War Zone Supernatural? Spectral Gets So Much Right!

The Good: Good direction, Decent performances, Moments of character
The Bad: Very derivative plot, Mostly thinly-defined characters, Pacing
The Basics: Spectral puts a military scientist into a war zone against an enemy that initially appears supernatural and threatens to escape the region to menace the entire world!


While much of the world is out at the movie theaters making Rogue One (reviewed here!) the predictable blockbuster fans knew it would become and the rest is binge watching The OA (reviewed here!) or the second season of The Man In High Castle, I figured that it was time to catch up on my genre Netflix movies. To that end, I put on Spectral. Spectral, at first blush, seemed like it might be a retread of The Darkest Hour (reviewed here!), but the longer the film goes on, the more it seemed like a mash-up of Aliens (reviewed here!) and Ghostbusters.

Spectral puts a military force in a creepy, burned-out Eastern European country that is plagued by a civil war and something resembling ghosts. The protagonist is a DARPA scientist whose military technology initially made visible something invisible to the naked eye. The film spends a lot of time creating a realistic sense of tension and political consequence associated with having a military scientist in the field and that manages to draw the viewer in to Spectral. While the film is structured very similarly on the plot front to Aliens, Spectral takes itself very seriously. There is no banter; the soldiers are professionals.

Opening in the ruins of a city while bombs go off in the city, the soldier Davis refuses to wait for his backup and instead heads into the dark to confront his enemy. With his night vision goggles, he sees something that his eyes cannot and a moment later, that apparition kills him. Clyne is a military scientist who scavenges Tetracine from a junk yard for a weapon capable of liquefying solids. Clyne, the scientist who designed the hyperspectral goggles that the U.S. Military is using in Moldovia is shipped out to Eastern Europe to figure out what is going on in the Moldovian civil war. In Moldovia, General Orland shares camera feeds from U.S. soldiers that show entities on the recordings, like the one that killed Davis. Paired with CIA Agent Fran Madison, Clyne is shown the footage from Davis's death and when pushed for an analysis (the CIA believes the enemy has cloaking technology of some form), Clyne wants to go into the field to get better evidence.

After Clyne mounts a more sophisticate version of his hyperspectral camera onto one of the military vehicles, Clyne, Madison, and Dagger Team One are sent into the field to recover Utah Team, a squadron that was captured by insurgents. In trying to recover the team, the military recovers a survivor of the carnage within the building where Utah Team was kept, but most of Dagger Team is slaughtered by what now appears to be an entity. The locals believe the entities are the manifestations of the horrors of war, but when the survivors of the rescue mission hole up in an abandoned metalworks building, they discover there are multiple entities and they may have a weakness. Inside the metalworks, the military finds two children, whose father recognized that iron filings stop the entities, but they soon find themselves overrun by the invisible enemy that threatens to take out insurgents, Americans and civilians alike.

Spectral builds initially well as a scientific exploration of a horrific series of deaths near the battlefield before degenerating into an all-out battle between humans and the entities. The film does a good job of wrapping up the nature of the adversary and making the threat credible and creepy. But, the film gets lost at the beginning of the third act and that makes Spectral feel a little erratic.

Similarly, Spectral looks amazing and has good performances led by James Badge Dale. Dale plays a credible DARPA scientist-turned field soldier and he finds the right balance between intellectual and physical in the role to make him feel very real. But Clyne is truly the only well-defined character in Spectral. Emily Mortimer does not consistently hold her accent as Madison and Bruce Greenwood is very much underused as General Orland. The result is a film that looks good and has one solid character to watch while slowly piecing together a very creepy and sensible story.

Spectral follows a plot progression almost identical to Aliens and the film elicits a groan when children appear on screen (I wonder if it is around the same time Newt pops up in Aliens . . .). But despite that, Spectral is creepy and then horrific. The action component to Spectral is out of balance with the original cerebral quality of the film and the realism of the military and scientific organization of the film.

Despite the balance problem, the special effects are incredible and the movie is solidly entertaining, which makes for one of the better Netflix-produced films.

For other Netflix exclusive films, please check out my reviews of:
True Memoirs Of An International Assassin
I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House
Mascots
ARQ
XOXO
Tallulah
Special Correspondents
The Fundamentals Of Caring
The Ridiculous 6

6.5/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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All The Way Down: The Big Bang Theory Season Eight Garners Two Laughs . . . At The End!

The Good: The last episode of the season is all right
The Bad: Obtrusive laugh track, Predictable jokes, Unremarkable character development, Dull plot development
The Basics: The eighth season of The Big Bang Theory forces the laughs and completely undermines the humor and heart of the characters from the prior seasons.


After the seventh season of The Big Bang Theory (reviewed here!) had most of the characters on the show delivering jokes that were particularly cruel to the geek fanbase that the show originally trumpeted and gave voice to, I felt no real need to run out and watch the eighth season of the show. But recently, I managed to catch up on the show and I picked up the Complete Eighth Season of The Big Bang Theory on DVD and I was sad to discover that the show had new depths to plumb.

The most immediate problem when one sits down to watch The Big Bang Theory Season Eight is the obvious and obtrusive nature of the laugh track. More than in any prior season, the laugh track is used in a way that feels coercive. The actors deliver their lines and the laugh track goes off, daring the viewer not to laugh along. It is a dare the producers of The Big Bang Theory entirely lose. The laugh track does not allow the jokes to breathe and it goes off with such frequency that viewers roll their eyes as opposed to actually being amused about the lines and scenarios the characters are in.

Picking up where the prior season left off, with Penny and Leonard engaged and Sheldon having fled California, Sheldon is homeless and alone at a train station when he taken to a police station. Leonard and Penny rescue him and very quickly the usual relationships are re-established. Howard gets upset over Stuart living at his mother's house following the destruction of his comic book shop and Sheldon is allowed back at the University, but he has to teach. To that end, he begins teaching Howard for Howard's Doctorate. The comic book store is rebuilt and the women go off to Las Vegas for a trip while the guys stay home and fail to invent something.

After Penny gets a job working pharmaceutical sales for Bernadette's company, her life with Howard takes a turn when Howard's mother dies and they have to clean out her home. After breaking into the Skywalker Ranch, Leonard and Sheldon's mothers come to visit and force the issue of the Penny/Leonard relationship.

The characters in the eighth season of The Big Bang Theory are far less compelling or interesting in the eighth season. Raj is essentially relegated to a series of set-up jokes about his deceptively dark (though perky to all outward appearances) girlfriend. Bernadette is cruel outside the immediate moments when dealing with the death of Howard's mother. So, for example, she gets into a battle with Howard about the collectibles stored at his mother's house. The way Bernadette uses the gang to force Howard to get rid of his TARDIS is mean and it sets up a number of truly mean jokes at Amy's expense.

More than that, the humor is obvious and it tends not to go anywhere. Amy grew up amazingly lonely, so she did not have anyone to play table tennis with. So, of course, she learned to serve amazingly well, but has no ability to return a shot. It's a joke that hinges entirely on the set-up and once the episode tries to execute it, it goes nowhere.

The cast of The Big Bang Theory is entirely familiar in Season Eight and their performances are so honed that the most excitement (outside the final episode) that the show manages to garner is for genre fans when Stephen Root appears as Bernadette's boss for a recurring role. The eighth season of The Big Bang Theory is so flaccid that the big character arc in the season comes from Howard and it is an arc based entirely on him reacting to Stuart and the death of his mother. The rest of the season is a humorless holding pattern.

