It Takes A Thief: The Complete Series (DVD Review)
Fusing the heist and espionage genres, It Takes a Thief was an action-adventure series that was inspired by Hitchcock’s 1955 Cary Grant film, To Catch a Thief, and was among the last of the 1960s spy television genre. Stealing to finance his life as a playboy and sophisticate, Alexander Mundy (Robert Wagner) was the world’s greatest cat burglar…until the day he got caught. But thievery skills are an asset in the world of espionage, so Mundy is pardoned when he agrees to use his wily ways to help steal for the SIA, an American espionage agency. Technically under house arrest, Mundy then travels the world over, performing daring acts of thievery in the name of Uncle Sam. He also works closely with SIA department head, Noah Bain (‘70s TV mainstay, Malachi Throne), his boss, aide, friend and watchdog. Continue reading ‘It Takes A Thief: The Complete Series (DVD Review)’
The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is a television series on Disney DXD that is inspired by the Marvel Comics Super Hero team of the same name. In each episode, the Avengers defend Earth from unimaginable threats – dangerous Super Villains, time-traveling conquerors, alien invaders and mythical beasts bent on the total destruction of humanity. When the forces of evil are so overwhelming that no single hero has the power to save the world, when no hope is left… the Avengers Assemble! Join Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, and many more of your favorite Avengers, as they discover the value of teamwork and friendship in the fight against evil! 
Creators of the series Blue Planet shot a new film showing the earth be what it has not been seen before. The incredible beauty of landscapes and the most protected and lesser known corners of our planet. Four years of hard work and unprecedented for a documentary budget will create a unique scale of the film. A revolutionary hyper-fast shooting modes and picture detail, made it possible to show the splendor of our nature in all its details. Experience the ultimate portrait of our world like never before as BBC Earth releases Planet Earth: Special Edition and Planet Earth: Limited Collector’s Edition to DVD and Blu-ray. Harnessing new advances in high definition technology, the blockbuster series looks more beautiful than ever. Both the 6-disc DVD and Blu-ray box sets showcase over three hours of fresh bonus materials including a sneak peak at Alastair Fothergill’s next project Frozen Planet, the all-new specially made program “Great Moments of Planet Earth” and several other new features. Additionally, the Planet Earth: Special Edition Blu-ray contains the original behind-the-scenes featurettes and bonus series, Planet Earth – The Future. 
Bringing viewers deeper into the process of psychotherapy than perhaps any previous show, In Treatment: The Complete Third Season picks up as Dr. Paul Weston (Golden Globe winner Gabriel Byrne, The Usual Suspects) continues to struggle with the aftermath of his recent divorce as well as his move to Brooklyn where he now practices. In Treatment: The Complete Third Season finds Weston in the midst of new emotional and physical challenges including hand tremors he fears might be the onset of Parkinson’s disease, the announcement that his ex-wife is remarrying and his youngest son’s problems acclimating to life with a stepfather. Meanwhile, he takes on three challenging new patients and turns to a new therapist, Adele (Oscar nominee Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone), who compels him to confront his own deep-rooted fears about his health, divorce, patients and all-encompassing relationship with former therapist Gina Toll. 
Hung follows the travails of Ray Drecker, a well-endowed former high school sports legend turned middle-aged high school basketball coach. In this season, Ray, and his unlikely pimp Tanya, have taken on slick “life coach” Lenore Bernard as co-pimp, devastating Tanya in the process. With Lenore pushing a debonair version of hooker Ray on her upscale clients, Tanya wants to prove she has the “right stuff” when it comes to being a successful – and far more ethical – pimp than Lenore. Meanwhile, Ray finds his feelings for his ex-wife Jessica rekindled. The series stars Thomas Jane (The Punisher,*61 from HBO) as Ray Drecker and Jane Adams (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) as Tanya Skagle, both of whom received Golden Globe® nominations for their roles; Anne Heche (Men in Trees) as Ray’s ex-wife, Jessica Haxon; Eddie Jemison (Ocean’s Thirteen) as Jessica’s successful husband Ronnie; Sianoa Smit-McPhee (As the Bell Rings) as Ray’s daughter Darby; and Charlie Saxton (The Lovely Bones) as Ray’s son Damon. 
America’s favorite extended family is back for even more laughs as Modern Family returns with this season two Blu-ray set! This season two set is packed with tons of exclusive features and never-before-seen footage,and all 24 episodes of the critically acclaimed hit, plus deleted family interviews, extended and deleted scenes, a hilarious gag reel, a music video and much more. The Pritchett clan has Jay sitting at the head, a true guys’ guy experiencing a bit of mid-life crisis, has remarried a much younger wife, Gloria, whose passion and loyalty is matched by her 11-year-old son, Manny, a boy wise beyond his years. Blending together into this new family has quite the learning curve with some culture clashes, a few awkward misunderstandings, and plenty of sweet victories along the way. Modern Family was nominated for seventeen Emmy’s this year and ended up winning five Emmys for Outstanding Comedy Series, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Writing for a Comedy Series and Directing for a Comedy Series, all of which except for the latter were consecutive wins. 
