If you’re wondering why there wasn’t a column last week, it’s pretty simple – there really weren’t any movie or TV-related Blu-rays worth talking about except for “Hugo,” and if you want to hear my thoughts on that film, you can just read my review here. Fortunately, this week is the complete opposite, with so many titles to choose from that I didn’t have the time to cover them all. While one could argue that it might have made more sense devoting a spot to a movie that actually deserved the attention instead of “Jack and Jill” (like, say, “The Deer Hunter” or Alfred Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief”), I simply couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to talk about Adam Sandler’s latest cinematic catastrophe.
“Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season”
Forget about “Boardwalk Empire” or “Luck,” because “Game of Thrones” is hands down HBO’s best new series. Based on George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels, “Game of Thrones” is exactly the kind of fantasy epic that you’d never expect to see produced on this scale for television. The scope of the series is massive (from its large cast of characters, to its gorgeous landscapes, to its incredibly detailed production design) and the acting is all top-notch as well, particularly screen veteran Sean Bean as Eddard Stark, newcomer Kit Harington as Ned’s bastard son Jon Snow, and Peter Dinklage in his Emmy and Golden Globe-winning role as the perpetually entertaining Tyrion Lannister. The show has it all – drama, comedy, action, suspense – and the fact that it’s so faithfully adapted from Martin’s source material is just the cherry on top of what is an already very delicious fantasy sundae. The only thing negative to say about “Game of Thrones” is that the first season is only comprised of 10 episodes, because you can never have too much of a show this good.
Blu-ray Highlight: When all is said and done, HBO’s Season One release of “Game of Thrones” will be remembered as one of the best Blu-rays of the year. There’s so much great bonus material packed onto the five-disc set that it’s hard to choose just one highlight, but despite the inclusion of seven audio commentaries, a 30-minute making-of featurette, and an interactive encyclopedia about George R.R. Martin’s expansive world, there’s one extra that goes above and beyond the rest. “Anatomy of an Episode” is an in-depth look at the making of Episode Six (“A Golden Crown”) that features cast and crew interviews and behind-the-scenes footage detailing the various aspects of virtually every sequence in the episode as it plays in the bottom corner of your screen.
