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| Dvdivas
was founded by John Gabbard in 2000. It's purpose has been and
remains to be to provide you, the entertainment community with
the latest dvds and movie reviews. It will continue to be your
link to the most popular dvd movies. |
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"ER-Season
Two"
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Reviewed
by: |
Wayne A. Klein |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Video: |
Widescreen
1.77:1 |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
Surround 2.0 |
| Languages |
English |
| Subtitles |
English,
Spanish, French |
| Length |
990 minutes
|
| Rating |
NR |
| Release Date |
4/27/04 |
| Studio |
Warner Home
Video |
| Commentary:
|
By director
Mimi Leder, editor Randy Jon Morgan and actress Laura Innes
on two episodes |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
"On Call-The Life as
an ER Director"; "ER Specialists-Anatomy of an Episode" |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
None |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
Outpatient
outtakes |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
"Cut-Ups"
gag reel |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Anthony Edwards,
Sherry Stringfield, George Clooney, Noah Wyle, Gloria Rubens,
Laura Innes |
| Written
By: |
Paul Manning,
Tracey Stern |
| Produced
By: |
Christopher
Chulack, Mimi Leder, Paul Manning |
| Directed
By: |
Mimi Leder,
Jonathan Kaplan, Richard Thorpe |
| Music:
|
James Newton
Howard |
| The
Review: |
Taxes, ER, death (but not necessarily
in that order) preoccupied most folks when this series first
appeared. The second season moves the stories into dramatic
soap opera territory full of interesting twists and turns
only Michael Crichton could help dream up. Dr. Greene's (Anthony
Edwards) separated from his wife but secretely loves Dr. Susan
Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) although he won't admit until it's
too late. Dr. Ross ( George Clooney) continues to bend and
break rules to save patients. Physician's Assistant Jeanie
Boulet flirts with disaster when Doctor Benton (Eric LaSalle)
becomes interested in her. The only problem is she's still
married and her husband is HIV positive but hasn't told her
yet. ***
ER during its initial run became
a powerhouse of emotionally charged topical stories. Like
"NYPD Blue" and the ADHD "Chicaco Hope", "ER" took a popular
format and broke a number of rules of television to make the
series successful in prime time. Despite all of its well constructed
stories and characterizations, "ER" basically was a high brow
soap opera that kept you hooked with its inventive dramatic
story arcs. The second season paved the way for more complex,
intertwined story lines with a revolving cast of characters
that continues even today. --
|
| Image
and Sound: |
The blues,
grays of whites of the ER come to life on this nicely detailed
and transferred DVD. Colors remain sharp and while the series
was somewhat limited. The background sounds come to life in
the Dolby Digital mix although they don't stand out quite as
much as a recent theatrical feature. --- |
| The
Extras: |
We get a
pretty good selection of featurettes for the series. "Anatomy"
follows how the show is put together from beginning to end.
It provides an insider's glimpse into the process of creating
episodic television. "On-Call" focuses on the director's job
for episodic television. Again, it provides a peak into the
world of a television director which is significantly different
from that of a film director. Producers/head writers are the
main stay in television controlling the content, pacing and
the way the show is ultimately put together. In many respects,
a director is like a guest star coming in to work with the cast
and trying to provide a fresh spin on the material and characters
challenging their perceptions of them. The result often creates
great television but "On Call" really shows what a collaborative
effort television production can be. --- |
| Commentary:
|
The commentary
by director Mimi Leder provides interesting insight as she's
been both a television and feature film director. The editor
provides interesting insights into how the rapid fire cutting
technique provides additional tension but also how cross cutting
the various on going stories can add to the drama of an episode.
Finally Laura Innes provides some very funny stories about shooting
her first season as Dr. Kerry Weaver and also discusses the
way in which the cast meshes and works together. --- |
| Final
Words: |
Get this
to your DVD player stat! You'll enjoy the DVD edition of "ER"
and will probably be so riveted to your television set you'll
need an I.V. drip to keep you hydrated. Unfortunately, that's
not included. I'd suggest calling a home nursing agency for
that. |
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