Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones star in a PBS special presentation of Driving Miss Daisy, which is on DVD this week.
Driving Miss Daisy (PBS/DVD, 2013). This is the 2013 Broadway revival of the popular play (which was a 1989 movie that earned an Oscar for Jessica Tandy), and therefore is stagey, requiring use of the viewers imagination, especially during the driving sequences. And there are some differences from the movie.
The three-person play set over some 20 years from the late 1940s through the early 70s is about a grumpy, irascible, wealthy Jewish widow in her 70s (Lansbury) who can no longer drive, and her gradually developing relationship with the black chauffeur (Jones) hired by her son (Boyd Gaines).
Alfred Uhrys play is crisp, funny, pointed and thought-provoking, and the performances are pitch perfect, with Lansbury (who was 87 when this was performed) and Jones (who was 82) exhibiting the full potential of their considerable star power.
George Gently: Series 7 (Acorn/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, two discs/four discs, four feature-length episodes, featurette). Martin Shaw is great as the British detective chief inspector of the title. Gently continues to feel out of step with the radically changing era of the late 1960s, though he still has the instinct and intelligence to solve crimes, aided by Sgt. John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby), who gets a promotion this season.
iZombie: The Complete First Season (Warner/DVD, 2015, three discs, 13 episodes, deleted scenes, featurette). Rose McIver stars in this horror-comedy mash-up of the zombie and police procedural genres (based on a graphic novel) as a medical resident that becomes a zombie but works at retaining some humanity. So she transfers to the city morgue to dine on brains undetected but then flashes on the memories of the corpses, which forces her to take on some of their quirks as well as learning about their deaths. (Season 2 starts Oct. 6 on The CW.)
Jane the Virgin: The Complete First Season (Warner/DVD, 2014-15, five discs, 22 episodes, deleted scenes, featurettes, bloopers). This soap opera spoof stars Gina Rodriguez as a 23-year-old saving herself for marriage when a doctor mistakes her for an artificial-insemination patient and she becomes pregnant. If thats not enough, the donor is a married womanizer who just happens to be her boss. (Season 2 starts Oct. 12 on The CW.)
Outlander: Season One, Volume Two: Collectors Edition (Sony/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, two discs, eight episodes, deleted scenes, extended episode: The Reckoning, featurettes, podcasts, bloopers; 32-page photo book). This time-traveling 18th-century adventure series set in Scotland follows a World War II combat nurse who inexplicably finds herself in the midst of battling Redcoats and Highlanders. Her medical skills both help and hinder her new life, especially when she is arrested for witchcraft. (Season 2 will be on Starz in early 2016.)
Vera: Set 5 (Acorn/DVD, 2015, four discs, four feature-length episodes). Brenda Blethyn stars as cantankerous police detective Vera Stanhope, solving sordid crimes in northern England. This season she gets a new partner, Sgt. Healy (Kenny Doughty), who is suffering from a work-related trauma, though, predictably, Vera has little patience with him.
The Slap (Acorn/DVD, 2011, three discs, eight episodes, deleted scenes, social media clips, featurette). A group of friends gathers at an adult birthday party, during which one of the group slaps a child that is not his own, leading to repercussions that cause a serious schism among them. Each episode is told from the viewpoint of a different character. (This Australian series, based on a novel, was the basis for the U.S. remake, which had Melissa George repeating her award-winning role.)
Sofia the First: Dear Sofia A Royal Collection (Disney Junior/DVD, 2013-15, five episodes, bonus episode). These episodes of the animated Disney show feature Sofias adventures with other Disney princesses: Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), Jasmine (Aladdin) and Mulan.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Games Ponies Play (Shout Kids!/Hasbro, 2011-15, six episodes). These episodes from various seasons include the title show, Fall Weather Friends, Power Ponies, Equestria Games, Appleoosas Most Wanted and The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone.
Daniel Tigers Neighborhood: Tiger-tastic 3 pack (PBS Kids/DVD, 2012-13, 26 episodes). The cartoon tiger that sprang from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood teaches preschoolers life lessons in easy-to-remember and entertaining ways. This set is comprised of three previously released discs: Lifes Little Lessons, Daniels Big Feelings and Daniel Tries Something New.
