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.

**SYNOPSIS**


Executive produced by Emmy® winner John Wells (Shameless, ER, The West Wing) and developed by Jonathan Lisco (Southland), this series, inspired by the critically acclaimed 2010 Australian movie by the same name, centers on 17-year-old "J" Cody, who moves in with his freewheeling relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother dies of an overdose. Headed by boot-tough matriarch "Smurf" Cody and her right-hand Baz, who runs the business and calls the shots, the clan also consists of Pope, the oldest and most dangerous of the Cody boys; Craig, the tough and fearless middle son; and Deran, the troubled, suspicious "baby" of the family. It isn't long before J is pulled into the family's life of indulgence and excess, but he soon discovers that it's all being funded by criminal activities. Joining the family comes with more danger and excitement than he might be ready to handle.

“When you take three generations of criminals and put them under one roof, you are bound to have a gripping drama with secrets, lies and family power struggles, and it’s no wonder that millions of loyal fans tuned in to each episode to see what was in store for the Cody clan,” said Rosemary Markson, WBHE Senior Vice President, TV Marketing. “We are delighted to bring the show’s gritty first season to Blu-ray™ and DVD for existing fans to binge-watch the full season with all-new special features and for new fans to discover and catch up on the show before the second season premiere on TNT."

Animal Kingdom: The Complete First Season stars Emmy® and Tony® Award winner Ellen Barkin (Ocean’s Thirteen), Scott Speedman (The Strangers) Shawn Hatosy (Southland), Ben Robson (Vikings), Jake Weary (Pretty Little Liars), Finn Cole (Peaky Blinders), Daniella Alonso (Revolution) and Molly Gordon (I Am Sam). Based on the motion picture written by David Michôd, and developed for television by Jonathan Lisco (Southland, Halt and Catch Fire), the series is executive produced by Emmy® winner John Wells (Shameless, Southland), Lisco, Christopher Chulack (Southland, ER, Shameless), Etan Frankel (Shameless, Southland), Michôd and Liz Watts. The series is produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Horizon Television.

EPISODES

Pilot
We Don’t Hurt People
Stay Close, Stick Together
Dead to Me
Flesh is Weak
Child Care
Goddamn Animals
Man In
Judas Kiss
What Have You Done








**VIDEO QUALITY**


Animal Kingdom: The Complete First Season arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 1.78:1 - The show has a pleasing sunny SoCal afternoon palette. Colors have nice pop with no issues of bleeding. Fine details were quite stunning in close-ups, showing individual hairs and lines in faces. Black levels were pleasingly deep with no sacrifice in shadow detail. 9/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**


Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track. - Dialogue reproduction was crystal clear throughout the first season. Surrounds add a nice blend of environmental effects especially when outdoors. LFE performance was solid with crisp, thumping bass during action scenes. All 10 episodes are engaging and feature nice dynamic range.9/10


**SPECIAL FEATURES**


* Inside Animal Kingdom (HD, 02:16)

* Animal Kingdom: Stunts (HD, 02:01)

* Meet the Codys (HD, 01:58)

* Getting Into Character (HD, 01:59)

* Setting The Stage (HD, 02:24)

* Family Comes First (HD, 14:18)

* Deleted Scenes

Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! 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.”

**SYNOPSIS**


This spring, Peanuts fans can get set for exciting, animated sports action with Warner Bros. Home Entertainment's (WBHE) DVD release of Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! This all-new collection features sports-themed cartoons from the newly launched Peanuts cable television series. Titled Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go!, this release includes 19 shorts, which are based on the legendary print comic strip created by Charles Schulz. This highly-entertaining title will be available in stores April 25, 2017. Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! will retail for $18.94 SRP.

Revisit some of Schulz's most captivating comic strips from the 50 year history of Peanuts with this brand-new animated cable television series, based on some of the most endearing Peanuts themes. These delightful new cartoons are based directly on original Peanuts print comics, which are brought to life via beautifully animated vignettes that recreate the look and feel of Schulz's iconic strip. Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! features over two hours of sports-themed tales. From baseball and football to tennis and ice skating, the Peanuts gang learns the values of winning, losing, friendship and good sportsmanship in this entertaining release. Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the rest of the gang for some good, old-fashioned fun and games. Go Team Go!

"Over the years, Charles Schulz's beloved Peanuts characters have been brought to life in so many different forms. These cartoons are inspired by the original Peanuts newspaper comic strips, and give us an opportunity to enjoy these special characters in their most authentic form," said Mary Ellen Thomas, Vice President Family & Animation Marketing. She added, "Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! is a title that no Peanuts fan will want to miss. We're delighted to offer another release of this charming series to fans."





**SERIES REVIEW**


Being a life long Peanuts fan I was pleasantly surprised by these new shorts that originally aired on Boomerang. Really cute sports focused stories. All your favorites are here. Grown ups or little ones will love this collection. So stick up for yourself Chuck and go pick up this DVD in stores now. 9/10


**VIDEO QUALITY**


Peanuts by Schulz: Go Team Go! - The animation tries to stay in the tradition of the original peanuts cartoons and the results are pleasing to the eye. Colors vary from canary yellow of the adorable Woodstock to shades of greens, light blues and reds. Black levels were inky enough. The image throughout these 19 shorts was crisp and detailed. No signs of major compression artifacts. 9/10


**AUDIO QUALITY**


Audio is provided by a Dolby Digital 2.0 track. - Dialogue was crisp and clearly reproduced. Stereo panning and dynamic range was good. No issues to speak of. 8.5/10

The Belko Experiment Blu-ray June 27th

Fox Home Entertainment has officially announced they will release The Belko Experiment to Blu-ray and DVD on June 27, 2017. 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. Below are the official details:





**SYNOPSIS**


From writer, producer James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), director Greg McLean (Wolf Creek, Rogue, The Darkness) and producer Peter Safran (The Conjuring, Annabelle), comes the story about a group of 80 American employees who are tested in a twisted social experiment of bone-crunching horror! Belko Industries, a normally calm workplace, gets a rude awakening when a mysterious voice on the intercom orders them to participate in a ruthless game of kill or be killed in a blood-soaking battle royale at their office building in Bogotá, Colombia. As the terror escalates, so does the body count. Everyone is a competitor and everyday objects become deadly weapons. Let the corporate carnage commence!

Presented by Orion Pictures, an arm of MGM, The Belko Experiment stars John Gallagher Jr. (10 Cloverfield Lane), Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Adria Arjona (True Detective), John C. McGinley (Stan Against Evil), Melonie Diaz (Fruitvale Station), Josh Brener (Silicon Valley), Sean Gunn (Ordinary World) and Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy). The mind-blowing bonus features include Rules of the Game, Lee Hardcastle’s Survival Tips, deleted scenes and more.