Canterbury's Law: The Complete Series (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)A legal drama with an edge, "CANTERBURY'S LAW" was a series that had so much potential but was cut too short with only six episodes in the DVD complete collection.
The drama which aired during the Spring of 2008 featured Emmy Award Winner Julianna Margulies ("ER") as the feisty defense attorney Elizabeth Canterbury. A woman who seeks justice for the people she defends even if it means breaking the law.
Running the law firm Canterbury & Associates, she is joined by her partner Russel Krauss (Ben Shenkman) and her two attorneys Chester Grant (Keith Robinson) and Molly McConnell (Trieste Kelly Dunn). They take on cases which seem impossible and a grand slam for the District Attorney but Elizabeth Canterbury has always outbest the Deputy Attorney General Zach Willliams (Terry Kinney).
But Elizabeth's personal life is anything but good. Her marriage to her husband Matt, a law professor has gone down the drain since their son was kidnapped. Three years ago, she took her toddler Sam to the playground and answered her phone for business and next thing you know, she lost sight of him and they don't know if he is dead or alive.
Despite being successful as a defense lawyer, her life has been spiraling down hill. She has become a drunk after hours, she has been having an affair with Frank Angstrom (James McCaffrey) and because her husband has held his pain of feeling that she is responsible for their son's kidnapping, he wants to move on with their lives and declare him dead. But Elizabeth believes her son to be alive. And thus, her marriage life is in shambles.
To make things worse, because she has broken the law in order to win a case, now she is being investigated by the District Attorney and Grand Jury for jury tampering.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"CANTERBURY'S LAW" is featured in 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The video quality is similar to a lot of dramas that are on DVD which has a bit of grain.
As for the audio, the audio is English 5.1 (Dolby Digital) and the series is primarily a dialogue-driven drama series with the occasional rock music that is played during certain scenes. But the dialogue is clear and I had no problems hearing the audio.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are no special features on this DVD unless you count "previews" as one of them. Previews are for "Damages", "The Lazarus Project", "Rescue Me" and "The Shield".
JUDGMENT CALL:
"CANTERBURY'S LAW" is a legal drama that had a lot of potential and Julianna Margulies did a really good job as Elizabeth Canterbury, a defense lawyer who is strong, feisty and a woman that no one wants to mess with but to show that behind that tough demeanor, her personal life is just in shambles.
With this series coming from Denis Leary and Jim Serpico who are responsible for "Rescue Me", I expected the potential for something explosive for the first season. But it's really unfortunate that FOX canceled the series with only six episodes.
I definitely gave this series a try and I really felt that "CANTERBURY'S LAW" had so much potential and what urked me so much is that by watching these six episodes, there was an ongoing storyline about Elizabeth hoping that her kidnapped son is still alive. And to know that with no conclusion, we're left with an open ended series with no closure.
It's very unfortunate that the creator/director Dave Erickson was never given the opportunity to finalize the series. Even if there was one last episode to tie up loose ends, at least it would have been some sort of closure to the series and its characters. It's a shame to watch these characters taken to such highs but then taken to the lowest of low's and that glimmer of sunshine will never come.
I actually enjoyed Julianna Margulies performance and it was great to see her play this type of role. After watching each of the six episodes, I really got into the main characters (the partner and attorneys at Canterbury's law firm) and seeing this battle of wits between Canterbury and the Deputy Attorney General.
I enjoyed "CANTERBURY'S LAW" but with only six episodes, the series definitely had potential. Unfortunately, the network canceled it too quickly and thus, the series never had any true closure to the series storyline or its characters. And as entertaining the episodes were, you are left with wanting more but knowing that there is no more. What a shame!

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Emmy® Award winner Julianna Margulies stars in Canterbury's Law, "a lightning-paced legal drama that roars with a feisty thunder" (Matt Roush, TV Guide). Cunning, shrewd and tough as nails, defense attorney Elizabeth Canterbury (Margulies) takes on the risky cases no other lawyer could possibly win in this edgy and "highly entertaining" (John Griffiths, US Weekly) six-episode DVD collection. Whether she's battling the city's ruthless deputy attorney general, her independent-minded associates or her long-suffering husband Mat (Aidan Quinn), Elizabeth fights for justice no matter what the cost!

