Review of LIFE Season One DVDs
Here’s a nice review of the upcoming DVDs of the first season of LIFE by Chris Ball on Cleveland.com There’s never any mention about the music selection, but I wonder if people who review those DVDs are even aware of that fact, probably not. Sucks, not just because I think we deserve to know, but because the original music selection was so much better and made scenes so much more powerful, than it’s really not the same to watch either version.
Anyways, nice review, sadly it looks like what was liked then won’t be next season, I’m thinking of this for example : “Shahi exudes a powerful sexuality, which LIFE manages to utilize without seeming too obvious.” Yes, that was another good thing on the show, but seems NBC decided to make more obvious, I guess those guys are either blind, stupid, or both. My guess is both.
A Zen cop? That’s the twist in this intriguing NBC police drama. Charlie Crews, a good L.A. officer, is framed and sent to prison, where he studies books on Zen philosophy. He develops a deeper, richer appreciation for life in between regular beatings by savage, cop-hating prisoners.
Twelve years later, new evidence exonerates him. He is released and receives a large cash settlement. Still, he returns to duty as a police detective. But some of his fellow officers dislike and distrust him, and then there is the little matter of the high-level conspiracy that scapegoated him and remains at large. Outing it is Crews’ personal mission.
Crews is underplayed nicely by English actor Damien Lewis, who was nominated for a Golden Globe for the excellent HBO mini-series “Band of Brothers.” Lewis as Crews evokes a little bit of Jimmy Stewart from “Destry Rides Again,” as the Old West sheriff who disarms bad guys with his witticisms instead of six-guns. The difference is that Crews doesn’t hesitate to use his gun when necessary.
Crews savors fresh fruit, draws the ladies like flies, and marvels at new technology, from cell phones to the Internet. It’s like living in the future, he keeps saying to himself.
In one confrontation in the pilot episode, taunting prison guards ask Crews if they are making him angry. “Anger ruins joy,” he tells them. “Steals the goodness of my mind. Forces my mouth to say terrible things. Overcoming anger leads to peace of mind, leads to a mind without regrets. If I overcome anger, I will be delightful and loved by everyone.”
“Are you making fun of us?” a guard says.
“It is the universe that makes fun of us all,” Crews replies.
Trying to make sense of his unconventional way of thinking is Crews’ contentious new partner, Dani Reese. Playing her is siren Sarah Shahi, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader who was part of the ensemble cast in the Showtime lesbian drama series “The L Word.” Shahi exudes a powerful sexuality, which “Life” manages to utilize without seeming too obvious.
Season one of “Life, which began airing in September 2007, arrives on DVD in a three-disc set, with 11 episodes, 476 minutes. DVD extras: four featurettes, deleted scenes, a blooper reel and audio commentary with cast and crew. From Universal. In stores Tuesday, Sept. 2. Season two starts Monday, Sept. 29, with new cast member Donal Logue (”The Tao of Steve”).
[ Source: Cleveland ]