TV Shows – Page 3 – StuffWeLike

Animal Kingdom: The Complete First Season – Blu-ray Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

Family. Loyalty. Distrust. Chaos. These are just some of the themes that permeate that world of Animal Kingdom. From the very first moments of the pilot to the final minutes of the season finale, you get a true sense that this working-class crime family is a lot like every other family.

Sure, we don’t all prosper from organized crime schemes, robberies, or physical altercations for the sake of monetary or personal gain, but we all have a circle of people whom we are loyal to. A group of people – whether they are family or close friends – with whom we confide, we commiserate, and we oftentimes collide. But no matter the inner turmoil within the circle, when an outside begins to cause problems, the interpersonal issues fade away; and animal instincts take over.

The first season of Animal Kingdom introduces us to the Cody family, led by matriarch Janine (Ellen Barkin) who doesn’t take crap from anyone – including her sons. She’s a tough-as-nails, strong-willed, yet compassionate heroine who can be your best friend one minute and your worst enemy the next. It is through her motherly manipulation that she’s able to control the criminal enterprise she has built with the help of her sons; a group of men with their own sets of issues and behavioral problems.

We initially see the series through “J” (Finn Cole) who is Janine’s grandson. After his mother passes away, he comes to live with the Codys and boy is he in for a surprise! What he thought would be a refuge from the drug-addled and impoverished world he left behind soon becomes a chaotic circus of criminal antics, wild parties, sex-filled debauchery, and gun, explosions, fist fights, and much more. It’s a lot for a 17-year-old to take in, and taking the journey with him is as much exhilarating as it is exhausting.

As for Janine’s four sons, there’s enough personality to go around with some to spare as the Cody boys ramp up the crimes, the violence, and the paranoia as events go from good, to bad, to worse as the family grapples with the potential of getting busted by the cops, impending arrests, and the fear that their empire could be shut down for good.

Animal Kingdom is great TV. It’s dark, edgy, exciting, amusing, and fast-paced. The blu-ray comes with a number of great special features, which include:

Inside Animal Kingdom

Producers and cast provide an inside look.

Animal Kingdom: Stunts

Exciting sports action from surfing to skydiving.

Meet the Codys

Reach into the heart of the diabolical family.

Getting Into Character

Creating the criminally cool characters.

Setting The Stage

Production designer Nina Ruscio and the team reveal the secrets of Smurf’s domain.

Family Comes First

Cast and producers explore Season One’s family dynamics.

Deleted Scenes

If you’re looking for a new series to begin, I highly recommend Animal Kingdom: The Complete First Season! It truly is the Golden Age of Television Drama!

Animal Kingdom is available now on Blu-ray and DVD!

Wolf Creek: Season One – DVD Review

The continent of Australia. Home to some of the world’s deadliest snakes, spiders, and sea creatures, and one very determined serial killer: Mick Taylor. He’s a man with no conscience. A man who kills for pleasure. A man who may have finally met his match in the new series, Wolf Creek. It’s time for Mick’s bad deeds to finally get the punishment they deserve.

A follow-up to the 2005 and 2013 films, Wolf Creek: Season One delivers a gory and suspenseful story of revenge and payback as one of the survivors of Mick Taylor’s lunatic killing sprees decides to hunt down and killer the killer. When her family is brutally killed by Mick during a vacation to the Australian Outback, Eve (Lucy Fry) escapes with a gunshot wound and nothing left to live for but her new desire to take down Australia’s most infamous serial killer. Will her efforts be in vain, or will she succeed at preventing others from falling victim to his violence?

I vividly remember the first Wolf Creek film, specifically a scene where Mick Taylor severs the spinal cord of one of his victims. The image still resonates in my head; from the sound effects to the looks on the faces of both Mick and his victim when her spine is cut clean through (ugh!).

I was happy to see that they were able to cast John Jarratt once again in the titular role of serial killer Mick Taylor. It lends an air of authenticity to the series. I feel if they had had to recast the role that it would not have had the same impact as it does, especially since a mask or makeup aren’t a key aspect of the character.

Wolf Creek: Season One delivers the goods and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final moments of the finale. It’s exciting and fun to see what happens when the tables are turned and the one who has been tormenting, torturing, and slaughtering tourists in Australia may have finally met the one surviving victim willing to go toe to toe with him and take him out at any cost.

Wolf Creek: Season One includes a number of great featurettes that include: Cinema to Series: The Legacy of Wolf Creek; Making a Television Series; Meet the Stars; Discovering the Outback; a Visual Effect Featurette; and Meet the Supporting Cast.

I really enjoyed Wolf Creek: Season One. If you enjoyed the movies, or are a fan of smart horror, you’re sure to enjoy it, too!

Wolf Creek: Season One is available now on DVD!

What’s your favorite moment from the Wolf Creek films or series? Leave a comment and let us know!

Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction, Vol. 2 – DVD Review

Get ready for the fast-paced, action-packed, multi-colored excitement that is Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction! Power Rangers! Dinosaurs! Wacky villains! There’s so much intergalactic excitement happening and so much energy surging through this fast-paced series that you’ll be saying “Go, Go, Power Rangers!” each and every episode!

Tasked to protect the Energems, the Rangers must join forces time and time again to keep these precious stones out of the hands of their evil nemesis, Sledge. Along the way they have to fight and protect the universe from a whole host of baddies that have nothing more on their minds than the ultimate destruction of the Rangers so they can keep on being the baddest baddies on the planet…and the universe!

The Power Rangers have been a staple of American TV since 1993, and their popularity has continued to thrive for generations. The 1992 version of the Japanese series Super Sentai was adapted and Americanized into what became Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Since then, the franchise has grown and evolved into the latest incarnation, which is a new feature-length movie that hits theaters March 24, 2017 (there have been two other Power Rangers films in 1995 and 1997).

Whether it’s the original 1993 series, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Saban’s latest, Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction, of the upcoming film, it’s clear that the Power Rangers and their message of teamwork, optimism, and hope will continue to be a part of the American culture for decades to come.

I highly recommend Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction to fans of the series and kids who enjoy action-filled shows!

Power Rangers Dino Super Charge: Extinction, Vol.2 is available now on DVD!

What’s your favorite version of Power Rangers? Leave a comment and let us know!

Fuller House: The Complete First Season – DVD Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

For eight season, Full House was a successful family-friendly hit for ABC. Its presence helped launch TGIF for the network, along with shows like Perfect Strangers, Mr. Belvedere, Just the Ten of Us, and Family Matters, until Full House moved to Tuesdays where it also did very well in the ratings. At the end of its eight-year run, Full House had remained one of the Top 30 shows on TV, hitting the Top Ten in its fifth and sixth seasons.

Twenty-nine years later, the original series is still in syndication, still has an audience, and many were contemplating a very serious question: What would the Tanners be up to in the 21st century? Well, the answer to that question, and many more, is answered in the new and fantastic series, Fuller House.

Thankfully, Jeff Franklin who created the original series is at the helm, which means that the characters, the tone, and the humor feels like familiar yet different; exactly what a follow-up series should be. And with 98% of the cast back for more wacky and heartfelt antics the show is a definite must-watch for fans of the original series.

I grew up watching Full House, I own the entire series on DVD, and I can tell you as a die-hard fan of the show, Fuller House is just as funny and entertaining as the original series. Yes, the show was cheesy, but that’s exactly what made the series such a joy to watch. And now that I’m older I enjoy and appreciate the series even more due to its even-keel approach to comedy. And while Fuller House does have the occasional racy joke, it’s nothing that wouldn’t be present in a Shrek or Despicable Me movie, so most of the more risqué one-liners will go right over kids’ heads.

So, what’s this new series about?

Full House’s premise was a widower (Danny Tanner) enlists the help of his best friend (Joey Gladstone) and brother-in-law (Jesse Katsopolis) to help him raise his three daughters (DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle). Fuller House is about a widow (DJ Fuller) who enlists the help of her best friend (Kimmy Gibbler) and her sister (Stephanie) to help her raise her three sons (Jackson, Max, and Tommy Jr.). Both have a similar premise, but the execution of both is very different and leads to a multitude of new storylines and subjects that the original series never explored.

Candace Cameron Bure, Jodie Sweetin, and Andrea Barber reprise their roles as DJ Tanner-Fuller, Stephanie Tanner, and Kimmy Gibbler, respectively. They are a great comedy trio playing characters who are independent, strong, and very funny. It’s nice to see these three back in these roles, playing off each other, and really having a good time in each and every episode.

I was very excited that everyone – with the exception of the Olsen twins so far – from the original cast comes back in several cameo appearances throughout the season. It was nice to see all the familiar faces like Bob Saget, John Stamos, Lori Laughlin, and Dave Coulier and to catch-up with characters who seem like old friends (including Mr. Woodchuck!). Is that weird to say? Probably. I also loved the self-referential moments, the flashbacks to scenes from the original series, and the updated version of the theme song performed by Carly Rae Jepsen.

And I can’t forget to mention the very talented kids that populate the cast that include Michael Campion, Elias Harger, and Dashiell & Fox Messitt as DJ’s three sons, and Soni Nicole Bringas as Kimmy’s daughter, Ramona. Each brings a unique comedic energy to their characters that makes them more than just by-the-numbers kid characters. All of them are fantastic!

Fuller House is hilarious, very entertaining, and fun. I blew through all 13 episodes in a matter of days and waned more (so it’s good that Season Two is on Netflix!). The one thing I wish the DVD edition had were special features with interviews with the cast or with the series creator or even with Carly Rae Jepsen about updating the original theme song. Hopefully season two’s DVD will have a few extras.

