Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer: TV

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Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Blu-ray Review - Terry Pratchett's The Color of Magic & Hogfather

I’m not a big fan of fantasy novels for many reasons that I won’t list here. My fantasy knowledge is limited, but I'm aware of many popular fantasy authors, such as the late Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series. Over the years, many readers have suggested I should read the Discworld books. I’ve kept my eye out for the books at thrift stores and used bookshops, but I've never come across any of them.

DVD Review - Unlikely Angel (1996)

Billy Burgess movies , TV

I’m taking a wild guess there might be a few people wondering why I’m reviewing a movie starring Dolly Parton. There’s a simple answer - Unlikely Angel (Not Rated; 96 mins) costars the late Roddy McDowall. I grew up watching the original Fright Night flicks and The Planet of the Apes films, which all starred Roddy McDowall (minus Beneath the Planet of the Apes). I remember watching Unlikely Angel when it originally aired on CBS around Christmas 1996.

Blu-ray Review - Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga / Ultra Fight Orb

Billy Burgess TV ,

Recently, I watched the Ultraman Orb: The Origin Saga miniseries and the 30-minute mini-movie Ultra Fight Orb. Mill Creek Entertainment had released them on a two-disc Blu-ray set (Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy) way back in February. There are no special features or bonus extras, which is disappointing. One would think they could've at least put trailers or commentaries on the discs. It comes with a moviesSpree digital code. The digital video quality on the platform is excellent.

Midnight Horror Review: American Gods: Season Two Blu-ray

Billy Burgess midnight horror , TV

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

AMAZON

Back in 2017, I fell in love with the horror-fantasy series American Gods that aired on STARZ. It's based on the novel by Neil Gaiman, which I read shortly after the series debuted. The first season followed very closely to the book and at times went far beyond it by expanding the characters. Thanks to the showrunners Bryan Fuller and Michael Green, the series had an unique artistic look that was very graphic at times.

I, like many all other fans, had to wait nearly two years for the second season. This is due to the fact that the original showrunners were fired and a few cast members quit. Jesse Alexander was hired as the new showrunner but was also later let go. The second season premiered back in the spring and was quickly renewed for a third season despite losing over half its audience.

American Gods: Season Two was released to Blu-ray (+Digital) last week by Lionsgate Home Entertainment, featuring all eight episodes on a 3-disc set. The season is also available on DVD.

Season Two picks up shortly after the first season's finale with many of the Old Gods reuniting at The House of Rock. However, their reunion is cut short when Mr. World attacks the restaurant, leading to the death of Zorya Vechernyaya (played by Cloris Leachman). Once again, Mr. Wednesday (played by Ian McShane) and his human bodyguard, Shadow Moon (played by Ricky Whittle) are going on a quest across America looking for a way to end the war with the New Gods.

Meanwhile, Shadows undead wife, Laura, has to once again rely on the leprechaun Mad Sweeney (played by Pablo Schreiber) to help keep her decaying body alive.

Special Features include:

The House of the Rock: Setting the Stage
The Second Coming: Neil Gaiman on Season Two
Gods and Ends: Random Musings from the Cast

Final Thoughts

DVD Review: 9-1-1: The Complete Season One

Billy Burgess TV ,

Fox; Not Rated; 437 mins; Amazon

Now available from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is 9-1-1: The Complete Season One, featuring all ten episodes. There are no special features or bonus extras on the 3-disc set.

Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear (American Horror Story), the series stars Angela Bassett, Peter Krause, Connie Britton, Oliver Stark, Aisha Hinds, Kenneth Choi, and Rockmond Dunbar.

9-1-1 centers around the lives of Los Angeles police officers, paramedics, firefighters, and 911 operators. An 911 operator named Abigail "Abby" Clark (played by Connie Britton) must find a way to take care her mother, who has dementia, along with dealing with the daily stress that comes with her job.

LAPD patrol sergeant Athena Grant who is one of the first to arrive at an emergency. Despite the chaos of her job, Athena's home life is a complete mess, especially after husband, Michael (played by Rockmond Dunbar), announces that he's always been gay, even before they were married. To make her life even worse, her daughter tries to commit suicide.

Robert "Bobby" Nash (played by Peter Krause), the LAFD station 118 captain, is probably the most stressed of the first responders. With every 911 call, he makes it a personal mission to save everyone. However, this isn't an easy thing to do when he doesn't have faith in his firefighters, especially when cocky Evan "Buck" Buckley (Oliver Stark) has his mind getting laid instead of saving people's lives.

Episodes on the DVD set include