“Elementary stars Jonny Lee Miller as Detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD’s most impossible cases. Initially sober companion and client, Holmes and Watson’s relationship evolved into a symbiotic professional investigative partnership. Once the top homicide consultants for Captain Thomas Gregson, they worked regularly alongside Detective Marcus Bell before Holmes’ false confession to a murder he did not commit forced them to move to London. Holmes and Watson forge new careers in England as consultants for Scotland Yard until they receive news that a member of their inner circle has been gravely wounded in the United States. As Holmes’ stateside legal trouble threatens to keep them from returning to New York, their greatest foe to date, tech billionaire Odin Reichenbach waits on the horizon to test their limits.” — from CBS
Elementary: The Final Season is now out on DVD, featuring all thirteen episodes of Season Seven along with around thirty minutes of bonus features (consisting of two featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel)… it’s a bit sad that there isn’t a commentary track or something since this is the final season (who wouldn’t want to hear more of Johnny Lee Miller’s accent?), but there you have it. Fans can grab Elementary: The Final Season on Amazon for $36.27 (or if you’ve been holding out for the complete series, you can also get it on Amazon for $74.99).
“Directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am offers an artful and intimate meditation on the life and works of the acclaimed novelist. From her childhood in the steel town of Lorain, Ohio to ‘70s-era book tours with Muhammad Ali, from the front lines with Angela Davis to her own riverfront writing room, Toni Morrison leads an assembly of her peers, critics and colleagues on an exploration of race, America, history and the human condition as seen through the prism of her own literature. Woven together with a rich collection of art, history, literature and personality, the film includes discussions about her many critically acclaimed works, including novels “The Bluest Eye,” “Sula” and “Song of Solomon,” her role as an editor of iconic African-American literature and her time teaching at Princeton University.” — from Magnolia Home Entertainment
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is now available on DVD, which in addition to the documentary also offers deleted scenes, photo gallery portraits, and the theatrical trailer. You can purchase the DVD on Amazon for $22.49.
“From the moment China Beach debuted in 1988, with its iconic opening credits set to the Supremes’ “Reflections” as its theme song, it was hailed as groundbreaking television. In an era of testosterone-driven war movies, the series, created by award-winning journalist and Vietnam vet William Broyles Jr. and John Sacret Young, delivered the Vietnam war from a unique perspective: that of the women, military personnel and civilians who were present during the conflict. Part EVAC hospital, part USO entertainment center, China Beach, also known as the 510th Evacuation Hospital and R&R center, was an outpost of craziness and compassion that captured an extraordinary group of characters — US Army doctors and nurses, officers, soldiers, Red Cross volunteers and civilian personnel — in a unique, exotic place where so many things came together: horror and laughter, heroism and sacrifice.” — from Time Life
China Beach: The Complete Collection is available now in a DVD set. The collection presents 54 hours of content, including all four seasons of the series along with episode commentaries, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. You can get the DVD set on Amazon for $69.99.
“Holocaust follows the tragedy and triumph of the Weiss family of Berlin and intertwines their fate as European Jews with the story of a German family, the Dorfs, whose members include a high-ranking Nazi officer. Filmed on location in Germany and Austria, Holocaust uses the stories of these fictional families to portray the atrocities against the Jewish people from the 1930s to 1945, and presents a heart-wrenching portrait of their struggles.” — from Paramount
Holocaust is now out on DVD and Blu-ray and presents all seven hours of the epic miniseries in widescreen. Unfortunately there are no bonus features (a true shame considering all the content that could be contributed here from historians, cast and crew, holocaust survivors, etc.) Even so, the miniseries won eight Emmy awards and two Golden Globes, so if the storyline is something you want to add to your library, it’s probably worth it. You can get the DVD on Amazon for $19.60 and the Blu-ray for $46.33.
“[Madam Secretary] stars Téa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, the shrewd, determined secretary of state who drives international diplomacy and circumvents protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home. A college professor and a brilliant former CIA analyst who left for ethical reasons, Elizabeth returned to public life at the request of President Conrad Dalton, who values McCord’s apolitical leanings, deep knowledge of the Middle East, flair for languages and ability to not just think outside the box, but not even acknowledge there is a box. McCord’s team includes her chief of staff, Jay Whitman; policy advisor, Kat Sandoval; speechwriter, Matt Mahoney; press coordinator, Daisy Grant; and charming assistant, Blake Moran. As McCord debates third-world problems, confronts issues related to her decision to run for president, finesses foreign dignitaries at work and does battle with the president’s combative chief of staff, Russell Jackson, that’s just a warm-up for when she goes home to her supportive husband, theology-professor-turned-intelligence-operative Henry, and their three children, where “politics” and “compromise” take on new meaning.” — from Paramount
Madam Secretary: Season Five is out on DVD, including all twenty episodes of the fifth season. Bonus features are limited to deleted scenes on select episodes (not even a gag reel?? That content already exists!) Regardless, fans who don’t already have access to the season on CBS All Access (or who just want to have it in hard copy) can snag the DVD set on Amazon for $39.99.
“When everyone is out for revenge, no one is safe. This is never more true than in season four of Billions. Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades, former enemies, and Wendy Rhoades (Maggie Siff), the chief counselor to each, have come together to form an uneasy but highly effective alliance, aimed at the eradication of all their rivals, including Grigor Andolov (guest star John Malkovich), Taylor Mason (Asia Kate Dillon), Bryan Connerty (Toby Leonard Moore) and Waylon “Jock” Jeffcoat (guest star Clancy Brown). Ambition and betrayal have long been at the heart of Billions, and this season all the characters find out exactly how high a price they’ll have to pay to satisfy those needs. The series also stars David Costabile, Condola Rashad, Kelly AuCoin, Jeffrey DeMunn and Malin Akerman, along with new guest stars Samantha Mathis, Kevin Pollak, Jade Eshete and Nina Arianda.” — from CBS
Billions: Season Four is available now on DVD. The set showcases all twelve episodes of the fourth season along with a little bonus content in the form of four behind-the-scenes mini-featurettes (“Inside Fight Night,” “Pick a Side,” “Script to Screen,” and “Billions References”) that add up to about ten minutes of run time. The DVD set of Billions: Season Four is currently priced at $29.99 on Amazon.