Penny and Leonard do not develop; they merely assume the same financial argument that Howard and Bernadette had in a prior season. Instead, they spend the entire season until the final episode when they are pretty much forced into marrying, which is where their relationship ended in the prior season. Sheldon does not develop, which makes his relationship with Amy agonizing to watch as she continues to pine for him to grow and show her that he values her. It also makes the climax of the season more a ridiculous television conceit than an organically-developed character moment.

In its eighth season, The Big Bang Theory also becomes more insular and self-referential; "Fun With Flags" comes to an end and viewers have to figure out why they are supposed to care when Sheldon's web-based program was a one or two episode gag in past episodes. The performers stroll through their lines and the writers and directors force the jokes and hope viewers will not notice how recycled and un-funny the show has become.

On DVD, there is a tribute to the late Carol Ann Susi, who voiced Howard's mother and a featurette on the people who won the internet contest for biggest The Big Bang Theory fan (which seems strange that they reiterate so many times how much the winners knew about the show given that it was largely trivia-based).

Ultimately, the horse could be beaten dead with more specific incidents, but the bottom line is that outside the final episode of the season, there is little worth bothering with in the eighth season of The Big Bang Theory.

For other works from the 2014 – 2015 television season, please check out my reviews of:
Modern Family - Season 6
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 2
The Flash - Season 1
Orange Is The New Black - Season 3
Sense8 - Season 1
Grace And Frankie - Season 1
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - Season 1
Agent Carter - Season 1
Daredevil - Season 1
The Newsroom - Season 3
House Of Cards - Season 3
Doctor Who - Season 8
True Blood - Season 7
The Walking Dead - Season 5

1.5/10

For other television season reviews, please check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2015 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Famous Animated Characters Exposed! I Know That Voice Is A Middling Documentary!

The Good: Cool idea, Well-directed
The Bad: Very basic idea beaten to death, Not complicated or in-depth
The Basics: I Know That Voice is a basic documentary that is like a facebook of voice actors, but little more than that.


Ever since I got involved with the woman who quickly became my wife, I have watched a lot of animated works. My wife loves Disney movies, Invader Zim and many other animated works that we’ve watched over and over and over again. So, she was very interested in the documentary I Know That Voice when we learned about it. I Know That Voice is an interesting concept for a documentary, but it is not one that lends to a very complicated analysis.

I Know That Voice is a concept that takes half the film before it actually hits. For the first half of the film, I Know That Voice - which is a documentary intended to explore the nature of the voiceover industry – is simply a collection of almost random comments from various performers who have recognizable roles in animated works, where the voice actors are put in front of the camera. The first half of I Know That Voice is made almost entirely unnecessary thanks to the existence and success of the IMDB. The Internet Movie Database features complete biographies of actors past and present and virtually every actor’s page on the site has pictures of the actor, along with their entire resume. So, the first half of I Know That Voice trades on a novelty that no longer exists for the die-hard fans who might love this documentary; they have already looked into their favorite voice actors and seen who the actors are behind the voices of their beloved characters.

All of that changes around the fifty minute mark on I Know That Voice. At that point, director Lawrence Shapiro shifts the movie to what the documentary originally promised; a discussion about the animation/voiceover industry. In the latter half of the movie, I Know That Voice finally starts to discuss the process of getting jobs in the Industry, what the industry is like and how it is changing.

To his credit, Shapiro gets an amazing cast of voiceover actors to discuss the industry in I Know That Voice. Instead of simply seeing the human faces behind the voices that people know and love, the pretty impressive collection of voice actors do open up about their experiences in the industry. The film meanders, though, between the exposing the actors to the audience, then to a general discussion of the process actors have in defining their characters’ voices, to getting the jobs to discussing ComicCon . . . I Know That Voice is less structured or revelatory than it is entertaining.

I Know That Voice is worth a watch for anyone who loves animation, but it’s a tough sell for rewatching or recommending because it is not conceptually complicated or well-structured. At best, it is a mildly-informative vocal facebook for the most important voice actors working in animation today.

For other documentaries, please check out my reviews of:
Done The Impossible: The Fans' Tale Of "Firefly" And "Serenity"
PoliWood
Craigslist Joe

5/10

For other movie reviews, please check out my Film Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Mumbling Through Christmas: Milton Waddams Is An Esoteric Hallmark Ornament!

The Good: Generally good sculpt, Basic coloring, Includes a sound clip
The Bad: Mediocre balance, Poor sound quality, Seems expensive
The Basics: One of October’s weirdest Hallmark ornaments was the Office Space ornament of Milton Waddams, which was a mediocre execution of the subject!


In milking various franchises for fan dollars, it is interesting to me to see which movie studios license which films. While there are a number of fans of the movie Office Space, it always seemed like an odd film (to me) to try to make merchandise for. Before Hallmark licensed with 20th Century Fox to produce the Milton Waddams ornament in 2013, the only Office Space merchandise I was really aware of was found at Spencer’s Gifts or Hot Topic and catered to the stoner/drinking college freshman crowd. In other words, the (previously) target(ed) market for Office Space merchandise hardly seems to be the Hallmark Gold Crown-shopping demographic. So, between the inherent quality (or lack thereof) of the Milton Waddams ornament and the previously-known spending habits of the target demographic, it was no surprise to me that this was an ornament still pretty easily found locally after the Christmas clearance from Hallmark.

Hallmark and 20th Century Fox created an ornament that embodies the fantastic Stephen Root as Milton Waddams from Office Space for the Milton Waddams ornament. For those not familiar with Office Space (reviewed here!), throughout the workplace comedy, Milton Waddams is psychologically beaten down by his boss and his beloved stapler is messed with. Waddams becomes a catalyst for change at his job by snapping when he is pushed too far one day.

Basics

The Milton Waddams ornament faithfully presents Milton Waddams in his shirt, tie, and pocket protector. This version of Milton Waddams has the character standing, on a yellowish base (which represents a stack of papers) that says “Office Space.” The sculpt is fairly detailed and entirely recognizable for anyone who has seen Office Space (even if one cannot recall the character’s name!). The ornament, released in 2013, is good in that it looks just like Stephen Root with his plastered-down hair, thin glasses, drooping mustache and tightly-cinched belt. The ornament includes such sculpted details as the pocket protector, wristwatch, and hands which are clutching Milton Waddams’ precious stapler. Measuring four and a half inches tall, the Milton Waddams ornament is one of several non-genre movie-related Hallmark ornaments released in 2013 and it does seem to be one of the least popular (given how many I was able to find after the fact!). The Milton Waddams ornament came with an original retail price of $17.95 and given that I am finding them for at least 75% off with some frequency still, this was not a tremendous value at its original retail price.

The Hallmark Milton Waddams ornament is made of durable plastic. Milton Waddams’s shirt is light blue and his pants are black, just like in the movie. Unfortunately, the skin tones for Milton Waddams are monotonal; the pale color is hardly lifelike and details like Milton’s lips are virtually absent on the coloring front, despite the well-painted mustache just above them! The watch is not incredibly detailed, nor is the stapler, though Milton Waddams’s pocket protector and badge seem to be well-colored.

The Milton Waddams ornament features a version of Milton Waddams who looks more like the animated character than the man who actually appeared in the live-action film Office Space. The skin tones on the face and forearms are monotonal as opposed to having rich coloring, which is unfortunate and undermines the potential realism of this ornament. The hair color is also solidly brown as opposed to having realistic depth and shading.

