New 'Sopranos' delivers wit, humor mob-style

By Terry Lawson
Knight Ridder News Service

It has become something of a marketing rule for DVDs. A few weeks before the new season of a popular television series begins comes the box-set release of the previous season. But HBO decided to go ahead and let the bear out of the cage with "The Sopranos — The Complete Fifth Season."

It begins, of course, with the appearance of the metaphoric beast in Tony's back yard and ends — well, since there are a growing number of fans who wait for the DVDs so they can chew on the problems of an emotionally conflicted gangster and his two families in bites as big as they desire, we'll leave the season's big questions unsolved here.

What can be revealed is that the 13 episodes are spread over four discs, and that one of them is the most controversial in the series history; not for its violence, but for the fact that fans either loved it or hated it.

No extras, no need; as long as the original music is retained — it is — I'm happy.

I didn't plan to wait to watch the first season of "Rescue Me" (Columbia-TriStar) on DVD, but I'm glad I did. This is the easily the best use yet of the flinty Dennis Leary in a TV show, playing an alcoholic New York firefighter haunted by 9/11 and various other demons. Three discs, 13 episodes and lots of extras.

Fans of "Moonlighting," the cleverly written '80s romantic action-comedy that introduced Bruce Willis as the partner and foil of Cybill Shepherd in a detective agency, will be pleased to know it has finally gotten the DVD treatment it deserves with "Seasons 1 and 2" (Lion's Gate). All of the episodes have been digitally restored, the show's creators and writers provide episode commentaries, and there are three featurettes on the show's creation and the popularity it ultimately achieved before the writers made what would be roundly perceived as one of the biggest errors in TV history.

One caveat: The box notes say this has been remixed in stereo (ABC apparently didn't want to spend the money to broadcast it in stereo), but it sounds mono to me.

Call me nostalgic, or just call me old, but I enjoyed just about every minute of "This Is Your Life: The Ultimate Collection" (Respond 2), finally available at retail after being sold for a few weeks via TV-advertised mail-order.

The famous sneak-attack family-and-friends reunion show hosted by Ralph Edwards had various incarnations, from the early '50s through the late 1980s.

This three-disc set collects 18 shows, ranging from a truly moving tribute to Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy to a visit with an imperial Bette Davis from 1971 to an unforgettable tribute to Milton Berle with guests Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Jan Murray and Phil Silvers.

Equally welcome is "The Edward R. Murrow Collection" (Docurama), a four-disc affair comprising a fine 1990 biography of the legendary broadcaster called "This Reporter"; "The Best of 'See It Now,' " collecting clips from Murrow's early 1950s TV series that served as the prototype for all TV documentaries; "The McCarthy Years"; and the award-winning "Harvest of Shame," exploring the harsh living conditions and treatment of migrant farm workers in America. Good night, and good luck.

More box sets

• "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman — The Complete First Season" (Warner), loaded with supplementary material, including a previously unreleased episode of "Smallville" for a limited time.
• "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica — The Complete Second and Third Seasons" (Paramount).

Also out

A very different Christian Bale from the one you'll soon be seeing wearing the Batsuit is seen in 2004's "The Machinist" (Paramount). Bale gives an intense performance as a man whose long-time sleep-deprivation, the result of a mysterious trauma, has reduced him to sagging skin-and-bones.

• This spring's "Get Shorty" sequel "Be Cool," (MGM), based on Elmore Leonard's comic crime novel.
• "Beyond the Sea" (Lion's Gate), with Kevin Spacey starring as 1960s pop star Bobby Darin.
• 1988's "Dead Ringers" (Warner), David Cronenberg's artfully creepy story (inspired by a true story) about twin gynecologists whose lives careen out of control.
• 1972's "The Driver" (Fox), Walter Hill's existentialist crime drama starring Ryan O'Neal is one the era's more underrated films.
• "Father of the Bride — 15th Anniversary Edition" (Touchstone) is basically the same version of the Steve Martin comedy issued a few years ago with lots of extras.