Franklin & Bash: The Complete First Season

When this show debuted on TNT last summer, it was quite popular for critics to bash it for being stupid. I’m not going to say the series is particularly smart, but its fans aren’t looking for insightful, unique observations that advance the television medium. Like much of USA’s lineup, a strategy TNT seems to be emulating, Franklin & Bash is excellent summer viewing. It’s full of pretty people doing dumb thus entertaining things. It’s wonderful escapist fantasy. You’ll forget it […]

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Sherlock Season 2

Given how much I enjoyed the first season of Sherlock, I’ve been eagerly anticipating this second season. When I heard that the episodes were clipped when they aired on PBS, I skipped watching them and went straight to DVD, which allowed me to wallow in all of them at once. I love this show, even more than Doctor Who. (They share a producer in Steven Moffat, who co-created Sherlock with Mark Gatiss.) It’s a wonderful modernization of the characters and […]

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Young Justice Season 1 Volume 3

The newest Young Justice DVD, Season One Volume Three, contains four episodes, continuing from where the previous release left off. “Bereft” gives me what I’d been waiting for since the start of the series: a significant role for Artemis (Stephanie Lemelin) with the team. Unfortunately, the group is all split up, with no one remembering the last six months, and Superboy’s (Nolan North) kind of Hulk-like here, nothing but rage and power without his memories. I’ve seen amnesia episodes before […]

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Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series

It’s Matt Smith’s second series as the Doctor! The 14-episode set of Doctor Who: The Complete Sixth Series begins with a disc containing the hour-long special A Christmas Carol, a charming story that freshens up the classic Dickens tale with comedy and a giant flying shark. The Doctor has to un-harden the heart of Michael Gambon by going back in time to make his childhood holidays more fun. It’s a brilliant blend of time travel and a story well-known enough […]

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Young Justice Season 1 Volume 2

As with the first volume, Young Justice Season 1 Volume 2 is a bare-bones, just-the-episodes disc. I didn’t care much for the first few episodes, but I keep hearing that the show continued to improve over its run, so I figured I’d try these next four and see what I thought. “Schooled” begins with Superboy (Nolan North) and Superman (Nolan North) facing off during a school bus rescue, as Superboy clearly wants more of his mentor’s attention than he’s getting. […]

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Jem and the Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series DVD

Review by KC Carlson Probably best known for its earwig of a theme song (“It’s truly, truly, truly outrageous!”), Jem and the Holograms holds a unique place in animation history, is of interest to comic book historians, and has a truly dedicated fanbase — how many other long-defunct cartoon shows have their own annual convention? It’s also an incredibly influential show, having ties to both music and fashion, an extremely collectible toy line, and most likely inspired a generation of […]

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Batman: The Brave and the Bold Season Two, Part One

Review by KC Carlson How engaging to have another 12 episodes (on two DVDs) of the most charming Batman: The Brave and the Bold series — the first half of Season Two — to dive into. Since I’ve raved at length about previous sets, no need to repeat myself — let’s dive right into more Bat-foolery and Bat-awesomeness! Classic Characters! Guest stars this time around include Plastic Man (and Woozy Winks!), Blue Beetle, Aquaman, The Green Lantern Corps, the Justice […]

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Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1

As with many of the Warner animation releases aimed directly at kids, this is a bare-bones, one-disc package to keep the price low. (With discounts, the DVD can be found under $10.) In addition to the four half-hour episodes, the only other items are trailers for Thundercats, The Looney Tunes Show, and as the disc starts, a couple of Scooby-Doo projects. (What, no Green Lantern?) That’s a shame, because there’s a lot that can be said about the show, from […]

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