October 3, 2015

Reign: The Complete Second Season DVD Review






**SYNOPSIS**



The second season begins with Mary and Francis on the throne of a nation burning. France is rocked by the aftereffects of the plague , a disease that crept inside the castle walls, taking thousands upon thousands of lives across the land, and ravaging the stability of a nation. From the ashes, powerful lords will rise, carrying out personal, religious and political vendettas, taking lives, and tearing at Mary and Francis' commitment to their people - and to each other. Though the plague will come to an end, famine will follow, and among the devastated survivors, there is a feeling that the dead still walk the earth. Reports of ghostly visitations will result in mass hysteria and lawlessness. Across all levels of society, there are people eager to exploit the fear and guilt of those who managed to live through the plague. Royals and commoners alike now face a future where friendships will be tested, loyalties betrayed and loved ones murdered.





**SERIES REVIEW**



Reign is a show that is visually pleasing but I could never get into the more soapy aspects. I would attribute that to me not being exactly the target audience. Young girls and women should love it though. 7/10.


**VIDEO QUALITY**



Reign: The Complete Second Season arrives on DVD in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 - Colors vary from darker tones to the lush and green countryside. Flesh tones appear natural. The image is sharp and detailing in the lavish costumes was easily seen. Black levels were deep. There are a few moments of inherent softness during indoor scenes but nothing to mar the overall score too much. 8.5/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**



Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. - Dialogue was crystal clear and had no problem reproducing the thicker accents. LFE performance was good and added some heft to the modern music choices. No pops or cracks were to be heard. 8.5/10


**SPECIAL FEATURES**



* Playing By Her Rules: A Day on Set with a Queen and Her Court - Behind-the-scenes featurette will take fans on set for one day in the life of their favorite reigning Queen, Adalaide Kane, and her co-stars.

* Deleted Scenes

October 2, 2015

iZombie: The Complete First Season






**SYNOPSIS**



iZOMBIE stars Rose McIver as Olivia “Liv” Moore, a medical resident on the fast track to a perfect life … until she’s turned into a zombie. Now stuck between half-alive and undead, Liv transfers to the city morgue to reluctantly access the only thing that allows her to maintain her humanity — human brains. But there are side effects to Liv’s new diet. With each brain she consumes, she experiences flashes of the corpse’s memories — including, at times, clues as to how they were killed. Her boss, a brilliant but eccentric conspiracy theorist, encourages her to embrace this gift and to work with an unproven homicide detective to help solve these murders … and quiet the voices in her head.

iZOMBIE is based upon characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred for DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint. The series was developed for television by Thomas & Ruggiero-Wright, who executive produce along with Danielle Stokdyk (Veronica Mars) and Dan Etheridge (Veronica Mars). iZOMBIE is produced by Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television.

Episodes

1. Pilot
2. Brother, Can You Spare a Brain?
3. The Exterminator
4. Live and Let Clive
5. Flight of the Living Dead
6. Virtual Reality Bites
7. Maternity Liv
8. Dead Air
9. Patriot Brains
10. Mr. Berserk
11. Astroburger
12. Dead Rat, Live Rat, Brown Rat, White Rat
13. Blaine's World





**SERIES REVIEW**



iZombie was a show that I caught out of the blue and instantly thought that it was similar to the excellent Veronica Mars series. Turns out Rob Thomas who created Veronica Mars was the show runner for this fresh take on the zombie genre. Rose McIver was the perfect choice to play the role of Liv. She brings brains and a quirky sense of humor to the character past what's written on the page. I watched all thirteen episodes on this collection over the course of a weekend. For fans of zombies this is an interesting new look and it does so with heart and charm. Looking forward to Season 2 and hoping the show won't expire too soon. 8.5/10


**VIDEO QUALITY**



iZombie: The Complete First Season arrives on DVD with a transfer in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 - Colors feature a variety of bold primaries. Skintones look as natural as a zombified young doctor can. Black levels were deep but shadow delineation could have been better. Detail was good in close ups but it is a shame that this series didn't get a Blu-ray release. There are some minor compression artifacts. 8/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**



Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. - Dialogue reproduction in this first season was crystal clear. The soundtrack and music cues are accompanied by tight and precise bass. Surrounds are primarily used for environmental effects and bleeding of the music. 8/10


**SPECIAL FEATURES**



* Deleted Scenes

iZombie: 2014 Comic-Con Panel

October 1, 2015

The Gift Blu-ray October 27th






Universal Studios Home Entertainment has officially announced they will release The Gift to Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD on October 27, 2015. The Blu-ray specs are set to be 1080p video in the 2.40:1 aspect ratio and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track for audio. Below are the official details:





**SYNOPSIS**



The Gift asks the question, “Can you really go through life having never wronged anyone?” Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall) are a young married couple whose life is going as planned until a chance run-in with Simon’s high-school acquaintance sends their world into a narrowing tailspin. At first Simon doesn’t recognize Gordo (Joel Edgerton), but after a series of uninvited encounters and mysterious gifts prove troubling, a horrifying secret from the past is uncovered after more than 20 years. As Robyn learns the unsettling truth about what happened between Simon and Gordo, she is forced to contemplate: how well we really know those closest to us, and are bygones ever really bygones?


**SPECIAL FEATURES**



* Alternate Ending
* Deleted Scenes
* Karma for Bullies
* The Darker Side of Jason Bateman
* Feature Commentary with Writer/Director Joel Edgerton