Castle was originally the show that helped me with my unhappiness about the cancellation of Firefly. Like Firefly, it starred Nathan Fillion as a lovable rascal but this time without the edge that Captain Malcolm Reynolds had. Eventually, the show won me over on it’s own merits and it’s one that I genuinely look forward to seeing. It’s got the perfect blend of humor, action, teased romance, and above all the most elusive element to a successful show…chemistry. Not only between Fillion and his partner on the show Stana Katic, but also between the entire cast of the show much like the ill-fated Firefly. Unlike Firefly, this show was given a chance to reach an audience and it’s doing very well in the ratings and the fourth season has just started. 
As the third season of the Fox hit makes its debut on TV, so does season 2 on Blu-ray. While the latest season will feature the final seasons of stars Lea Michele and Chris Colfer, you can relive their junior years in high school on the latest Blu-ray addition. Of course the show doesn’t stop there. There’s the Dalton Academy, Sue’s incessant antics to abolish the glee club, relationships gone awry and the list goes on. Still, as bubblegum as some of these topics come across, there is a great deal of reality the show contends with. It can be a lifestyle choice or a disability and whatever the case, has no fear in addressing the matters in an entertaining and sometimes educational fashion. No, not PBS educational. I mean look-at-people-around-you educational. It is truly unique and is tough to compare it with anything else out there now on the airwaves. Get ready for the complete second season of…Glee!
Featuring twelve hit programs from the breathtaking aerial travel series, Visions of Europe is now available on Blu-ray from Acorn Media. The value-priced collection offers soaring views of the most spectacular sights in Europe, from sun-kissed Tuscany to the grand streets of Paris. Shot in high-definition from helicopter-mounted cameras, the programs include some of the most popular European Visions destinations including Italy, France, Greece, Germany and Austria, as well as Visions of the Great Cities of Europe. Offering the ultimate in armchair travel, the 6-Disc boxed set also includes more than three hours of bonus material not seen on public television, accompanied by informative narration and soundtracks of regional music. From one of the most popular series on public television, these stunning productions provide a view of Europe’s most beautiful sites in stunning, high-definition clarity. Take an emotional visit to your family’s homeland, revisit favorite sites, or take the trip of a lifetime without leaving home—whatever your inspiration, you’ll never have a better view. 
Discovery Channel’s MythBusters Collection 7, The Emmy-nominated series MythBusters aims to uncover the truth behind popular myths and legends. MythBusters Collection 7 takes on risky experiments as the team dives into dumpsters, attempts to crash and burn an out-of-control racecar and accepts challenges from YouTube fans, such as using a household match to light a homemade cannon. The Mythbusters are Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman and they are the coolest science guys I’ve ever seen. They are supported by the rest of the Mythbusters team, made up of Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tori Belleci. Through all means necessary the Mythbusters will separate any myth from any time period into the categories confirmed, plausible, or busted. Sometimes they guess correctly ahead of time. Sometimes they are wrong. No matter what, they are always entertaining.
Animal Planet’s top-performing series ever returns as biologist and extreme angler Wade travels worldwide to solve freshwater fish tales and lures in watery culprits that allegedly attack mankind. This season, Jeremy finds himself in places he’s never explored as he travels to the far reaches of the globe – from serpentine underwater caves to remote rivers filled with freshwater crocodiles. In the first episode titled “The Mutilator,” Jeremy searches for the giant cousin of the piranha that – with its gnarly teeth and gnawing jaws–has turned from vegetarian to meat eater, with a particular interest in male genitalia. The second episode features “The Flesh Ripper,” a fish with toxic blood. In order to test his hypothesis, Jeremy has to use himself as human bait and lure the fish by covering himself in fresh fish guts. I’ve long been a fan of Billy the Exterminator who takes on gators and other creatures in the Louisiana area, but I am convinced that Billy would soil himself and run like a little girl if he ever went on one of the fishing trips seen in River Monsters. 
Last night I received a very sobering text message from fellow WSB writer Gerard Iribe. It stated that Spartacus star Andy Whitfield passed away. For months I had wondered of the progress of the actor’s battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and last night was not the outcome I was expecting. Instead of focusing on the sadness of his departure, however, I figured it better to reflect on the positive that he brought to us as well as the indirect impact he has had here on Why So Blu.
