New on DVD: 'Gotham,' 'Big Bang Theory,' 'Blind Chance'
Comic book adaptations seem to be getting darker, bleaker, and harder-edged by the year. Just look at the history of Batman, from the 1960s TV show to Christopher Nolan's extraordinary Dark Knight trilogy.
Comic book adaptations seem to be getting darker, bleaker, and harder-edged by the year. Just look at the history of Batman, from the 1960s TV show to Christopher Nolan's extraordinary
Dark Knight
trilogy.
A dark spirit also is at work in Fox's beautifully conceived Gotham, which will return Sept. 21 for its second season. Developed by Bruno Heller, whose credits include HBO's Rome and CBS' The Mentalist, Gotham isn't exactly a superhero story.
Set during Bruce Wayne's childhood (played on the show by 14-year-old actor David Mazouz), it tells the backstory of the bleak, crime-ridden city that will give rise to Wayne's alter ego: Batman.
Opening shortly after the brutal murder of Bruce's parents, the series follows the early career of James Gordon (Ben McKenzie), the cop who would become one of Batman's closest friends and allies.
The terrific cast includes Donal Logue as Gordon's partner, Harvey Bullock; Erin Richards as Gordon's fiancée, Barbara Kean; and Sean Pertwee as the Wayne family butler, Alfred Pennyworth.
Prepare for the new season with Gotham: Season 1, which will be released Tuesday by Warner Home Video.
(www.wbshop.com; $59.98 DVD; $60.10 Blu-ray; not rated)
Other titles of note
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Eighth Season. Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons as nerdy Caltech physicists Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, with Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting as their sexy neighbor Penny, in Chuck Lorre's top-rated sitcom. Season eight is due Sept. 15. (www.wbshop.com $44.98 DVD; $49.99 Blu-ray; not rated)
Blind Chance. Shot in 1981 but suppressed for years by Polish censors, Krzysztof Kieslowski's drama is a gorgeous, startling exploration of the role of chance in human life. Kieslowski would go on to revisit many of the same themes in the works that followed, including The Double Life of Véronique. Criterion Collection's restored high-def edition is due Sept. 15. (www.criterion.com; $29.95 DVD; $39.95 Blu-ray; not rated).
Haven: Season 5, Vol. 1. In Syfy's exciting and charming supernatural thriller, developed from a Stephen King novella, Emily Rose returns as the remarkable Audrey Parker, a magical woman of mystery who seems to have lived many lives. Due Tuesday, this four-disc set contains the first 13 episodes of the 26-episode final season. (us.eonefilms.com/; $39.98 DVD; $49.98 Blu-ray; not rated)
Blood Cells. Barry Ward (Jimmy's Hall, The Claim) turns in a searing performance as a lost soul nearing middle age who has wandered aimlessly through life - zig-zagging several times across England - since his father shot himself after losing the family farm. The debut feature from documentarians Joseph Bull and Luke Seomore, this gritty micro-budget indie is a painterly work of great passion. (www.gardenthieves.com/; $24.99; not rated)
CSI: Cyber: Season 1. Medium star Patricia Arquette returns to prime-time TV as the leader of an FBI unit that specializes in investigating computer crimes such as identity theft. For this fourth series in the CSI franchise, the 13-episode debut season is due Sept. 15. (http://cbshomeentertainment.com/; $55.98; not rated)
Furious 7. Saw and Insidious director James Wan, who took over the Fast & Furious franchise for its seventh picture, faced an unforeseen difficulty during shooting: Star Paul Walker tragically died in a car crash. With co-stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Dwayne Johnson, Wan rallied to complete the film, with help from Walker's two brothers. The film is due Sept. 15. (www.uphe.com/; $29.98 DVD; $34.98 Blu-ray; rated PG-13)