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ER: The Complete Fifth Season (1998) Review

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(More customer reviews)Season five was a season of comings and goings in the venerable Thursday night NBC drama. Despite the second major cast member checking out in two years, the show continued to be strong and the foundations of one relationship that would continue on for a number of years was set in place at the end of season five.
Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Doug Ross (George Clooney) haven't always agreed on the way they practice medicine or how to deal with authorities, but they are both great doctors and despite their differences, are also pretty good friends. Season five sees Greene trying to walk the fine line of friend and manager as he copes to deal with Ross' basic disregard for authority. The pediatrician finally goes over the line with one terminally sick boy, breaking every protocal, which eventually leads to his departure from the Cook County General emergency department.
Clooney was quickly becoming a big star on the big screen and a burgeoning movie career was pulling him away from his weekly television series, so when the time came to go, he left. This was a pretty big blow to the cast, the second original member to leave in two years (Sherry Stringfield's Dr. Susan Lewis left in season three), but as has been the case, the show continued on with great additions to the cast to take the place of Clooney.
Before he left though, Clooney fought for and got a pediatric ER approved, with himself as the attending. His relationship with nurse Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) continued to grow stronger, as the two planned their future together. As the season drew to a close, Hathaway discovered she was pregnant with his twins, but when she told him the news, he couldn't return, leaving her to face the pregnancy alone.
Greene got a good dose of being a manager, as he and Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes) managed to work the ER through a number of problems. Greene also dealt with his wife being remarried and his daughter having to live far away. He does get to spend some time with her early in the season. He also treats a hospital janitor (guest star Djimon Hounsou)with a horrible history of abuse and helps him to overcome his fears and confront everything going on in his life. Greene also strikes up a friendship with British surgeon Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) and as the season ends they begin a relationship that would eventually lead to their marriage.
Corday begins her second year in Chicago starting over as an intern. When she turns down Dr. Romano's (guest star and future regular Paul McCrane) advances, he cancels her fellowship and she is forced to start over again. Her relationship with Dr. Peter Benton (Eriq LaSalle) eventually ends and as the year comes to a close, in addition to her relationship with Greene, she is going back to Romano looking for another fellowship to extend her stay in Chicago.
Dr. Weaver begins a search for her birth mother, a search that leads her to someone who isn't her mother thanks to a private investigator. She applies for the job as head of the ER, but is passed over in favor of Dr. Amanda Lee (guest star Mare Winningham), who turns out to actually not be a doctor at all. After the Dr. Lee fiasco, Weaver doesn't put her name back in an the temporary reins are turned over to Dr. Romano, much to the disdain of the entire ER staff.
PA Jeannie Boulet, already positive for HIV, comes down with Hepatitis C and is also involved in a car accident with Ross, which puts her in the hospital for a while. She also is a key part of the pediatric ER with Ross.
Hathaway, as mentioned, continues to grow in her relationship with Ross. She also opens a clinic in the ER, catering to the poor of the area. Her clinic is a great success until she is forced to step down after Ross uses her and the clinic to get the machine that ultimately kills his final patient. The season ends as she begins what will be one of her finest arcs on the show, her pregnancy with twins. The storyline is also one that will eventually introduce viewers to Abby Lockhart (Maura Tierney) who is now a regular on the show.
Benton continues to deal with his son's deafness, going to great lengths to learn all he can. He is hurt when he learns that his son's mother is moving to Germany with her new husband and basically kidnaps his son in the season's final episode. Benton also had a "highlight" episode in the season, as he journeyed to Mississippi to fill in at a doctor's office there and had to deal with the racial tensions and also had to find his bedside manner, as he stepped away from being a surgeon for two weeks.
Dr. John Carter (Noah Wyle) had an interesting year. He began the year as an RA in the medical students' dorm, but lost his job when the students threw a party that resulted in an overdose. He eventually moved into Weaver's basement. He also has a relationship with insurance saleswoman Roxanne (guest star Julie Bowen), but breaks that off in the final few episodes of the season. His tryst with his medical student Lucy Knight (the oh-so-adorable Kellie Martin) is a highlight of the season, although it only happened in one episode.
Knight is the new kid on the block in this season, the eager medical student with a good brain, but a lack of actual skills. She and Carter seem to have a love-hate relationship that comes to full tilt when she accidently kicks him in the chest and helps nurse him back to health.
The highlight of this season was the two-part episode "The Storm," possibly the best two-part episode the show has ever done. In the episode, Jeannie and Doug get in a car accident on the way to help at a horrific accident involving a school bus, where Dr. Greene is a hero for saving the kids. Additionally, Carter and Knight have their tryst in one of the hospital's rooms and eventually Ross calls it quits. The two hours were filled with great drama and it is truly a highlight in ER's run.
The only thing lacking on this set is extras. There are a lot of deleted scenes and a great gag reel, but no commentaries or other extras. That is a little disappointing. I enjoy getting whatever access I can to my absolute favorite television show and this set doesn't provide anything substantial to that regard.
Despite that, this was a great season, truly one of the best they did. The cast was able to move past Clooney's departure and pull together in the final few episodes. All in all, a fine effort for one of television's best dramas.

