Items filtered by date: December 2010

Hey, sorry I've been on hiatus for so long, but given all the love letters, it's nice to know I've been missed. All I can say is I've been busy and I'll tell you more about that later this year. First though, let me say, I'm going to change the format a little bit to free me up to discuss whatever I want, whenever I want, which will make it more fun for me and, hopefully for you. Secondly, I'm going to skip over a lot of discs because I refuse to review anything that I'm not sent for free. It doesn't mean I don't own them, it just means I'm not doing the studios any favors for cheeping out. You really don't need some other putz pontificating about bitrate and artifacting anyway. The only artifact I care about is the lost ark on Blu-ray, anyway. That said, before resuming this column already in progress, let's take this return from hiatus to do a quick Top 10 of 2010 before charging into 2011, the year after the year we make contact.

Welcome to the second edition of The British Beat, my quarterly column on DVD and Blu-ray releases of British TV shows and feature films. This time I have 9 reviews for you: Wallander (on Blu-ray from BBC Video, distributed by Warner Bros.); Murder on the Orient Express (on Blu-ray from Acorn Media); The Guilty, Mr. Palfrey of Westminster, Midsomer Murders: Set 16, and Midsomer Murders: Village Case Files (all on DVD from Acorn Media), and Executive Stress: The Complete Second Series, Is It Legal?: The Complete Second Series, and The Likes of Sykes (all on Region 2 PAL DVD from Network). I also have a few comments on the desirability of two recent A&E DVD re-releases: Rumpole of the Bailey: The Complete Series and Benny Hill: The Thames Years 1969-1989 - The Complete Megaset.

Welcome to 2011, everyone. I trust you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday season and are fully reinvigorated, ready to take on the new year and whatever it may bring. Yeah, neither am I really, but I guess we don’t have a whole lot of choice in the matter. But before 2011 builds up too much steam, let’s take yet another look back at 2010.