Headsup: Falling Skies, Family Drama, and Funnies

In the celebrated film Cloverfield, the viewer is given a first-person account of a mysterious and terrifying attack on Manhattan by an unknown foe. Action-packed visuals and a heart-racing storyline combine to tell the story of an unexpected and seemingly inescapable apocalypse. Celebrating the tenth anniversary of its original release this year, Cloverfield is now available in a new 4K Ultra-HD / Blu-ray combo pack. The set boasts over an hour of bonus features, including alternate endings and deleted scenes, a “making of” special, multiple featurettes, and audio commentary by director Matt Reeves. Paired with its predecessor is the 4K release of 10 Cloverfield Lane, a psychological thriller starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr., and John Goodman as three (supposed) survivors of an apocalyptic attack that has thrown them together in the latter’s underground bunker. Tensions run ever higher as revelations begin to spark questions about whether the true danger lies inside or outside the bunker, and whether escaping it will mean salvation or death. 10 Cloverfield Lane is also now available in a 4K Ultra-HD / Blu-ray combo pack, with extras that include seven featurettes covering the film’s production (and how it relates to Cloverfield) along with commentary by director Dan Trachtenberg and producer J.J. Abrams. The Cloverfield 4K combo pack and the 10 Cloverfield Lane 4k combo pack are both currently available on Amazon for $26.62.

Turning from apocalyptic damage to damage control, we have Season Five of Ray Donovan.  In this season, the elite Hollywood fixer Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber) must deal with challenges within his own family as together they charge into unfamiliar territory, including issues of life, love, death, and Parkinson’s Disease.  Also starring Susan Sarandon in her recurring role as the incomparable media titan Samantha Winslow, Season Five takes the characters (and the audience) on an emotional rollercoaster not set to stop any time soon.  The DVD set of Ray Donovan: The Fifth Season will be released on January 30.  In addition to all twelve of the season’s episodes, the set presents almost thirty minutes of special features, including featurettes exploring Abby’s fate, dealing with introducing the challenges of Parkinson’s Disease into the storyline, and other issues from the season, along with commentary on Episode 508 (“Horses”) with Paula Malcomson (Abby) and series showrunner David Hollander.  Ray Donovan: The Fifth Season is currently available to pre-order on Amazon for $29.17.  Fans who have already watched the season likely have a subscription to Showtime or Amazon Prime with the Showtime add-on option and already have access to the season, but if you’re looking for some background on Season Five’s production (or are looking to gift it to someone), it might be worth checking out the DVD option.

Far from the dark thoughts of cities falling and beloved characters dying is the refreshingly lighthearted second season of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, which was itself an answer to the turmoil of the 1960s.  Starring “straight man” Dan Rowan and the endearingly goofy Dick Martin alongside a cast of regulars (including Goldie Hawn, Richard Dawson, Lily Tomlin, and Ruth Buzzy, among others) who would become famous in their own right, the show was a tidal wave of skits, non-sequiturs, rapid-fire one-liners, and just plain silliness.  Season Two of the series featured a bevy of epic guest stars, including Jack Benny, Victor Borge, Mel Brooks, Sammy Davis Jr, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hugh Hefner, John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Bob Newhart, Tony Curtis, Richard Nixon, and several others.  Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In: The Complete Second Season is now available in a 7-disc DVD set from Time Life, which includes all twenty-six episodes from Season Two along with interviews from Dick Martin, Gary Owens, and Ruth Buzzi as bonus features.  You can currently get the set on Amazon for $26.60.