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Created by best-selling author Michael Crichton, this series centers on the medical personnel in the emergency room of a Chicago county hospital. ER tracks the inner workings of County General Hospital, a Level One Trauma Center where heroic doctors and nurses are faced with life-and-death decisions on a daily basis. In its fifth season, third-year med student, Lucy Knight joins the team in the ER and kindles a relationship with Dr. Carter, Dr. Corday starts her career over as an intern, Dr. Green watches helplessly as his family is torn apart, Dr. Ross leaves the ER for a new job and the whole time the ER is being run by an imposter!!

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The Lost Room (Mini-Series) (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)I really enjoyed this Sci Fi miniseries. It was an original concept with a well developed plot and generally good acting. Being from western Pa, I enjoyed the fact that it was set in Pittsburgh. I won't describe the plot, that's already been done in previous reviews. So let's describe the DVD. I had recorded the complete series, but enjoyed it so much I decided to spring for the DVD. Now you would assume that the manufacturer would take the time to insure all the features, menu options, etc. worked as displayed on the screen. You would however be wrong. I knew I was in trouble when removing the security stickers. There is so much glue on them that you get a thick layer of sticky goo on the top and bottom of the DVD case. Great start. When you load Disc 1, you get some previews for some other Lionsgate productions. A Bermuda Triangle (another Sci Fi miniseries) preview is included and the transfer looks like it came from a VCR. Anyway, you get though this stuff (the menu button is disabled) and are presented with THE LOST ROOM. There are 4 "episode" radio buttons and a Play All radio button. As you step through these, you will note that the "highlight" doesn't match the radio button. (but surprisingly, go to an episode and back and it does) As noted in another review, the Play All button does not work and takes you back to the previews. Really frustrating. However, the worst part, is that the video transfer quality is horrendous. I am so disappointed, I haven't even bothered with disc 2. So be warned, if you buying this because you enjoyed "The Lost Room", you will be really disappointed in lack of effort Lionsgate put into this DVD. Review: Miniseries 5 stars - DVD 1 star = Average 2.5 stars (rounded up).

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In the 1960s, an unknown event at the Sunshine Motel caused ordinary things in Room 10 to transform into items of wonder. The room and its contents gained unique and inexplicable properties, transforming them from mundane things into indestructible Objects with extraordinary powers that are sought after by anyone who knows their secrets. Police Det. Joe Miller (Peter Krause) first learns of The Room when he unwittingly comes across the most powerful and coveted Object of them all: the Key. His life immediately turns upside down as his young daughter becomes lost in the room and Joe is the target of shadowy figures who will stop at nothing to take from him his only hope of saving her - the Key.

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