Non-film DVDs/BDs review thread

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Has anyone seen some DVDs or BDs that were non-film related? i.e. Documentaries, TV series, children's shows etc etc? If so, you might like to review them here!

I have something on the go that will be reviewed here in the coming days.

Grumpy Old Men: Series One (2003) / IMDb / DVD / Region 2 & 4 PAL / United Kingdom / BBC

DVD front cover:



DVD back cover:



Plot (from back of DVD cover):

Comments:

I've seen bits of this British TV series when it originally aired on BBC TWO, and the odd repeat every now and then. Nothing really much happens in this series - it's basically a load of celebrities (some of which, like John Peel, are sadly no longer with us) as they hold forth about things in modern society they dislike. It's moderately funny. I actually bought this DVD, still in its cellophane wrapper, for £2 down the charity shop. I didn't think it was a bad deal so I went with it.

There are now three series of this show, and I might track down the other two. The reviews online that I've read claim that the second series is actually funnier than the first due to the better guests they have on (I mean, Richard Madeley - really?).

As for the DVD: there is one slight problem - I could only watch about 70% of the Christmas Special (also included on the disc) before it cut out. All episodes are presented in 16:9 anamorphic, although a fair bit of the footage used has obviously come from older sources and has been cropped for the purpose of the series. The picture quality is fairly decent but really doesn't stand up well if you're watching it close up, in full screen, on an iMac! It's broadcast TV quality, basically. There are English subtitles included on the disc, but apart from the Christmas Special (which I liked better than the series on the disc) there are no extras.

I am in the tedious process of watching The Big Bang Theory one DVD at a time courtesy of Netflix. I finished Season 1, Disc 1 last week. Here is what I thought of it:

The start of the series, some character's personalities have not yet been set in stone, the most prominent example being Sheldon. In the first episode he is portrayed as having an understanding of sarcasm, while in the very next episode he is completely clueless about it. There were 6 episodes on the DVD and my favorite episodes were the latter three. In "The Luminous Fish Effect" and "The Hamburger Postulate", Sheldon's Asperger's-like traits were on full display. I particularly identified with Sheldon's behavior in The Luminous Fish Effect, because he was depressed and had a new hobby every week (or was it every day? Can't remember). I went through a similar thing last year when I was struggling with losing a beloved special interest. When my mom caught this episode with me on TV, we laughed because of how similar Sheldon's behavior was to mine at the time. Without giving away too many details, I thought that "The Middle Earth Paradigm" was an awesome episode and a great one to end the DVD with. I particularly liked the last scene where Raj is in bed with one of the party guests and after she compliments him, he folds his hands behind his head and smiles in a cute way.

I'm currently on Season 1, Disc 2 and will review it when I'm done with it.

The BBC David Atenborough First Life DVD is a great documentary exploring the origins of Animal Life.