is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.  It can be ordered online direct from the PBS online store at http://www.shoppbs.org.

To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and “Like” it.  Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil’s Picks blog at https://philspicks.wordpress.com.