Features

As a Hallmark Keepsake ornament, Milton Waddams has a sound chip, but not a light-up function. Milton Waddams ornament comes with batteries and with the push of a button on the paperstack base, a speaker on the base plays clips from Stephen Root. Unfortunately, because the character mumbles, these audio clips are virtually incomprehensible. Waddams says something about his stapler, but I can’t understand what he’s saying! The volume is not the problem; Hallmark chose a character with severe enunciation issues to give an audio-based feature ornament to!

Balance

As with all ornaments, the intent of the Hallmark Keepsake Milton Waddams ornament is to be hung on a Christmas tree. For those creating the ultimate movie-themed Christmas Tree, the Milton Waddams ornament . . . is still utterly unnecessary. In addition to being a very obscure character, the balance for the ornament is a little off. Unfortunately, because Milton Waddams is a little heavyset and he has his hands in front of him with his stapler, the ornament is a little frontheavy. The ornament has the standard metal hook loop embedded into the top, back, of Milton Waddams’s head at a pretty obvious position. From there, the ornament, when affixed to a tree with a hook, swings very easily and is clearly weighted more to the front side of the ornament.

Collectibility

Hallmark Keepsake began delving into the collectibles market in 1991 with Star Trek when it introduced the exceptionally limited edition U.S.S. Enterprise ornament (reviewed here!). Since then, they have made ornament replicas of almost all major franchises like DC comics, The Wizard Of Oz and Harry Potter. The Milton Waddams ornament was one of the October ornament releases and given how Office Space, like most comedy films, is not a merchandising cash cow, it is unsurprising that it did not sell out during the holiday season at full price. When the balance and paintjob issues are factored in, it is hard to bet on this being a good investment piece for the foreseeable future, if ever.

Overview

Despite a pretty awesome sculpt and the effort of making a battery-operated audio feature for the ornament, fans of Milton Waddams, Stephen Root, and Office Space are likely to find the Milton Waddams ornament unimpressive and a bit of a letdown. That makes it one that even fans passed by and might make 20th Century Fox or Hallmark think harder about the properties they license!

For other film-based Hallmark ornaments from 2013, please check out my reviews of:
Under The Sea The Little Mermaid ornament
The Joker The Dark Knight ornament
Mockingjay The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ornament

4/10

For other ornament reviews, please visit my Ornament Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Final Season Of NewsRadio Slips Some, Even On DVD, But It's Still Worth It!

The Good: FUNNY, Well acted, Decent serialization, Moments of character, DVD bonus features
The Bad: Plots are more standard, Problematic reshuffling of characters.
The Basics: With its final season on DVD, NewsRadio takes a slightly above-average sitcom and adds some wonderful bonus features to make a worthwhile buy.


Every now and then there comes a show that I enjoy more when I'm rewatching it on DVD than I did when it originally aired. Perhaps the most recent example would be with Alias. When I first watched the final season of Alias, I loathed it. When I picked up the boxed set of Alias - The Complete Fifth Season" on DVD (reviewed here!), it was tolerable and moments were even enjoyable. Unlike many fans of NewsRadio, who shunned the fifth season, I enjoyed the final season of the series and eagerly picked it up and have been rewatching it on DVD. It's a wonderful sitcom and the final season may slip into more average sitcom territory, but it is still far above any other straight-out sitcom that was on at the time.

Following the untimely death of Bill McNeal, Dave Nelson hires Max Louis as the new on-air talent to keep station WNYX afloat. Louis instantly antagonizes Matthew, flirts with Beth, competes with Lisa and challenges Jimmy for who might be stranger around the office. With the appearance of Max, Lisa finds her hands tied at work and surprised when a criminal mastermind, Johnny Johnson expresses interest in her following Jimmy's arrest as a suspected hijacker. With Jimmy on the run, Dave gets bad vibes from Johnny and sets to exonerating his boss with the help of the others at the office.

The fifth season of NewsRadio is easier to describe in terms of plot, largely because it is far more serialized than any of the prior seasons. In addition to the two episodes up front that focus on Bill's absence, there is a three-story arc with Johnny Johnson, followed later on by two follow-up episodes with him, and the two episodes that are effectively the series finale. The show's creator, Paul Simms, apparently disliked serialized episodes, but they work remarkably well for this series. It deserved the maturity of getting an adult audience vested in it with serialized plots that would bring them back each week. It may not have succeeded with the ratings, but it certainly makes this season work better as a boxed set.

The truth here is that the serialized nature of several of the episodes goes a long way to reviving what would otherwise be a pretty dismal set of episodic bits. Sure, "Flowers For Matthew" (a parody of "Flowers For Algernon," wherein Matthew becomes smart) is funny, but it's the exception to the rule for the episodic episodes in this set. Other episodes try to shake things up with Max and try to get humor out of Lisa going after a corrupt fast food restaurant, Dave and Jimmy becoming obsessed with white noise, Lisa taking on a Boston accent (no kidding, that is the a-plot of "Boston"), Jimmy hiring a security consultant and Matthew making himself up as a punk when he turns 30. Yes, some of the situations in this "situation comedy" become forced, making the comedy a bit more hit-or-miss, but there's enough to make it worthwhile.

Actually, the funniest line of the entire series is delivered, flawlessly, in the second to last (if the finale is looked at as one episode) episode when Matthew and Jimmy switch jobs for a week. In all honesty, the boxed set is worth it solely to see that episode and the moment Matthew explains what he did with Jimmy's seven billion dollar fortune. Hilarious.

But to truly understand where NewsRadio went right before it was axed, it helps to understand the characters. The principles for the fifth season of NewsRadio are:

Dave Nelson - The station manager at WNYX, he is in charge of hiring a replacement when Bill McNeal dies. His selection of Max Louis surprises most of the staff. While trying to convince Max that he hasn't been fired, Dave becomes addicted to white noise, works to keep Johnny Johnson at bay, fights his ex-girlfriend Lisa for a new apartment, and ultimately refuses to follow Jimmy and the staff to New Hampshire,

Lisa Miller - Getting more reporting jobs following Bill's death, she finds herself the object of Johnny Johnson's lust and considers using that to keep him from gaining power. As well, she takes up her childhood Boston accent, wears the same outfit as Matthew to the office, and has her puppy stolen,

Matthew - is convinced Bill is still alive until he is given proof he cannot deny. He has an instant hatred for Max and rebels against him constantly. As well, Matthew becomes brilliant, gets hypnotized and believes Lisa is a Satanist, decks himself out as a punk rocker and spends a week as a billionaire,

Max Louis - The new radio anchor, he has been fired by over thirty jobs in the past twenty years, which makes him neurotic about being fired. When Dave does not fire him, he settles in to annoying Matthew, flirting with Beth and starting his own vendetta against Jimmy's security consultant,

Beth - is weirded out by Max, but gets into a strange relationship of sorts with him. This season she demands Jimmy give employees a profit-sharing program, paints with Joe, and feeds Lisa's dog junkfood. As well, in "Freaky Friday," a CD club catches onto her scamming them and comes after her,

Joe - finds more time to paint and set up things like an internet camera in the break room. He also teaches Matthew his own martial art, "Joe-jitsu,"

and Jimmy James - The crazy billionaire who owns the station has reason to be crazy when his nemesis Johnny Johnson turns up to usurp his control of WNYX. In addition to fleeing the law when he is accused of being D.B. Cooper, Jimmy becomes addicted to white noise, works on his legacy and tries to get the staff to move to New Hampshire.

It is worth noting that Khandi Alexander, appears in the first episode of the season as Catherine Duke. Catherine left near the beginning of the fourth season and it was classy of Alexander to come back for "Bill Moves On." Also featured in a recurring role throughout the season is Patrick Warburton as Johnny Johnson. Warburton might be best known for voicing Joe on Family Guy but as Johnny Johnson he is hilarious in an over-the-top deadpan villain way.

