BEING HUMAN - SEASON TWO (Blu-Ray and DVD)

More hand-wringing and vampire/werewolf/ghost dramedy from the BBC as the popular show’s second season of eight episodes is released in America. This time around, Mitchell the Vampire (Aidan Turner) is being forced reluctantly into a leadership position for the city’s vamp population and is discovering how quickly one has to betray one’s own morals in order to do so. On another front, Wolfy George (Russell Tovey) is all broken up about his newly wolfed-out girlfriend leaving him, but not so distressed as to keep himself from getting it on with a hot-to-trot vampire chick (Amy Manson), and Ghostly Annie (Lenora Crichlow) finds herself frustratingly invisible to humans again due to apparently her turning down death's rather insistent invitation a second time. Meanwhile, a set of human supernatural hunters are sniffing around and murdering werewolves. And everyone cries a lot. Again. You can see more details on that tendency to become a sob fest in my review of season one.
--CLICK HERE TO BUY Being Human: Season Two [Blu-ray]

BORED TO DEATH (Blu-Ray and DVD)

This HBO series is about writer Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) who is trying to be a private detective as well, but isn’t very good at it. It seems like he only got into it, announcing it to all his friends, as a way of not feeling irrelevant after his girlfriend breaks up with him. I did the same thing for about a year after the original "Reel Deal" public access show we were all on ended. The only case I ended up with was cold, as in a case of the cold. All that hanging out on foggy street corners and it was only a matter of time before I caught a virus. Probably for the best that it didn't work out since I only had my Dr. Who sonic screwdriver in my shoulder holster. The show co-stars Zach Galifianakis as his comic book artist best friend (ah, now I see why Leon likes this) and Ted Danson as Jonathan’s boss. Guest stars in the first season include Kristin Wiig, Jim Jarmusch, Oliver Platt, and Parker Posey. Sounds kind of arty and self-aware. I only watched the pilot and was a little underwhelmed, especially with Schwartzman's typecast intellectual yet irritatingly self-important loser of a lead but Leon swears by it. Of course, he didn’t like “Inception” so what does he....OW, OW, QUIT IT, Leon, I’m Kidding, I’m Kidding. Geez.
--CLICK HERE TO BUY Bored to Death: The Complete First Season [Blu-ray]

CASTLE-SEASON TWO (DVD)

Nathan Fillion is in it. Go buy it. End of review.

...

That would be enough for most of my friends, but for those who need a little more, this is the first full season of ABC’s comedy detective show (the first season, my review here, was only ten episodes). Fillion plays Richard Castle, an enormously popular mystery writer who uses his connections at the Mayor’s office to get permission to accompany police detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) on her homicide cases. Castle decides to use her as the model for his new character, “Nikki Heat”, much to the straight-laced Beckett’s chagrin. Like a show right out of the 80’s, the two solve crimes together and try and ignore the sexual tension....even Stephen J Cannell shows up from time to time to put the stamp of 80’s authenticity on the proceedings. “Castle” is funny as hell, smart, and a great vehicle for Fillion to continue that whole snarky, charming, leading man thing he’s got going on. Yes, I have a man-crush. What of it?
--CLICK HERE TO BUY Castle: The Complete Second Season