Driving Miss Daisy (PBS/DVD, 2013). This is the 2013 Broadway revival of the popular play (which was a 1989 movie that earned an Oscar for Jessica Tandy), and therefore is stagey, requiring use of the viewers imagination, especially during the driving sequences. And there are some differences from the movie.
The three-person play set over some 20 years from the late 1940s through the early 70s is about a grumpy, irascible, wealthy Jewish widow in her 70s (Lansbury) who can no longer drive, and her gradually developing relationship with the black chauffeur (Jones) hired by her son (Boyd Gaines).
Alfred Uhrys play is crisp, funny, pointed and thought-provoking, and the performances are pitch perfect, with Lansbury (who was 87 when this was performed) and Jones (who was 82) exhibiting the full potential of their considerable star power.
George Gently: Series 7 (Acorn/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, two discs/four discs, four feature-length episodes, featurette). Martin Shaw is great as the British detective chief inspector of the title. Gently continues to feel out of step with the radically changing era of the late 1960s, though he still has the instinct and intelligence to solve crimes, aided by Sgt. John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby), who gets a promotion this season.
iZombie: The Complete First Season (Warner/DVD, 2015, three discs, 13 episodes, deleted scenes, featurette). Rose McIver stars in this horror-comedy mash-up of the zombie and police procedural genres (based on a graphic novel) as a medical resident that becomes a zombie but works at retaining some humanity. So she transfers to the city morgue to dine on brains undetected but then flashes on the memories of the corpses, which forces her to take on some of their quirks as well as learning about their deaths. (Season 2 starts Oct. 6 on The CW.)
Jane the Virgin: The Complete First Season (Warner/DVD, 2014-15, five discs, 22 episodes, deleted scenes, featurettes, bloopers). This soap opera spoof stars Gina Rodriguez as a 23-year-old saving herself for marriage when a doctor mistakes her for an artificial-insemination patient and she becomes pregnant. If thats not enough, the donor is a married womanizer who just happens to be her boss. (Season 2 starts Oct. 12 on The CW.)
Outlander: Season One, Volume Two: Collectors Edition (Sony/Blu-ray/DVD, 2015, two discs, eight episodes, deleted scenes, extended episode: The Reckoning, featurettes, podcasts, bloopers; 32-page photo book). This time-traveling 18th-century adventure series set in Scotland follows a World War II combat nurse who inexplicably finds herself in the midst of battling Redcoats and Highlanders. Her medical skills both help and hinder her new life, especially when she is arrested for witchcraft. (Season 2 will be on Starz in early 2016.)
Vera: Set 5 (Acorn/DVD, 2015, four discs, four feature-length episodes). Brenda Blethyn stars as cantankerous police detective Vera Stanhope, solving sordid crimes in northern England. This season she gets a new partner, Sgt. Healy (Kenny Doughty), who is suffering from a work-related trauma, though, predictably, Vera has little patience with him.
The Slap (Acorn/DVD, 2011, three discs, eight episodes, deleted scenes, social media clips, featurette). A group of friends gathers at an adult birthday party, during which one of the group slaps a child that is not his own, leading to repercussions that cause a serious schism among them. Each episode is told from the viewpoint of a different character. (This Australian series, based on a novel, was the basis for the U.S. remake, which had Melissa George repeating her award-winning role.)
Sofia the First: Dear Sofia A Royal Collection (Disney Junior/DVD, 2013-15, five episodes, bonus episode). These episodes of the animated Disney show feature Sofias adventures with other Disney princesses: Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), Jasmine (Aladdin) and Mulan.
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Games Ponies Play (Shout Kids!/Hasbro, 2011-15, six episodes). These episodes from various seasons include the title show, Fall Weather Friends, Power Ponies, Equestria Games, Appleoosas Most Wanted and The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone.
Daniel Tigers Neighborhood: Tiger-tastic 3 pack (PBS Kids/DVD, 2012-13, 26 episodes). The cartoon tiger that sprang from Mr. Rogers Neighborhood teaches preschoolers life lessons in easy-to-remember and entertaining ways. This set is comprised of three previously released discs: Lifes Little Lessons, Daniels Big Feelings and Daniel Tries Something New.
