TV

The ‘Succession’ Blu-ray Box Set is Monstrous. It’s Gargantuan.

Watching the demise and shift of cable and streaming entertainment makes for a meta-exercise when considering one of the greatest shows of this time was one built around a faux version of the Fox empire. Succession, HBO’s series about a self-absorbed clan of powerful billionaires, had the kind of cultural impact as the Golden Age of television, a heat associated with shows like The Sopranos or Breaking Bad. After a brief (perhaps mercifully so) four season run, Succession walked away with numerous awards (many for the acting of the unbelievable cast who seemed to outdo each other each episode) and the accolade of being popular water cooler talk, a show everyone had seen or was otherwise eager to.

The four seasons chronicled the self-centered reactions a group of siblings (and some of their spouses and distant relatives) had to the impending retirement of their billionaire patriarch. Logan Roy (Brian Cox) isn’t just the father of the “failing up” gaggle of self congratulatory dipshits, but is the father of modern America, shaping media, insurance, vacations, culture, and politics. As a stand-in for the real-life puppet master of a nation (and perhaps the world), an ever-ailing Logan is a gatekeeper for the next generation of world-shapers, pitting his unworthy children against each other for their shot at the crown. Equal parts insult-comedy and Shakespearean play, the members of the Roy family trip and fall through their attempt to usurp, trick, instigate coups, and succeed their father, all with the fake reasoning they give to themselves, each being shown to ultimately be as power hungry as the main that made them. It makes for dramatic fodder that pushes away puzzle box television watching in favor of lengthy discussions on symbolism that made for gorgeous essays on the symbolism of water, stunning acting choices that change vents, and finale reveals you can’t believe you didn’t see coming.

Succession was and remains a television monster by so expertly fusing writing, direction, cinematography, (sounds basic, I know) for the sort of alchemy that makes a series all things to many people. Now for collectors, cord cutters, or those afraid of streaming wars casualties, the complete series is available on Blu-ray.

For the first time ever, all 39 episodes of the series are available in one set, complete with special features superfans won’t be able to find by relying on a YouTube algorithm. Beyond clutching access to all episodes, viewers will have access to behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew, extended character breakdowns, as well as “Inside the Episode” featurettes. The 12-disc set is mastered with high quality audio (I’ll let the buds at blu-ray.com break down the specs) and high quality 1080p resolution so nothing will be lost in your trip from streaming to physical media.

12 discs might make it too large to fit in your blazer pocket, but if you have room after removing your subway shoes like the rest of us normies, you could plop this boxset right into your capricious bag.Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will be newly releasing Succession: The Complete Series on Blu-ray. Get ready to binge on all 39 episodes from HBO’s Emmy® award-winning original series, along with all the previously released special features. The brilliant high-stakes drama following the Roy Family and their quest for power will be available to purchase online on August 27. Pre-order your copy today.

Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment will be newly releasing Succession: The Complete Series on Blu-ray. Get ready to binge on all 39 episodes from HBO’s Emmy® award-winning original series, along with all the previously released special features. The brilliant high-stakes drama following the Roy Family and their quest for power will be available to purchase online on August 27. Pre-order your copy today.

Better Off Ted

If you haven’t yet submitted to the mania of Santa Clarita Diet, I suggest you get on it.  The Netflix comedy has me in stitches and I’ve watched it through more than once by now.  Which is why it came as no surprise to me that the show’s creator,  Victor Fresco, is also responsible for one of my favourite lesser known sitcoms, Better Off Ted.

I was introduced to this parody of office culture while nuts deep in a ridiculous office job selling “smart solutions to optimize efficiency.”  Buzz business words that business people don’t think are funny were my jam, so this show hit the sweet spot.

This quick witted comedy focuses on Ted, a VP at a parody of a multinational conglomerate in charge of research and development.  The single father narrates us through his attempts at managing his career, child and love life.  It’s as quick witted as you’ve come to expect from SC Diet, to the brim with quoteable one liners and back and forth.  The cast absolutely excels in their delivery of the ridiculous dialogue while all managing to be charming.  On top of that, it is absolutely silly and over the top and calls out all those weird office tropes that your colleagues seem to think are normal.  (We are all Linda).

This 2 season show is somehow still not on Netflix, so let’s start the campaign to get it there, considering SC Diet seems to be doing pretttty well.  Also, the fake company commercials are so good as a standalone mini series.

Great if you liked: Santa Clarita Diet, Arrested Development, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Office, Community, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Archer

Dead Set

So I have had Black Mirror teed up for a great TV edition for a while now, and, suddenly, to my delight, Netflix revived the British series and suddenly everyone is talking about and has seen the amazing sci-fi anthology series of which I can’t get enough.

Charlie Brooker is nothing short of brilliant in his anthology of short films about the dangers of technology.  So, what do I do now that it’s no longer the obscure?  Suggest to you an earlier Brooker work: Dead Set.

This 5 part series answers the hypothetical of what would happen in the Big Brother house if a zompocalypse happened.  (I know you’ve been wondering).

Dead Set has the grittiness and… Britishness… of 28 Days Later with the unpredictable story of the Big Brother house, which, honestly, seems like a pretty solid place to hole up. *Changes Zombie Apocalypse Contingency Plan*

It’s a really great addition to the zombie drama.  It’s also low key brilliant since the Big Brother house is likely populated by specifically selected characters to create big drama, kind of like the characters of movie would be, particularly in a zombie or cabin in the woods trope film.  So seeing the fictional cast of a would be reality show interact in an apocalypse is welcome and a lot of fun.

It’s also 5 episodes and one season which makes for a nice light binge without having to commit to 40 seasons of new zombie drama (I’m looking at you, The Walking Dead).

Great if you liked: 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, The Walking Dead, Zombieland, Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead, Night of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, Black Mirror, Big Brother

So you liked “Making a Murderer”…

Making a Murderer is all the rage right now. The true crime doc Netflix series is tearing up the bandwidth of seemingly everyone on social media.

But you blew through the 10 short episodes on new years day and you’re looking for more.

I got you covered with these true crime docs you probably haven’t seen.

The Staircase

If there’s one thing I learned in law school, it’s that The Staircase is a pretty solid documentary.  This 8 part doc by Academy Award winning Jean-Xavier De Lestrade, follows the high profile murder trial of Michael Peterson.  Peterson is accused of murdering his wife after she is found lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of their home’s staircase. If you thought the twists in Making a Murderer were good, oooh wait ’til you hear about the e-mails!

 

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills

 

This is the first part of a trilogy, which also includes Paradise Lost 2: Revelations and Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.

This doc/ these docs chronicle the trial of the West Memphis Three, Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley and Jason Baldwin for the horrific murders of three children in West Memphis, Arkansas.

Much like our pal, Steven Avery, the West Memphis Three assert their innocence and this is another instance where the justice system appears to fail an accused.  The “townspeople” interviews are just as bone chilling as the interrogations from Making a Murderer.  This high profile case was also the subject of West of Memphis, a documentary released at Sundance 2012, and the subject of the 2013 drama, Devil’s Knot starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth which tells the story from one of the victim’s mother’s POV.

Fun Facts, the first instance of Metallica allowing their music to be in a movie, and Johnny Depp is pals with Damien Echols.

The Central Park 5

This 2012 documentary by Ken and Sara Burns chronicles the story of 5 black and latino teenagers who are convicted of the rape of a woman in Central Park.  The 5 spent years in prison before another man confessed to the crime.  Another tale of the miscarriage of justice and the motivation to skewer those accused for a sensational news story.

 

 

 

Happy viewing.