DVD Releases: TV Crime Drama Extravaganza & An Emmy-Winning Giveaway
Jim Halterman at .It's Christmas in September for fans of crime dramas and/or stellar made-for-TV movies, considering the wealth of titles available today on DVD/Blu-Ray.
With an Arrow Season 1 giveaway already live, we're offering readers another free prize pack below, while giving fans an idea of what they can expect from the releases:
Behind the Candelabra: Whomever thought of casting Michael Douglas and Matt Damon as gay lovers Liberace and Scott Thorson in this HBO biopic should win an Emmy this weekend. Directed by Steven Soderbergh and based on Thorson's autobiography, the film focuses on the love affair between Liberace (Douglas) and Thorson (Damon), which may have started from a place of love but, as we all know, certainly didn't end that way. The actors, joined by Debbie Reynolds, Rob Lowe, Scott Bakula and Dan Aykroyd, bring not only the characters to life but also a certain amount of humor balanced with the drama to create one memorable film.
And kudos to Douglas and Damon for not shying away whatsoever from playing the more intimate scenes between the two men.
The film already won a few Creative Arts Emmys this past weekend, but is sure to win more at this weekend's ceremony, so it's fitting that the home video release happen now. Even better, the good folks at HBO sent over three (3) Blu-Rays of the film to giveaway to our TV Fanatics. If you're over the age of 18 and live in the United States, follow the steps below for a chance to win a copy of this terrific film. We will select three winners at random on Monday, September 24:
CSI Season 13: You'd think this long into the series that started the CSI franchise that things would start feeling tired... but you'd be wrong. With Ted Danson steering the ship and Elisabeth Shue bringing her own freshness to the series after the departure of Marg Helgenberger, CSI is a strong and entertaining as ever. The same can be said for the DVD release, which comes with not only all 22 gripping episodes but a spattering of terrific extras.
Featurettes include "Chapter 13," "A Tale Of Two Cities" (Danson and CSI:NY's Gary Sinise recount the crossover episode, "The Extended Family," "Drawing Blood" and, among others, an extended Black Sabbath video from the season finale, "Skin In The Game." (Season 14 starts September 25th on CBS.)
Vegas: The CBS drama may not have struck enough of a chord with viewers to warrant a second season, but don't write off the DVD release of the 21 episodes of the Dennis Quaid/Michael Chiklis starrer. With guest stars like Anna Camp, Greg Grunberg, Ivana Milicevic and Doug Savant, the series - inspired by real life Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb (Quaid) - dove into the darker crime of Sin City. The DVD also comes with features like an interview with the real Lamb, as well as a set tour with the gregarious Chiklis and the usual gag reel, audio commentary on select episodes and deleted scenes.
The Mentalist Season 5: Te question of Who Is Red John is not answered in the fifth season of the long-running crime drama, but we do make progress as Baker's Patrick Jane continues to stop at nothing to finally find out the serial killer's true identity. And the DVD release is just as captivating with all 22 episodes, as well as extras that take us inside the process that takes the show from script to screen as well as a demonstration with stars Tim Kang and Owain Yeoman as they are go through stunt training and learn from their police advisor on how to correctly play a cop onscreen. (The Mentalist Season 6 kicks off September 29th on CBS.)
Blue Bloods Season 3: The hit CBS series that combines procedural crime with a multi-generational family drama comes to DVD with the third season of 23 episodes starring Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Len Carioiu and Will Estes. Besides the rich storytelling of each episode, the DVD also is a hit because of the extras that take you behind-the-scenes with the makings of the show. "The Story of the Reagans" traces the Reagan family including major character developments, a featurette that deconstructs the show's trademark of great dinner scenes and a set tour along with audio commmentary, gag reel and deleted scenes. (Season 4 starts September 27th on CBS.)
Leverage Final Season: While it never reached the heights of other TNT hits like The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles, Leverage developed a very strong and loyal fan base who supported the show until the end... which came in Season 5 And you can now watch the final episodes of the series that starred Timothy Hutton, Christian Kane, Aldis Hodge, Gina Bellman and Beth Riesgraf. With extras like commentary on episodes, gag reel and deleted scenes, fans may not be happy the show is gone but it can revel that TNT still managed to give it a fitting send off.
Jim Halterman is the West Coast Editor of TV Fanatic and the owner of JimHalterman.com. Follow him on Twitter.
