DVD
REVIEW:
Eli Stone
Season one
08/31/08
SYNOPSIS: A corporate
litigator with a reputation for ruthlessness, Eli Stone is
transformed from ambitious go-getter to reluctant do-gooder
when a vision of George Michael singing “Faith” inspires him
to re-examine his life. At first, skeptical of his powers of
prophecy, his visions eventually remind him of the destiny
his father once predicted for him: "You're going to help
people."
SEASON REVIEW: Back on
January 31 of this year and as part of the 2007-2008 Fall
season , ABC debuted the dramatic comedy "Eli Stone".
A series created by Greg Berlanti and
Marc Guggenheim, producers of the smash hit "Brothers and
Sisters". Eli Stone's pilot was well promoted by ABC and
aired it following the season premier of ABC's Lost.
Walt Disney Home Entertaining, will be releasing the
complete first season of this absorbing and surprising series
on DVD on September 2, 2008.
This is ones of those series
that you have to give it a chance to find the magic, and probably many people
did during its television run. Ratings for the show were so
good for ABC that the show was pick up for a second season
this upcoming Fall. At first you may thing this is just
another series about a Corporate America law firm.
Even by watching the previews, many will compared it to the television series Ally McBeal with the only difference
that Eli is a male. However Eli Stone is more than the
private life of individuals working at law firm.
What works in this series is the
ability for its writes and creators to deliver an
inspirational message that can be received by many in
different ways. Some will see as faith , while others will
see as, destiny or coincidence. The truth is that at any
point the audience feels the pressure of being force into a
particular belief.
Most of the trial cases presented in the
series are about the same cases we have seen in other law
firm series, What sets this series apart is that each of
those cases are representing a part of the life of Eli.
making Eli Stone a total original series.
Like it happens with any good new television
series, the cast is as good as the show is and Eli Stone is
not the exception. English actor Jonny Lee Miller as Eli
Stone and Canadian actress Natasha Henstridge as
Taylor play and outstanding starring roles in the series,
both lead by veterans actors Victor Garber (Jordan
Wethersby) and Loretta Devine (Patti). As we have seen from
the series previews George Michaels music plays an important
part of Eli Stone with five songs performance and one
appearance as himself in the episode "I Want Your
Sex". I'm going to skip talking about his performance as an
actor, because it is George Michael.
Eli Stone also offers an very
good cinematography with beautiful shoots of the city of San
Francisco, that it would awake the nostalgia to many people
that lived or visited the city in the past.
Eli Stone The Complete First
Season includes all 13 episodes, all in widescreen (1.78:1)
with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. As for bonus
features is concern, this first season includes and extended
Pilot Episode running 3 more minutes than the television
aired episode. This extended episode comes with Audio
Commentary by the creators of the show. It also include a
total of seven deleted scenes all worth watching. As part of
the behind the scenes this first complete series includes
four short featurettes, covering the key elements of this
young series.
VIDEO:
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1)
AUDIO:
Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround - English
Subtitles - English, Spanish,
French
BONUS FEATURES:
Turning a Prophet: The Creation of Eli Stone
– Witness the
birth of Eli
Stone as the show’s
creators, cast and crew share the show’s secrets from
initial idea to final cut. (12:16)
Creating
Visions: The Effects of Eli Stone–
From fire-breathing dragons to dancing attorneys, Eli’s soaring hallucinations enliven every episode
of the show. Visual FX Supervisor Peter Vasquez demystifies the wizardry he uses to create
the prophetic visions and natural disasters of the first season.
Acting On
Faith: Eli & George Michael:
George Michael’s experience on the set of “Eli Stone” (4:34)
Inside the
Film: The Natasha Henstridge Tour: The incomparable Natasha
Henstridge conducts an insider’s tour of Eli Stone’s one-of-a-kind,
two-story set. (5:36)
Extended Pilot Episode (46:01)
Deleted
Scenes A total of seven deleted scenes all
worth watching (7:46)
Bloopers
Audio Commentary
RATING BREAK DOWN:
| FILM REVIEW |
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VIDEO |
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AUDIO |
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