TV releases on DVD
Ben Miller stars as the self-obsessed Jonathan Pope in Moving Wallpaper.
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Monday, 17, Mar 2008 04:32
The Shield, Moving Wallpaper and Life Begins in this week's biggest TV DVDs to hit the shelves.
Series six of US cop drama The Shield hits the shelves this week, promising yet more gritty action from maverick detective Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis) - dubbed 'Al Capone with a badge'.
As the Strike Team react to the loss of their colleague Lem, they struggle to cope with demands for improved crime statistics from their superiors and the controversial Detective John Kavanaugh (Oscar-winner Forrest Whitaker) puts pressure on witnesses to lie about Mackey and co.
One of ITV's most promising shows in years comes to DVD, as a Moving Wallpaper/Echo Beach boxset is released.
The former - while hardly as revelatory as it claimed to be - at least provided a consistently watchable behind-the-scenes look at soap operas, with Ben Miller in superb form as pantomime baddie Jonathan Pope, while the latter - seemed unfortunately confused about whether it was intended to be a send-up of dodgy soaps or, well, just a plain boring one.
Still, at least there's some nice eye-candy on show.
The second series of The Inspector Linley Mysteries sees the crime-fighting capers of Linley (Nathaniel Parker) and DS Havers (Sharon Small) solving another set of rural murders, based on the Elizabeth George models.
Suitable for nans.
The same can't be said for The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, cunningly re-released as Harrison Ford's fourth big screen outing as the intrepid archaeologist nears.
The likes of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Anne Heche, Max von Sydow and Vanessa Redgrave guest star in this second volume of youthful swashbuckling, as young Jones (Corey Carrier, and later Sean Patrick Flanery) manages to become involved in the first world war and the Russian Revolution, as well as attempting to escape from prison with Charles de Gaulle.
Rip-roaring fun.
The first series of quirky comedy-dramaA Town Called Eureka comes to DVD this week, as US marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) ends up in the tiny north-western settlement, populated by the smartest people in the US.
Intelligent and involving.
Also released this week is series two of Life Begins with Caroline Quentin in spirited form as Maggie Mee who fights to rebuild her life after her husband leaves her for a younger woman.
And in the retro DVD corner, some classic shows come to the home format this week.
Series one of The Morecambe and Wise Show sees Eric and Ernie at their irrepressible best and includes comparatively rare footage from their first four Thames Television specials and three Christmas editions.
The Keith Floyd Cookery Collection: Floyd on Spain features the ebullient chef on a whistle-stop tour through the culinary delights of Spain, travelling through Galicia, Catalunya, the Basque Country, the Balearics, Costa Blancha, Andalucia and La Mancha, presumably enjoying a few glasses of Rioja on the way.
And in the seventh season of Are You Being Served, an endearingly old-fashioned sitcom continues, with more mildly embarrassing jokes about an old woman's cat and a camp shop assistant's, well, 'freedom'.