Much of the plot and character development is a result of reshuffling due to the murder of actor Phil Hartman who played Bill in the prior seasons. In addition to ending his run as a voice actor on The Simpsons, Hartman's live-action career was cut short by virtue of him being dead. Jon Lovitz, who was a coworker and friend of Hartman from before they worked together on Saturday Night Live jumped in to fill the niche left by Hartman and Lovitz's Max Louis is certainly memorable (and no relation to either of the characters Lovitz had played in earlier seasons).

The acting in this season is good, but only Andy Dick truly has something different to do as the rest of the characters are pretty static for the season. The actors know their parts, are comfortable in their (very wonderful) ruts, but nothing in these episodes challenge them. Instead, they give great performances that make the viewer feel like they are returning (one last time) to the company of some good friends. Andy Dick becomes more like himself (or at least, his public persona) with Matthew's outrageous experimentations (smart, punk, rich) throughout the season.

On DVD, this set renews the confidence of the buyer in how generous the producers can be with bonus features. Despite what the box says, there are eight commentary tracks, a gag reel that is longer than most of the episodes (it becomes a little tiresome, but it is funny), and there's the One Man Newsradio segments. According to the box, there's deleted scenes, but I couldn't find them. The commentary tracks and other featurettes are decent and make the set worth buying for that alone.

The fifth and final season of NewsRadio is not the best season the show produced, but this is not an unworthy boxed set. Instead, this is a little above average with the DVD bonuses being decent, despite the deceptive packaging. And with the way the show ends, this easily became one of the Top Ten Shows I wish would return to television! A must for any fan of NewsRadio and a nice denouement for series. It's harder to sell this to fans of general comedy, but anyone who likes Jon Lovitz ought to pick this set up.

It's a nice end, though it would be nice to see where it could go.

For other works with Jon Lovitz, please visit my reviews of:
Southland Tales
The Benchwarmers
Farce Of The Penguins
Small Time Crooks
The Critic

5.5/10

For other television and film reviews, please visit my Index Page on the subject for organized lists!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Keeping Great Over Its Peak: NewsRadio - The Complete Fourth Season!

The Good: Funny, Good character development, Decent plots, Good performances, Good DVD bonuses
The Bad: Minutiae, Departure of Catherine, Could always use more commentaries . . .
The Basics: With twenty-two episodes, NewsRadio - The Complete Fourth Season shakes up WNYX and breathes new life into an already great sitcom!


You know the old saying, "Do don't know what you've got until it's gone?" I think with NewsRadio, that became true with the advent of the fourth season, now on DVD. Honestly, it's hard to pick out what Catherine Duke, the regal on-air talent that worked opposite Phil Hartman's Bill McNeal, did on her own in the series, but when she leaves only seven episodes into the new season, the show becomes diminished. It is not brought down with a giant cut, but it is slightly less that it was when she was around and as a result, it slips just perceptibly off the pedestal of perfection it had rooted on with the prior season of NewsRadio.

That said, it remains one of the most enduring and consistently funny television series' to ever grace television and to now become one of the most worthwhile investments on DVD. Honestly, one of the only real drawbacks of buying and watching this DVD set is that the viewer will want the other three that are available!

NewsRadio, for those who have not seen this comedic gem, is a semi-serialized situation comedy that takes place at New York City's WNYX news station. There, Dave Nelson runs the station under the watchful eyes of crazy billionaire owner Jimmy James and alongside an eccentric group of workers who all seem to have their own ambitions and opinions on where their lives - and the station - is going. Dave finds himself hampered by budget problems which immediately lead to Matthew being fired and an efficiency expert being brought in to evaluate the station and determine what can be cut. When the expert's analysis leads to a change in staff positions, WNYX is turned upside down!

NewsRadio is classified by me as semi-serialized because there is a pretty significant part of the show which is simply episodic. Every episode has a new situation to deal with. The fourth season is a bit more serialized because Matthew remains fired for several episodes, Andrea the efficiency expert is around for a while, and Lisa gets Dave's job, which shakes up the season for a while. In other words, there are story arcs that allow for there to be consequences of actions, a sense that the characters grow and everything is not neatly resolved by the time the closing credits roll. I like that about the series and it does lend it a quality of character many sitcoms lack.

The workplace comedy is, of course, nothing particularly new. However, what makes a workplace sitcom work - even when the plots are not terribly unique - are the characters and the performances. NewsRadio has a wonderful collection of characters performed quite well by some truly amazing comedic talents. With the sharpness of the writing and the delivery of the wit, NewsRadio manages to make old plots seem new again. But by and large, this show manages to be about the characters making decisions with comedic consequences rather than plot motivating their actions. Understanding who the principle characters are makes the show make a lot more sense. In this boxed set, the primary characters include:

Dave Nelson - The straightlaced and somewhat nerdy station manager of WNYX, he finds himself hampered by Andrea when she arrives to tell him how he is mismanaging the station. He and Lisa once again break up and when she replaces him as station manager, he finds it difficult to adjust to her management style and schemes to get his position back. He also finds he has to disappoint some old friends who want to restart their old barbershop quartet, reveals a new and impressive talent, and becomes threatened by a new intern,

Lisa Miller - Her neurotic desire to succeed at all costs is finally revealed in all its glory when her extensive criminal past resurfaces for a series of SAT-related crimes. It also comes out that she has some serious baking skills ("Is that lemon zest?") and does not need Dave or anyone else to succeed,

Bill McNeal - Delivers fake interviews with the President, swears on air and advocates beating foreign diplomats. Still, he is the on-air talent that is the biggest budgetary expense for WNYX and he even has ambitions to be station manager. Outside the office, he decides to adopt a child, attempts to become a singing political satirist, hits on Lisa, and he gives up smoking in favor of . . . shudder . . . chaw. And with the arrival of the new intern, he finds someone to scheme with,

Matthew Brock - Fired for his unending incompetence, Matthew becomes the focus of the staff's efforts to return the station to normal, especially after Catherine departs. Mr. James buys him a toy car, Matthew hits on Lisa, and gets a big brother. While away from the station, he works at a coffee shop and as a dentist,

Catherine Duke - While toughing it out with the efficiency expert, Catherine is offered an opportunity in London and, given the chance to get out of Bill's shadow, leaps on it,

Beth - The laid-back and somewhat lazy secretary continues to meddle in the affairs of Dave and later Lisa. She continues chewing her gum with mortifying consequences and becomes infatuated with Matthew's big brother. She comes into her own when she impersonates a duchess to bid on Jimmy at a charity auction,

Joe - The handyman finds himself missing Catherine most of all, especially when he realizes she might have reciprocated his love for her. Otherwise, he finds himself involved with a sympathy strike, reunited with his brother, and concerned he may have caused the death of an employee with one of his inventions,

and Jimmy James - The billionaire continues his crazy schemes, which include circumnavigating the Earth in a hot air balloon and retranslating the Japanese version of his autobiography (which was a success overseas) back into English. As well, he meddles in the relationship between Dave and Lisa to try to make his business plans work and he gives his nephew an internship at the station, much to the chagrin of his other employees.

NewsRadio has some of the fastest dialogue and most clever deliveries of any sitcom I've ever seen and it is worth noting that the performances often hinge on the deliveries and there's not a single bad one in this season. Instead, "NewsRadio - The Complete Fourth Season" once again illustrates just what happens when talented people are given great material.

