Pads & Panels

Title: Top Gear: The Complete First Season (USA)

Format: Three-Disc DVD

Starring: Adam Ferrara, Tanner Foust, Rutledge Wood

Studio: BBC America

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Review by: Bill Jones

The Season

If you’re the type of person who loves extremely fast and exotic vehicles, love sitting around watching gorgeously shot car porn of them AND enjoy three dues dragging it out and making terrible jokes while you’re watching, then Top Gear’s reinvention in the United States by BBC America is just for you.

It starts out with the right idea — a car show by fans of cars for fans of cars, on which said awesome cars are put through the ringer for challenges, stunts and, of course, races for top lap times, with faceless driver The Stig handling these portions of the show. In addition, the show offers a segment called “Big Star, Small Car,” during which celebrities cruise the track in a small Subaru to compete for the best lap time. All of that is fantastic, and the show is shot and edited in an engaging manner. (more…)

Title: Stargate Universe: The Complete Final Season

Format: DVD

Created By: Brad Wright, Robert C. Cooper

Starring: Robert Carlyle, Louis Ferreira, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, Jamil Walker Smith, Ming-Na

Studio: Syfy, MGM Television

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Review By: Thomas Braaksma

The Season

There are not many writers that would expect to be writing a review for a series that is a distant relative of a Kurt Russell film named Stargate. This is even more unbelievable considering the fact that he saw it back in 1994, in a seedy Madison, Wisconsin theater. That theater has long been shut down, yet the Stargate name has survived through television series, animation, and straight to DVD movies, all the way up to 2010 with the final season of Stargate Universe. (more…)

Title: Louie: The Complete First Season

Format: Blu-ray/DVD 2-Disc Set

Created by: Louis C.K.

Starring: Louis C.K., Hadley Delany, Nick DiPaolo

Studio: FX Network, 20th Century Fox

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Review by: Bill Jones

The Season

As FX Network has risen in notoriety with a host of ballsy original programming for cable television, it both got lucky in scoring and helped to make Louis C.K. one of the biggest stars in comedy today. And though his debut season of Louie gets off to a slightly slow start, it quickly becomes a fascinating piece of not only comedy, but a serious expression of controversial ideas on television. And it’s hard not to see it as a sort of perfect blend of what Louis C.K. has to offer in the television format.

Throughout The Complete First Season, Louis C.K. splices together stage spots and sketches, though this reviewer would hesitate to call it all stand-up and sketch comedy. For much of the first season of Louie, the show can be hilariously funny, but it’s not all jokes. Louis C.K. tells some jokes and creates some comedic moments for sure, but he also takes time to develop his thoughts about issues such as the use of homosexual terminology in comedy, being middle aged and a divorced father, religion, dealing with opposing political beliefs, dating, and what it’s like to be a performer and actor. (more…)

Title: White Collar: The Complete Second Season

Format: DVD

Created by: Jeff Eastin

Starring: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Willie Garson, Tiffani Thiessen

Studio: USA Network, 20th Century Fox

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Review by: Bill Jones

The Season

In 2009, White Collar debuted as a fantastic addition to USA Network’s weeknight lineup, another inoffensively good (but not necessarily great) bout of mostly PG entertainment. On first glance, its premise — former con man turns FBI consultant — sounded like it could have been any trite piece of network primetime drama, but creator Jeff Eastin and company did a good job of taking themselves just seriously enough, keeping things fun while driving the action forward with good characters and an ongoing story arc. White Collar cemented itself as worthy of an hour spent watching each week.

But boy did Season 1 end with a cliffhanger. With Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) on the verge of re-hooking up with his longtime sweetheart Kate and fleeing the custody of Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) and the FBI, the plane exploded before his eyes, with his girlfriend aboard. So in Season 2, Caffrey tries to unlock a music box holding secrets, while trying to track down Kate’s killer with the help of Mozzie (Willie Garson). (more…)

Title: ReBoot: Seasons 1 & 2

Format: DVD

Studio: Shout Factory

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Review by: Matt Peters

The Seasons

ReBoot holds the distinction of being the first half-hour computer animated TV series. Released in 1994, it even predates Toy Story. Surprisingly, the show still holds up. Because of the very nature of the premise (a guardian defends a computer city from both viruses and The User), the smooth, simplistic graphics of the first two seasons make sense.

Over continuing episodes, the characters seem to gain more and more depth. Season one stays episodic in order to introduce the initial cast and plot points, but season two introduces subplots and an overarching storyline. The dialogue is definitely something made for Saturday mornings, but there’s still plenty of action to be entertained by. Keep an eye out for two of Mainframe Entertainment’s early creations in episode 11 of the first season. (more…)

The Walking Dead Q&A Panel (C2E2)

By Thomas Braaksma

One of the highlights of C2E2 on Day 2 was a Q&A with The Walking Dead’s cast members Laurie Holden (Andrea) and Jonathan Bernthal (Shane). They talked about their experiences working with the material, Frank Darabont and their feelings on a zombie apocalypse, while also getting into some interesting possibilities for the future of the show. (more…)

Title: Glee: Season 2, Volume 1

Format: DVD

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Starring: Diana Agron, Chris Colfer, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Mark Salling, Jenna Ushkowitz, Naya Rivera, Heather Morris

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Review by: Sarah Kumley

The Season

Glee has become a runaway hit in the last year and a half. The show, in case you haven’t already heard, is about some misfit kids and some popular ones coming together to sing and dance in a school glee club. Despite having almost won regionals last year, the kids in New Directions are still viewed as outcasts and are often on the receiving end of slushie facials. They aren’t deterred and begin recruiting for new members. Through the first half of the second season, old relationships end, new relationships begin and the group’s solidarity is rocked by some new challenges. (more…)