Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Doctor Who The Christmas Specials Gift Set (BBC)
These three discs gather together all eleven of the Doctor Who Christmas Specials, starring Tenth Doctor David Tennant (“The Christmas Invasion,” “The Runaway Bride,” “Voyage of the Damned,” “The Next Doctor,” and “The End of Time” Parts 1 & 2, which saw his transformation into), Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith (“A Christmas Carol,” “The Doctor, the Widow and the Wardrobe,” “The Snowmen,” and “The Time of the Doctor”) and then Twelfth Doctor Peter Capaldi (“Last Christmas.”) All are great fun with some pithy surprises and the occasional tug on the heartstrings. In the spirit of the season, actor/comedian Rufus Hound also takes a lighthearted look at The Doctors’ time-honored BBC holiday tradition. And for the kid in us all, there’s even a spring-wingy, lighty-soundy toy replica of The Twelfth Doctor’s indispensable sonic screwdriver!

If you’re looking for a companion gift (see what I did there, Whovians?) that’s just as high-tech but a bit more useful, check out Massive Audio’s TARDIS Portable Bluetooth Speaker. Unlike some licensed electronics I’ve seen, the build quality here is definitely solid and the design is inspired, with onboard soundbites, on-speaker controls, and LED lights that let us know it’s performing properly. Thanks to its 2-inch driver and 2.5-inch passive bass radiator, the sound quality is respectable, too. The speaker is software-upgradeable as new features become available and you can wire more than one together—there are Dalek styles to be had as well—for multichannel audio. A built-in microphone offers noise cancellation for calls. (This is a callbox after all.) A USB charging cable for the 10-hour lithium-ion battery is supplied, along with a mini cable for hard-wire connections. And it’s blue! Or am I giving them too much credit for cleverness? (Sold separately.)
$52.18 on amazon.com

The Civil War 25th Anniversary Edition (PBS)
Ken Burns’ epic 11-hour documentary mini-series has had profound effects over the past quarter-century, both in the way the American Civil War is now perceived as well as how informational programming has been produced ever since. By taking history outside of the classroom in such a compelling manner, painstakingly researched and given voice by big-name actors, Burns helped millions better understand a defining conflict in our nation’s saga. Its production values were surprisingly high, beyond what could be appreciated over the airwaves of its era, but time has been cruel to the original film elements. An impressive 4K restoration done for this anniversary edition has erased years of decay, revealing more vivid color while punching up the black-and-white and refreshing the sepia tones. Video noise has been drastically reduced and film weave all but eliminated for a far more engaging presentation. It also shows more of the image than was possible in the 4:3 age. A new “making of” puts the achievement of The Civil War into perspective, and the additional interviews include all of noted historian Shelby Foote’s on-camera contributions, in HD.
$76.16 on amazon.com

The Hobbit Trilogy Extended Edition (Warner)
No, it’s no Lord of the Rings, but Peter Jackson’s epic expansion of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit—through An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies—gave fans a three-year “event” that they won’t soon forget. The recent Five Armies, the best (and shortest) of this trilogy, raised eyebrows with its revised R-rating, darker and more violent in its Extended Edition, but what do you expect to happen when you combine five armies and a particularly nasty dragon?

Six of this set’s nine Blu-ray discs are devoted entirely to supplements, including Peter Jackson audio commentaries on all, as well as “The Appendices” Parts 7-12 that pick up right where Rings left off, covering more aspects of this mammoth undertaking than I ever could have imagined. I didn’t time it all out but a sticker proclaims “Over 28 Hours of Bonus Content” and I believe it. These platters are for the devoted, and there are certainly plenty of those, or for the cinematically inquisitive. But I submit that the movies are fair game for anyone who loves home theater, with some of the most naturalistic digital video and thrilling 7.1-channel DTS-HD Master Audio you’re likely to find. (Also available in a 15-disc Blu-ray 3D edition.)
$64.84 on amazon.com

Justified The Complete Series (Sony)
U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is the sort of old-school lawman we might have encountered in the old west. In fact, the character often seems to be channeling the timeless cool of Clint Eastwood in his prime, living by his own code and therefore a problem for his bosses, but also undeniably effective in his relentless pursuit of justice, thereby an even bigger problem for the criminals of Harlan, Kentucky. The case could be made that a hero is only as good as his nemeses are bad, and Justified certainly supplied those: unexpectedly evil yet nuanced perps unafraid to run afoul of the law. Almost without exception the writing was superb throughout all six seasons, and the scribes get their due in the set’s new bonus disc. All of the original (and “uncensored”!) extras carry over, varying quite a bit from year to year but quite a substantial complement in toto.

Kudos to Sony for also adding something pretty special: a definitely usable hip flask with a classy raised Justified logo. Guess I picked the wrong week to quit drinking, but this does pair quite well with…
$99.99 on amazon.com

Mad Men The Complete Collection (Lionsgate)
It occurred to me only recently that the title has the same cadence and initials as “Man’s Man,” and that’s what Don Draper (recent Emmy recipient Jon Hamm) ultimately is, and therein lies much of the appeal of his exploits as the Creative Director of Madison Avenue ad agency Sterling Cooper (and all of its subsequent names). Don did what he wanted, with whomever he wanted. But of course it wasn’t just the smoking, drinking, and carousing that defined him. The depths of his tortured soul took years to expose, but his inner turmoil gave him a unique outlook on the world, which he spun into advertising gold more often than not, his meltdown in front of Hershey’s notwithstanding.

Lionsgate had always done great things with this period drama on Blu-ray, and all of those deep, often interactive features carry over here, in addition to previously unreleased audio commentaries now added to Season Six, which had inexplicably been the only season without any commentaries. (All other seasons have at least one per episode.) The historical themes that wove so profoundly into the storylines are analyzed, particularly valuable for younger fans. The Sixties was after all the decade that gave us Viet Nam, Nixon, two Kennedys, civil rights, women’s liberation, The Beatles, and the moon landing, not to mention some of the most memorable ads the world has ever seen. The 23 Blu-ray discs arrive in an attractive hardbound book filled not only with photos but rundowns of the extensive bonus content, episode credits and more. And to help us toast the conclusion of a true small-screen masterpiece are a set of high-quality coasters with graphics that harken back to the iconic title sequence, along with two silver-rimmed lowball tumblers made of real glass. Fill ’em from the Justified flask for a genre-defying mashup.
$136.99 on amazon.com