I highly, highly recommend Fuller House for any fellow Full House fans who loved the original series and want to continue the fun with this ever-growing group living at 1882 Gerard in San Francisco, California. I can’t recommend it enough!

Fuller House: The Complete First Season is available February 28, 2017 on DVD!

What’s your favorite Full House/Fuller House moment? Who’s your favorite Full House/Fuller House character? Leave a comment and let us know!

Mike & Molly: The Sixth and Final Season – DVD Review

“Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the DVD I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.”

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I have loved Mike & Molly since the pilot, and thoroughly enjoyed every episode all the way through the series finale. There was a special magic that the series had. A genuine mix of hardcore laughs and real heart that made the show’s characters multi-dimensional and downright entertaining. They were characters you wanted to watch, wanted to see in their greatest moments and darkest defeats. Mike & Molly delivered so many memorable moments over its much too short six season run. It’s a series that I will definitely miss.

I have been to four tapings of Mike & Molly at Warner Bros. Studios (yes, it is a live audience), and you could tell that this cast loved what they were doing. Two of the four times I had the opportunity to meet the cast and get their autographs. Very nice people. A cast that truly was grateful for fans that enjoyed their work and their love of delivering laughs on a weekly basis.

When I heard the series was being cancelled and that the final season would be cut down to only 13 episodes, I was a bit surprised. It’s a solid Chuck Lorre series, the man who brought us Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and Mom, had yet another feather in his cap with Mike & Molly. It had even earned star Melissa McCarthy an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.

Then, of course the rumors as to why it was cancelled began to circulate, but all of them seemed like merely rumors and not the real reason why the show had ended so soon. Even so, I am glad that the series did get a legitimate finale and wasn’t just cancelled out of the blue with no closure for the storyline and its characters.

Mike & Molly mixed edgy, broad comedy with heartwarming moments from flawed, outspoken characters. It was unapologetic in its approach to getting laughs, much like Two and a Half Men. But while Two and a Half Men was joke-joke-joke, Mike & Molly had the ability to balance the joke-joke-joke formula with many touching and even tear-inducing moments over the course of its run. I think it’s what made it easier to connect with them: they weren’t just joke machines; they came across as real people in a lot of ways.

Watching such a talented cast bring 110% to each episode was always a treat. Melissa McCarthy and Billy Gardell brought us Molly Flynn and Mike Biggs, two strangers who met at an Overeaters’ Anonymous Meeting. Their story grew from first date, to moving in together, to engagement, to marriage, to trying to have a baby, to changing careers, to deciding to adopt all in six short seasons.

Along for the ride were Mike’s best friend Carl (Reno Wilson); Molly’s mom and sister, Joyce and Victoria, (Swoosie Kurtz and Katy Mixon); Carl’s eventual roommate, Samuel (Nyambi Nyambi); Joyce’s husband, Vince (Louis Mustillo); Mike’s mom, Peggy (Rondi Reed); and Carl’s Grandma (Cleo King). And, of course, we can’t forget Peggy’s dog, Jim (Suzie Q).

When you have a supporting cast like these performers, it’s no wonder the series had as many laughs as it did. All of them were spot-on with their characters, never missing a beat, always on their game and ready to play comedy hardball. I feel the sign of a great cast is when you can mix random characters together and the comedy still plays. The Mike & Molly cast is one of these ensembles. You can have any character paired with any other character and there will be guaranteed laughs.

I would like to add a note about Melissa McCarthy. She is amazing as a sitcom actor. It’s definitely a medium she is comfortable in and I would love to see her back doing it again. Her ability to not only deliver great comedic lines but also her penchant for physical comedy and her no-fear attitude put her in the same category of Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy) and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Seinfeld, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Veep) in my book of great sitcom comediennes.

So, what did I think of the final season? I loved it. It was WAY too short, but I loved every minute of it. I guess it’s better for the series to end on a high note than to end and people ask “Was that still on?” I have to admit I did shed a tear during the final moments of the finale.

Yeah, it’s silly, but I did meet the cast and could tell how much they loved working together. Just like any job, it can be hard to find a group that you have a real chemistry with. I feel like this cast had that. No drama. No tabloid lunacy. Just a true passion and love for their work.

The only special feature is the Gag Reel, which is hilarious as always.

I highly, highly, highly recommend Mike & Molly: The Sixth & Final Season on DVD. Oh, and if you really love the show and don’t have any seasons, Mike & Molly: The Complete Series comes out the same day.

I love it, I’ll miss it, but it’s on DVD forever so at least it’s not gone forever!

Thank you, Mike & Molly cast and crew for six great seasons of laughs!

Mike & Molly: The Sixth & Final Season and Mike & Molly: The Complete Series are available Tuesday, October 11, 2016 on DVD!

What was your favorite season, scene, moment, character of the series? Leave a comment and let us know!