The
Accident (2006 -
2007)/Ackley Bridge:
Series One (2017)/Dear
Murderer: Series 1
(2017)/Detectorists:
Series 3 (2017)/East
West 101: Series 2
(2009)/MidSomer Murders:
County Case Files (2018
compilation/all RLJ/Acorn DVD Sets)
Picture:
B/B-/B/B-/B-/B- Sound: B/B-/B/B-/B-/B- Extras: D/C+/D/C+/C/B-
Episodes: C+/B/B/C+/C+/C+
With
so much junk on cable/satellite, good shows are not being picked up
like they should and many happen to come from the U.K., Ireland,
Scotland, New Zealand and Australia. Fortunately, Acorn Media is
putting them out on DVD in the U.S. ands here's the latest sets
intelligent viewers looking for more might be interested in...
Bruno
Solo stars in the French mystery The
Accident
(or L'Accident
- 2016/2017) a show that's sure to pull at your heartstrings AND make
you scratch your head. Centering around a brutal car accident in a
French beach town, a man's wife falls victim under his unusual
circumstance. While autopsy reports suggested that she was drunk,
her husband Gabriel Cauvy (Bruno Solo of Blood
on the Docks)
is convinced there's more to story as she never drank. Soon,
everyone close to her becomes a potential suspect... in this small
town where carnage seems to be a more regular occurrence.
The
show consists of six episodes, all of which are presented here in
standard definition with an anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 widescreen
aspect ratio and lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The presentation is
compressed yet up to DVD standards and is pretty cinematic despite
its television feel.
No
extras.
While
it has an interesting premise and decent acting, sometimes the pacing
seems to drag and some plot points a little predictable. Still,
there's a lot of interesting stuff here that makes it worth checking
out.
Ackley
Bridge
(2017) is an interesting look at diversity from the creators of
Shameless
and takes place within a small school district. Engaging, funny, and
socially relevant, this show will appeal to just about anybody that's
faced these sorts of criticisms upon race or religion.
Consisting
of six episodes, this mini-series stars Amy-Leigh Hickman, Jo Joyner,
and Paul Nicholls to name a few.
Presented
on standard definition DVD with an anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1
widescreen aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossy English Dolby Digital
2.0 Stereo track, the show looks and sounds up to par on DVD but
isn’t anything particularly mind blowing. The British drama has a
very professional sounding mix and no real issues, aside from obvious
compression that comes with the format.
Special
Features...
Behind
the Scenes Featurette (46 min)
Dear
Murderer
(2017) also lands on disc and stars Mark Mitchinson (The
Hobbit)
as New Zealand's most controversial lawyer Mike Bungay and is based
on true events. If you're into procedural courtroom dramas and
murder mysteries (as the title blatantly suggests) than this foreign
thriller may be up your alley. The show is smartly written with
great performances and events that are shocking to think really
happened.
This
first season consists of five episodes which include A
Good Toss To Lose, I Spy, Dog Days, Family Matters,
and Three's
a Crowd.
The
show also stars Beth Allen, Mark Mitchinson, Rowan Bettljeman, Katy
Beasley and Ella Becroft.
Presented
in standard definition with an anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1
widescreen aspect ratio and a lossy 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, the show
looks and sounds pretty good for DVD, but not as good as HD
obviously. The show is nicely shot and lit with vivid colors that
give the show a stylish feel that isn't completely naturalistic.
No
Extras.
Mackenzie
Crook (Pirates
of the Caribbean)
and Toby Jones (Captain
America,
Witness
for the Prosecution)
team up for the third season of the BAFTA award winning series,
Detectorists.
The two men are on a search across the Essex countryside for gold
while dealing with their stressful personal lives that are often a
cause for laughter. Competing with the construction of a solar farm,
a mother-in law, and a demanding daughter, the two men end up in one
hilarious situation after another resulting in a British comedy
that's definitely worth checking out.
6
Episodes span two DVD discs in this release and are presented in
standard definition DVD with an anamorphically enhanced widescreen
aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a 2.0 stereo mix, the show looks and
sounds fine on the aging format, but is nothing to particularly write
home about. The best feature is that there are no commercials!
Special
Features:
Cast
Interviews
BTS
Featurette
East
West 101
is a heavy hitting drama that is political and dramatic. If you
haven't checked it out yet and like shows like The Americans,
then this may be for you. This season revolves around Detective Zane
Malik (Don Hany, Serangoon
Road)
who is a Muslim man fighting stereotypes in post-9/11 Australia. As
his community fears Islamic extremists following a Sydney suburb car
bomb, Malik launches his own investigation that brings him face to
face with a suspected arms-dealer. Of course, things get a bit hairy
from here and Malik must protect not only himself but his family and
friends as well.
Series
2
stars Don Hany (Underbelly,
Serangoon
Road),
Susie Porter (Janet
King),
Gerald Lepkowski (Silent
Witness),
Daniela Farinacci, Renee Limm, and Aaron Fa'Aoso.
7
episodes span two standard definition DVD discs with an
anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 widescreen aspect ratio and a fine
sounding, if lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix. The show is pretty
cinematic and shot well with much of the style being more based in
realism than colorful. For what it is, it looks fine here.
Special
Features...
43
min BTS Featurette
Though
many previous episodes/sets of this British murder mystery are posted
elsewhere on this site, here's yet more of MidSomer
Murders.
One
of the longest running British TV shows of all time, MidSomer
Murders
lands on disc (yet again) in this collection of some of the series'
big highlight episodes. While some mysteries are a bit more engaging
than others, there's no denying that there's an impressive amount of
material here and some of the series' highlights.
Each
episode highlights a unique murder set against England's most
murderous county... which makes you wonder why people live there to
begin with! Cleverly written for the kind of show it is, MidSomer
Murders
may attract you if you're a fan of murder shows or procedural cop
dramas.
The
mysteries in this set include:
The
Christmas Haunting
Let
Us Prey
Wild
Harvest
The
Flying Club
The
Killings of Copenhagen
The
Dagger Club
Murder
By Magic
The
Salad of Midsomer County
A
Vintage Murder
Habeas
Corpus
The
Incident at Cooper Hill
Breaking
the Chain
A
Dying Art
Saints
and Sinners
Harvest
of Souls
The
episodes were released previously in Set 25 and Series 16, 17, and
18.
Presented
on standard definition DVD with anamorphically enhanced widescreen
aspect ratio of 1.78:1 and a lossy Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track,
the show looks and sounds up to standards on DVD with natural looking
colors and tones that capture the foreign territory nicely. The show
is well shot and produced and this set features a staggering 23 hours
worth of material.
Special
Features...
Behind
the Scenes Featurettes
Celebrating
100 Episodes
An
Interview with Gwilym Lee
Features
about the Actors
Murder
by Magic
Photo
Galleries
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/