Nowhere is this more true than with Stephen Root. Root plays Jimmy James and before NewsRadio, my only experience with him was watching him play a Klingon on Star Trek: The Next Generation's two-part episode "Unification" (reviewed here!). Here, Root is consistently funny because his character is scatterbrained and random and Root plays James with an authoritative tone such that whatever weirdness is coming out of his mouth, it sounds completely credible or like James believes it. Honestly, Root's performance in NewsRadio was so distinctive that when he first popped up in the sixth season of The West Wing (reviewed here!) as one of Arnold Vinick's two campaign assistants, he was both almost unrecognizable to me (it's weird seeing him play a sane character!) and a delightful surprise. Root makes the show worth watching episode after episode, disc after disc.

That's not to say that the rest of the cast does not deliver; they do. But Andy Dick settles into his rut as Matthew, as do Joe Rogan, Vicki Lewis, and even Phil Hartman in his final year. They are great ruts, but they offer little new as far as their performances go this year. Similarly, Dave Foley and Maura Tierney have great character aspects to play and their deliveries are wonderful, but they are performing at a level of greatness the viewer has pretty much come to expect from them as opposed to honestly surprising us with something new.

But that ought not to scare away viewers. NewsRadio is one of the funniest shows of all time and on DVD it gets good treatment with ten of the twenty-two episodes having commentary tracks that are informative and entertaining. There is also a pretty standard gag reel and a short film which is funny. This set is a little lighter on extras than some of the prior ones, but it is still not bad. I love commentary tracks and find myself wishing some of the episodes that lacked one had a commentary, but for the most part I find myself satisfied.

And for those who have not been fans of NewsRadio before now, there is no better time to jump in. This set stands up remarkably well on its own and is worthy of being added to anyone's permanent collection!

For other works with Andy Dick, please check out my reviews at:
Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil
Employee Of The Month
Hoodwinked!
Zoolander
Dude, Where’s My Car?
“Message In A Bottle” - Star Trek: Voyager

8/10

For other television and movie reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2013, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Not The Most Compelling Story Backs An Incredibly-Animated Film With Rango!

The Good: Decent animation, Good voice performances
The Bad: Predictable plot, Very obvious character arcs
The Basics: Rango is a surprise winner for Best Animated Film, considering it is a very obvious Western.


It is a rare thing for me to sit down to a film from Nickelodeon Films, despite the fact that I truly enjoyed Hotel For Dogs (reviewed here!) from the company. So, when my wife’s family came for a visit, it was somewhat surprising to all of us that I had Rango out from the library. I got out Rango for my wife, who tends to like animated films. I was unsurprised when she told me she actually watched Rango over the summer, but I was surprised when she informed me she did not actually enjoy it. But, given that she and I have different tastes in movies, I decided to watch the movie with my in-laws while she was at work anyway.

My wife was right.

Rango is a remarkably underwhelming, average-at-its-peak, movie that might have impressive animation, but not enough to back it up on the character and plot fronts. The animated film is a Western populated by animal characters and it is surprisingly unoriginal and lacking in humor needed to sustain an animated film.

As part of a move, a domesticated lizard is keeping himself occupied in his aquarium, making theatrical presentations to keep himself entertained, when the car swerves and the aquarium goes flying. The lizard ends up on the road, then after a near-death experience, lost in the desert. Chased by a redtail hawk, the lizard ends up running into the small town of Dirt. There, he begins bragging about how he has killed the local villainous gang (with one bullet) and he takes the name Rango. Having befriended a lonely woman named Beans, Rango’s bragging and posturing earns him the role of Sherriff in the town of Dirt.

As Sherriff, Rango vows to discover how the bank is running out of water. He quickly uncovers a plot by a family of thieves. After riding out and thwarting their plans, Rango is replaced by Rattlesnake Jake and he must come to rescue Dirt. Exposing the corrupt Mayor, Rango risks life and limb to bring water back to Dirt.

Rango is a Johnny Depp vehicle and it is hard to see how the film did any business outside his fan base. The animation is well-rendered and all of the animals look good and move with a surprisingly realistic sense of physics. The character designs are very cool for the lizards, scorpions, turtle, cat, and bats; Rango has a vivid visual palate.

Unfortunately, effects are a small portion of evaluating a film and Rango is not backed up by an interesting series of characters or a remotely good plot. Movies like this usually trade on having great lines that are enough to amuse adults, but Rango lacks anything so clever. The characters are unmemorable and the plot is predictable.

The vocal performances are decent, though Johnny Depp does not present anything that viewers have not seen or heard from him before. Backed by talents like Isla Fisher, Ned Beatty, Bill Nighy, Abigail Breslin, and Alfred Molina, the characters in Rango are expressive, if not impressive.

Now on DVD and Blu-Ray, Rango includes an alternate ending, two different versions, and ten deleted scenes. None of that makes it worth buying.

For other works with Isla Fisher, please check out my reviews of:
Rise Of The Guardians
Confessions Of A Shopaholic
Definitely, Maybe
Scooby-Doo

3/10

For other film reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Hitting A Stride, Hitting A High With NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season!

The Good: Hilarious, Well acted, Interesting characters, Good DVD extras, Funny, Decent plots
The Bad: Hmmm...I can't come up with any, sorry! (I could always use more commentary tracks!)
The Basics: NewsRadio hits its stride and peak with this boxed set that is as close to perfect as a comedy can get!


Sometimes, there comes a show that when it returns for the new season, a fan will sit, smile and be instantly transported to somewhere that feels familiar. There is a sense of homecoming when great television returns and in the case of NewsRadio, that sense of welcome and familiarity began the moment I put the first disc of season three into the DVD player. It felt like I was coming home to a place I had missed after replaying the first NewsRadio DVD boxed set (reviewed here!) over and over again for a few years. And the truth is, there came a point that I was hooked in the first Season Three episode. Jimmy James has decided to run for president and he is telling his staff about it. He says, "You know what's wrong with this country? Absolutely nothing." To which Bill McNeal responds, "Your complicated thesis intrigues me. Tell me more." in an overly serious deadpan that only Phil Hartman could pull off. And I spent the rest of the day and night as a NewsRadio junkie.

Yes, NewsRadio - The Complete Third Season is that good.

Dave Nelson continues to manage New York City news station WNYX while being micromanaged by station owner, crazed billionaire Jimmy James. While dating producer, Lisa, Dave is constantly stressed by managing the on-air talent, figuring out what Matthew is doing and making sure Joe keeps the station up and running. He reluctantly rallies the staff to have fun at the staff Halloween party, attempts to keep a bad magazine article from getting the staff down, leads the station to victory at an award's show, deals with a complaint box and tries to save Matthew from destitution from medical bills when he is injured. As well, the staff hallucinates when the air conditioning breaks down, the women have a photoshoot, and experience an alternate future.

This is a situation comedy that does not suffer from the predictability of most situation comedies. Instead, it is refined, biting, hilarious and consistently well-written. Equally important is the casting. They say that the better part of great acting is great casting and NewsRadio seems determined to prove that. The show features one of the ensemble casts that is a dream for a comedic writer. Look at the talent involved in this show!

Dave Foley stars as Dave Nelson. He's one of the comedic geniuses who made The Kids In The Hall (season two reviewed here!) so painfully funny. He has a disarming wide-eyed face and the ability to deadpan with precision and deliver sarcasm with a tone that is the very definition of irony. But at the same time, he has the serious demeanor that gives him a leadership quality to make the viewer believe that he could be a station manager.

Phil Hartman appears as Bill McNeal. Coming off the wickedly funny seventh season of The Simpsons, which Hartman contributed to with voice acting in nine of the episodes as his iconic Troy McClure or Lionel Hutz, Hartman was given the opportunity to explode the character of Bill in the third season with episodes that give the voice actor some truly meaty roles. Hartman is easily the most believable member of the on-air staff of WNYX (though Khandi Alexander as Catherine Duke certainly has the voice for it as well!) with his vocal talents, but his comedic delivery never stumbles in this season. Instead, he plays a character that is arrogant, egotistical, condescending and deeply sarcastic. Hartman lends his comic brilliance to the role through a pretty simple and effective formula; he keeps a rigid, dignified posture and combines it with a serious tone of voice that makes the most outrageous things his character says seem serious. That just makes them funnier.

The rest of the cast is similarly intense and smart. Stephen Root has the role of his lifetime as Jimmy James, Maura Tierney does more than simply pout or bring angst as Lisa, Vicki Lewis has a spontaneous quality to her that keeps her often underused role as Beth fresh, and Khandi Alexander has a dignity that completely defines her character. But it's the surprising use of actor Joe Rogan that works out brilliantly. Like Tony Danza in Taxi, Rogan is asked to pretty much just lurch around the set being a guy and he makes it work and he enhances the often-zany rest of the cast with his understatement. And even Andy Dick manages to bring something to the table. Before Dick became a half-rate photocopy of Tom Green, he managed to be remarkably ridiculous with a minimal of physical comedy, profanity or just outrageous prankstering. This season of NewsRadio showcases his ability to be funny by simply playing the dimwit. And it's possibly the best role he plays as well.

For those unfamiliar with NewsRadio, it is worth understanding who the actors are cast as to understand why they make so much of their roles. The characters on NewsRadio are funny and in this season, they are put into more interesting situations to be funny in. Here are the principle characters:

Dave Nelson - Station manager, he is responsible for day-to-day operations at WNYX. Dating Lisa, he is prompted to retake his SATs to prove he is not getting dumber, buys a television to keep up on his love of Green Acres, goes in drag to the Halloween party, covers for everyone on Christmas and has a revelation that shocks those who work at the station about where he is truly from,

Lisa Miller - Is given more responsibilities than producing, including reporting. She covers the White House Easter Egg Hunt, has a photoshoot when she is named "Cutest Reporter In New York," takes control of the station when Dave is stuck in the midwest, and she decides to have a baby,

Matthew - The office punching bag becomes obsessed with Dilbert, brings in a twin brother who truly isn't, and is put off by the weirdness of a new intern. James Caan, sent to study Bill for a role, becomes obsessed with the awkward behaviors of Matthew and is captivated. He also goes on vacation to Japan . . . sort of,

Catherine - Is pursued by Joe and imagines having other people of color in her life as opposed to the very white staff she is surrounded by,

Joe - Hits on Catherine, works to fix the air conditioner, subs for Bill when he is incapacitated and continues to make weird devices. In a hilarious turn, this brutish, often inarticulate handyman practices law when Jimmy needs someone sued,

Beth - Is mostly just a supporting role this season with her best roles being in the daydream episode when she is freaked out by Matthew and when she and Matthew discover Bill's love nest,

Bill McNeal - On-air reporter for WNYX, he is possibly the highest paid member of the staff, which leads him to a constantly heady feeling expressed by him lording his position over everyone of the staff. This season, he does a hilarious advertisement for a malt liquor ("Damn!"), takes on the lyrics from rap music, objects to a word Howard Stern uses on air (and in the process repeats the word many, many times), and joins a health club. As well, he deals poorly with learning that he will die in thirty-six years and attempts to explore James Caan's acting methods,

and Jimmy James - The crazy billionaire who owns the station, he decides to run for president, occasionally pursues potential wives, and has a heart attack. He continually cuts the budget and penny pinches, but also tries to keep around his staff by teaching Beth how to use the stock market, using one of Joe's inventions to stay in touch during a fishing trip and taking staff members to events outside work.

The episodes seem - in a description like this - to be pretty standard sitcom fare, but the truth is that the magic is in the writing and the performances. It is what separates this truly spectacular workplace comedy from so many that came before and have come since. There are few shows that have such a spectacular cast to use and fewer still that use the cast they have to their full capacity when they have them. NewsRadio does not make those mistakes.

On DVD, the third season is graced with ten commentary tracks over the twenty-five episodes. The commentaries are funny and often insightful and one only finds themselves wishing Phil Hartman had been alive to contribute to them. There is a pretty standard gag reel and a couple of featurettes on the behind-the-scenes thoughts and evolution of the show into the third season. The DVD extras are decent and pretty much the standard for a comedic release.

But the nice thing is the show is so accessible. Anyone who picks this boxed set up and gives it a fair viewing is going to be entertained, laugh a lot and want to pick up more NewsRadio boxed sets. It's that good, it's that original and it holds up well enough to deserve to be in your permanent collection!

For other works with Stephen Root, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Cedar Rapids
Red State
Everything Must Go
No Country For Old Men
True Blood - Season 1
The Soloist
The West Wing - Season 7
Just Friends
Jersey Girl
White Oleander
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Bicentennial Man
Office Space
“Control Freak” - VR.5
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
“Unification, Part II” - Star Trek: The Next Generation
“Unification” - Star Trek: The Next Generation

9.5/10

For other television and movie reviews, please visit my Movie Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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One Of The Best Sitcoms Ever To Syndicate Comes To DVD With NewsRadio!

The Good: Great acting, Great characters, FUNNY!, Good writing, Good DVD extras
The Bad: Some predictable plots
The Basics: With twenty-eight episodes, most of which have commentary, this DVD set becomes one of the funniest and clever sitcoms anyone could add to their collection!


Any show that references space prostitutes is all right by me. Of course, to my knowledge, there is only one series that dares to reference Vixens From The Vacuum and that is NewsRadio, in its hilarious episode "No, This Is Not Based Entirely On Julie's Life" on DVD in the first NewsRadio boxed set. NewsRadio - The Complete First And Second Season is an example of doing right what the awkward The Practice - Vol. 1 (reviewed here!) did wrong. This boxed set includes all seven first season episodes and the twenty-one episodes that made up the second season. This also marks the only sitcom I caught in syndication that was so truly spectacular that I had to buy the DVD sets. If you've never seen or heard of NewsRadio, this DVD set should soon be in your possession and one that you'll find gets pretty heavy rotation.

Set in New York City's WNYX radio station featuring an all news format, this workplace sitcom followed the exploits of the straightlaced office manager, Dave, as he worked to keep the station up and running while dealing with the eccentric characters who inhabit the office. It is surprisingly original, hilarious and holds up remarkably well over many multiple viewings.

Dave arrives at WNYX to take over as station manager. There he meets Lisa, the angry producer who believes she should have gotten the station manager's job. Things become complicated for Dave and Lisa when they start dating unbeknownst to anyone else in the office or the station owner, billionaire Jimmy James. While concealing their relationship, Dave is forced to deal with problems like an on-air mispronunciation of Joey Buttafuco's name, a staff uprising over new desks, the station's budget problems, and Mr. James using the staff to test new product's he is investing in. As well, the show centers on Dave breaking up with his old girlfriend (for good), the death of the office rat, and Jimmy's crazy quest to get married.

It's all good. Seriously. Front to back, this DVD set is a winner. In fact, when someone else compared it to Arrested Development (reviewed here!), I finally realized why I like Arrested Development so much! They are both fiercely original and have great writing. Honestly, the only thing I could come up with that brings down this boxed set from perfection is that some of the episodes are a bit predictable on the plot front. Not many, but a few. It's enough - in my stringent rating system - to keep the set from perfection. But it certainly should not keep you from picking the set up.

The show is edgier than some and while it starts off good, by the second season episodes, it is truly hitting its stride. The show is not afraid to push the limits of tasteful diction or subject matter, with workers exchanging nude photographs, competing for one another's affections and the entire staff railing ruthlessly on Dave when they think he's not listening. It's funny, it's sometime at the line of good taste, but it is always well-delivered.

NewsRadio starts out strong with the feeling of a show that has been on the air and while the first season employs a number of extras that are whittled out for the second season, there is only one major change in this boxed set and that is in the character of Matthew. Matthew starts out as a geek, but a suitably intelligent and with-it geek whose awkwardness is not a function of anything other than being awkward. At the outset of the second season (so after the first seven episodes) he is transformed into the village idiot, the comic relief because his clumsy character also happens to be painfully stupid. He remains the niche character of the dumb punching bag until the series ends. Outside that, most of the characters are fundamentally who they begin as.

That is not to say they do not evolve because one of the hallmarks of NewsRadio is that it is a rare semi-serialized show. As a result, relationships grow and change, there are consequences for some actions and some threads recur. In this boxed set, for example, Jimmy begins his search for a wife, Dave and Lisa work to keep their relationship secret at the office, and the workplace stress builds up with the staff prompting a staff retreat and a staff psychiatrist.

And like all great shows, NewsRadio has remarkably memorable characters. Here is who they are in the first season:

Dave Nelson - Fresh in from the midwest, Dave takes over as station manager and discovers his adversary for the job, Lisa, is completely hot. He develops a relationship with her that he has to keep secret and works to manage the office of eccentric characters that occupy WNYX. At the mercy of station owner Jimmy James, Dave is charged with keeping Bill working and not harassing Catherine, and keeping both Beth and Matthew focused on their jobs,

Bill McNeal - On-air talent. He's boisterous, loud, and opinionated. His ego often causes conflict with the coworkers and with Dave. He is taken to trying ridiculous things like taking up a cane, just for the look,

Lisa Miller - Producer. She had been vying for Dave's job when Jimmy brought in Dave, so she is resentful of him, despite their romantic relationship outside work,

Matthew Brock - A lesser producer. He's the incompetent buffoon around WNYX who is often getting into trouble, falling down or being teased. After the first few episodes, he is the butt of almost every terrible joke or prank,

Catherine Duke - On-air talent. Frequently pestered by Bill - or in competition with him for the best stories - she is a dignified, though she does sink to getting into a practical joke war with Bill,

Beth - The staff secretary. She is bubbly and generally inefficient, though she comes with a fiery wit. She tries get-rich-quick schemes that never seem to pan out for her,

Joe Gareli - The station's handyman. He's a kind of brutish guy who is handy with equipment and blunt with people. He facilitates things like Beth's schemes and the practical jokes between Bill and Catherine,

and Jimmy James - Crazy billionaire who owns the station. He controls the staff through a weird mix of fear and random bonuses. He gives Dave difficult assignments at odd times and changes the parameters of his expectations almost constantly. As well, he has a habit of beginning sentences or asking questions without quite knowing where he is going with them.

Part of what makes NewsRadio - The Complete First and Second Seasons so truly great is that the casting is brilliant. NewsRadio features some truly talented individuals. They include Maura Tierney as Lisa, Vicki Lewis as Beth, Khandi Alexander as Catherine, and Joe Rogan (who actually works out perfectly) as Joe. Andy Dick appears as Matthew and it seems like many of his roles later on are derivative of his role here, like his part in Employee Of The Month (reviewed here!). Stephen Root plays Jimmy James and it is quite possibly his most memorable single role to date.

Phil Hartman instantly led NewsRadio some credibility and it's easy to see why. Hartman has a voice that makes him ideal for radio, so the idea of him playing a character who works in radio is perfect casting. But Hartman also has a versatility that makes it possible for him to embody a character who can flawlessly move between arrogant, erudite, and completely smarmy. Hartman plays with that versatility in almost every single episode and Bill McNeal is in many ways his live-action legacy.

But the show is carried on the back of Dave Foley as Dave. Foley, well-known to comedy fans from The Kids In The Hall (season one reviewed here!), plays a much more straightlaced character as Dave and it works because his deadpan and normalcy allow everyone else in the cast to be zany or petty. Foley works as the ultimate straightman against a completely eccentric cast that meshes from almost the very first episode.

The DVD set is one of the truly great comedy DVD sets. Would that Sports Night (reviewed here!) had the extras that this set comes with! Twenty episodes have commentaries, there is a featurette. Season two has a pretty hilarious blooper reel and there are the usual filmographies included. It's an all around nice set of extras and the commentary tracks make for a wonderful addition to the DVD set providing hours more of entertainment. It honestly makes it worth it for those of us, like me, who might have been complacent about simply enjoying the series in syndication.

After all, I know I've been happier having NewsRadio on demand! I suspect anyone who likes a good laugh with humor that's above the curve, will as well.

For other works with Maura Tierney, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Baby Mama
Forces Of Nature
Primary Colors

8/10

For other television reviews, be sure to check out my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the television reviews I have written!

© 2012, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Long Awaited, In One Set, NewsRadio - The Complete Series Is Worth It!

The Good: Funny, Interesting characters, Well-performed
The Bad: Odd packaging that uses more space than needed, No booklet
The Basics: NewsRadio - The Complete Series is an average DVD set of a thoroughly funny and enduring situation comedy!


There are few television comedies that I have been looking to get on DVD that have led me to hold out for a "Complete Series" DVD pack, but NewsRadio was one of them. Content to borrow DVDs and watch the show in syndication until a "Complete Series" set was released, I felt a noticeable lack in my collection from the absence of NewsRadio. With the release of NewsRadio - The Complete Series on DVD, that hole has now been filled and I am quite glad to have this to watch whenever I want now.

In this complete series multipack, there are no additional bonus features or discs that were not released as any of the prior four DVD boxed sets. Moreover, the packaging on this set is funky; to save plastic and (presumably) space, the discs from the five seasons of NewsRadio are stacked in a single tray. All twelve discs are stacked in a tray that is almost twice as deep as it needs to be to accommodate the discs, which makes one wonder why the producers did not simply simplify the packaging even more. Even so, there is great value in the NewsRadio - The Complete Series boxed set, as all ninety-seven episodes of the series are available for less than the price of any two of the season boxed sets!

This set is a simple collection of the originally pressed discs for:
NewsRadio - Seasons 1 & 2
NewsRadio - Season 3
NewsRadio - Season 4
NewsRadio - Season 5

Set in New York City's WNYX radio station featuring an all news format, this workplace sitcom followed the exploits of the straightlaced office manager, Dave, as he worked to keep the station up and running while dealing with the eccentric characters who inhabit the office. It is surprisingly original, hilarious and holds up remarkably well over many multiple viewings.

Dave arrives at WNYX to take over as station manager. There he meets Lisa, the angry producer who believes she should have gotten the station manager's job. Things become complicated for Dave and Lisa when they start dating unbeknownst to anyone else in the office or the station owner, billionaire Jimmy James. While concealing their relationship, Dave is forced to deal with problems like an on-air mispronunciation of Joey Buttafuco's name, a staff uprising over new desks, the station's budget problems, and Mr. James using the staff to test new product's he is investing in. As well, the show centers on Dave breaking up with his old girlfriend (for good), the death of the office rat, and Jimmy's crazy quest to get married.

In the third season, Dave Nelson continues to manage New York City news station WNYX while being micromanaged by station owner, crazed billionaire Jimmy James. While dating producer, Lisa, Dave is constantly stressed by managing the on-air talent, figuring out what Matthew is doing and making sure Joe keeps the station up and running. He reluctantly rallies the staff to have fun at the staff Halloween party, attempts to keep a bad magazine article from getting the staff down, leads the station to victory at an award's show, deals with a complaint box and tries to save Matthew from destitution from medical bills when he is injured. As well, the staff hallucinates when the air conditioning breaks down, the women have a photoshoot, and experience an alternate future.

In the fourth season, Dave finds himself hampered by budget problems which immediately lead to Matthew being fired and an efficiency expert being brought in to evaluate the station and determine what can be cut. When the expert's analysis leads to a change in staff positions, WNYX is turned upside down!

In the final season, Bill dies (a necessary change given the murder of actor Phil Hartman) and Dave hires Max Louis as the new on-air talent to keep station WNYX afloat. Louis instantly antagonizes Matthew, flirts with Beth, competes with Lisa and challenges Jimmy for who might be stranger around the office. With the appearance of Max, Lisa finds her hands tied at work and surprised when a criminal mastermind, Johnny Johnson expresses interest in her following Jimmy's arrest as a suspected hijacker. With Jimmy on the run, Dave gets bad vibes from Johnny and sets to exonerating his boss with the help of the others at the office.

What makes the series so funny is the writing. The dialogue is hilarious and delivered at a wonderfully fast pace by performers who have a genuine knack for comedy. So, for example, in the third episode, "Smoking," Dave is trying to help Bill quit smoking. He does this by supplying Bill with the nicotine patch and the following ensues between Lisa and Dave:
"Don't you need a prescription for those?"
"Yeah, I went to my doctor this morning and had him prescribe them for me."
"But you don't smoke."
"Yeah, but I told him that I was thinking about starting. You know, I don't think he's a very good doctor." - Lisa and Dave, respectively, "Smoking."

It translates well even reading the lines, but there is no substitute for seeing the talented comics delivering their banter. The show is edgier than some and while it starts off good, by the second season episodes, it is truly hitting its stride. The show is not afraid to push the limits of tasteful diction or subject matter, with workers exchanging nude photographs, competing for one another's affections and the entire staff railing ruthlessly on Dave when they think he's not listening. It's funny, it's sometime at the line of good taste, but it is always well-delivered.

NewsRadio starts out strong with the feeling of a show that has been on the air and while the first season employs a number of extras that are whittled out for the second season, there is only one major change in this boxed set and that is in the character of Matthew. Matthew starts out as a geek, but a suitably intelligent and with-it geek whose awkwardness is not a function of anything other than being awkward. At the outset of the second season (so after the first seven episodes) he is transformed into the village idiot, the comic relief because his clumsy character also happens to be painfully stupid. He remains the niche character of the dumb punching bag until the series ends. Outside that, most of the characters are fundamentally who they begin as.

That is not to say they do not evolve because one of the hallmarks of NewsRadio is that it is a rare semi-serialized show. As a result, relationships grow and change, there are consequences for some actions and some threads recur. In this boxed set, for example, Jimmy begins his search for a wife, Dave and Lisa work to keep their relationship secret at the office, and the workplace stress builds up with the staff prompting a staff retreat and a staff psychiatrist.

And like all great shows, NewsRadio has remarkably memorable characters. Here is how they are initially characterized:

Dave Nelson - Fresh in from the midwest, Dave takes over as station manager and discovers his adversary for the job, Lisa, is completely hot. He develops a relationship with her that he has to keep secret and works to manage the office of eccentric characters that occupy WNYX. At the mercy of station owner Jimmy James, Dave is charged with keeping Bill working and not harassing Catherine, and keeping both Beth and Matthew focused on their jobs,

Bill McNeal - On-air talent. He's boisterous, loud, and opinionated. His ego often causes conflict with the coworkers and with Dave. He is taken to trying ridiculous things like taking up a cane, just for the look,

Lisa Miller - Producer. She had been vying for Dave's job when Jimmy brought in Dave, so she is resentful of him, despite their romantic relationship outside work,

Matthew Brock - A lesser producer. He's the incompetent buffoon around WNYX who is often getting into trouble, falling down or being teased. After the first few episodes, he is the butt of almost every terrible joke or prank,

Catherine Duke - On-air talent. Frequently pestered by Bill - or in competition with him for the best stories - she is a dignified, though she does sink to getting into a practical joke war with Bill,

Beth - The staff secretary. She is bubbly and generally inefficient, though she comes with a fiery wit. She tries get-rich-quick schemes that never seem to pan out for her,

Joe Gareli - The station's handyman. He's a kind of brutish guy who is handy with equipment and blunt with people. He facilitates things like Beth's schemes and the practical jokes between Bill and Catherine,

Max Louis - The new radio anchor for the final season, he has been fired by over thirty jobs in the past twenty years, which makes him neurotic about being fired. When Dave does not fire him, he settles in to annoying Matthew, flirting with Beth and starting his own vendetta against Jimmy's security consultant,

and Jimmy James - Crazy billionaire who owns the station. He controls the staff through a weird mix of fear and random bonuses. He gives Dave difficult assignments at odd times and changes the parameters of his expectations almost constantly. As well, he has a habit of beginning sentences or asking questions without quite knowing where he is going with them.

Part of what makes NewsRadio - The Complete Series so truly great is that the casting is brilliant. NewsRadio features some truly talented individuals. They include Maura Tierney as Lisa, Vicki Lewis as Beth, Khandi Alexander as Catherine, and Joe Rogan (who actually works out perfectly) as Joe. Andy Dick appears as Matthew and it seems like many of his roles later on are derivative of his role her. Stephen Root plays Jimmy James and it is quite possibly his most memorable single role to date.

Phil Hartman instantly led NewsRadio some credibility and it's easy to see why. Hartman has a voice that makes him ideal for radio, so the idea of him playing a character who works in radio is perfect casting. But Hartman also has a versatility that makes it possible for him to embody a character who can flawlessly move between arrogant, erudite, and completely smarmy. Hartman plays with that versatility in almost every single episode and Bill McNeal is in many ways his live-action legacy.

But the show is carried on the back of Dave Foley as Dave. Foley, well-known to comedy fans from The Kids In The Hall (season one reviewed here!), plays a much more straightlaced character as Dave and it works because his deadpan and normalcy allow everyone else in the cast to be zany or petty. Foley works as the ultimate straightman against a completely eccentric cast that meshes from almost the very first episode.

The DVD extras on the various seasons of NewsRadio are fairly lean, though they seem to be pretty much the industry standard for comedies. There are a few featurettes on the characters and seasons and one or two commentary tracks, but not much else. In the "Complete Series" package, it would have been nice to have more than just a listing of episode titles (a booklet with little plot summaries would have been ideal!). Sadly, that is not present.

Still, it is not hard to get into this series and it is a series that one may get through rather quickly, yet want to have around for years to come. A worthy, if vastly underrated series that is now available in one bundle for fans to enjoy for posterity!

For other shows that air(ed) on NBC, please check out my reviews of:
30 Rock – Season 1
The West Wing
Heroes
Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip
Friends
Frasier
Homicide: Life On The Streets
V - The Television Series
Star Trek

8/10

For other movie and television reviews, please visit my Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2012, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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