Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
New This Week
A new Showtime sitcom about management consultants, “House of Lies” comes to us from Matthew Carnahan, who earlier created the short-lived Courtney Cox hourlong “Dirt.”
It stars Don Cheadle (“Iron Man 2”), Kristen Bell (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), Ben Schwartz (Jean Ralphio on “Parks and Recreation”), Dawn Oliveri (Lydia the tattooed lady on “Heroes”), Griffin Dunne (“Damages”), Greg Germann (“Ally McBeal”), Richard Schiff (“The West Wing”) and Glynn Turman (“The Wire”).
A lot of swell actors in a poor show, I say. Its characters are unconvincing, often behaving in ways inconsistent with any reality I find familiar. This would be forgivable were the show as funny as, say, “Veronica Mars” or “Picket Fences” or prime “Ally McBeal,” but I laughed at the “House of Lies” pilot not once. There is, however, loads of pay-cable sex and nudity (for Cheadle, not Bell), which could come in handy in the event YouPorn ceases to exist.
... To make those engaged in such cynical transactions appealing, or merely interesting, a show's writing would have to be very, very smart and its characters would have to be extraordinarily charismatic indeed. Despite an insanely talented cast, "House of Lies" fails on those counts. ...
... while it's more entertaining than "Dirt" - thanks primarily to the chemistry of a cast headed by Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell - it suffers from the same wobbly sense of tone and direction. ...
... This Good Marty/Bad Marty dynamic may prove more fruitful for the show in the long run than the well-worn punching bag that is corporate America. ...
... Well-crafted and a little — sometimes more than a little — unpleasant ...
... slimy and almost pointlessly sordid …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
... not a revolutionary show, but it is a fun study of men behaving badly. …
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
... so pervasively cynical - and, by the way, brilliantly funny - it has the potential of making any viewer feel his or her life isn't so bad after all. …
... I didn’t laugh much. I did, however, check my watch, still secure on my wrist, to determine when the show would be ending... .
… [Cheadle] might overplay the smarmier side of Kaan … but he also parcels out precise emotional moments as well …
... The show’s crucial weakness is its dead language: The lines have no comic lilt; no exchange between any two characters gives off sparks. When you have an actor with a tongue as adroit as Cheadle, this seems nearly cruel. ...
... There is much to admire here, from the snap in the dialogue to the show's willingness to tackle issues of race in the workplace — but there might be even more if creator Matthew Carnahan (Dirt) could learn when to stop pushing. He takes Marty too far, relying on Cheadle's skill and presence to keep us attached to the character despite Marty's behavior and the show's mannered approach. The trick works for now, but it's a bad strategy for the long run. …
... aggressively raunchy and audaciously funny …
... Although [“Lies”] isn't as smart as it might have been -- falling well short of the movie "Up in the Air," to which it bears a thematic resemblance -- the program is moderately entertaining …
TV-on-Disc Calendar
Last Week
Bordertown: The Complete Series
Chiller: The Complete Series
Futurama Vol. 7
Futurama Vol.7 (Blu-ray)
Girls 1.x
Girls 1.x (Blu-ray)
Gordon Ramsay Cookalong Live
Gunsmoke 7.x Vol. 1
Hazel 4.x
History Detectives 10.x
In Search Of ... The Complete Series
JAG: The Complete Series
Law & Order: Criminal Intent 9.x
Mission Impossible: All Nine Seasons
Ninjago 3.x Vol. 1
Survivor 13.x
Survivor 14.x
UltraSeven: The Complete Series
This Week
Masters of the Universe: 30th Anniversary Edition
The Sarah Silverman Program 3.x
Wyatt Earp: Three Episodes
Next Week
Gabriel Iglesias: Stand-Up Revolution 2.x
Tosh.O - Deep V's (Blu-ray)
December 31
Justified 3.x
Justified 3.x (Blu-ray)
January 1
Being Human 4.x
Being Human 4.x (Blu-ray)
Charlie's Angels 5.x
Dead By Sunset: The Complete Series
I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later
Trial & Retribution Set 6
January 8
Anger Management 1.x
Anger Management 1.x (Blu-ray)
Archer 3.x
Archer 3.x (Blu-ray)
Buck Rogers 2.x
Dallas (TNT) 1.x
Dance Moms 2.x
Darth Maul Returns
Dinotopia & Journey to the Center of the Earth
Doctor Who: Shada
Enlightened 1.x
Enlightened 1.x (Blu-ray)
Episodes 1.x/2.x
Fury: The Lost Episodes
The Goode Family: The Complete Series
Hearts Afire: The Complete Series
The Hour 2.x
The Hour 2.x (Blu-ray)
An Idiot Abroad 2.x
Naked City: 40 Best
Red Dwarf 10.x
Red Dwarf 10.x (Blu-ray)
Smash 1.x
3rd Rock From The Sun 5.x ($9.98)
3rd Rock From The Sun 6.x ($9.98)
Tiny Toon Adventures Vol. 3
VR Troopers 1.x Vol. 2
January 15
Amazing World of Gumball: The Mystery
House of Cards: Complete Trilogy <--- NEW!!
House of Cards: Complete Trilogy (Blu-ray) <--- NEW!!
Jackson Five: The Complete Series
Jackson Five: The Complete Series (Blu-ray)
Last of the Summer Wine: Vintage 1997
Life's Too Short 1.x
The Littlest Pet Shop: Little Pets, Big Adventures
Men Of A Certain Age 2.x
Men Of A Certain Age 2.x (Blu-ray)
Merlin 4.x
Merlin 4.x (Blu-ray)
Perry Mason 8.x Vol. 2
Power Rangers Samurai 1.x Vol. 3
Power Rangers Super Samurai 2.x Vol. 3
Spongebob Squarepants: Extreme Kah-Rah-Tay
Twenty Twelve: The Complete Series
VR Troopers 1.x Vol. 2
Waking The Dead 7.x
January 22
Iron Man Armored Adventures 2.x Vol. 3
Kendra 4.x
The Men Who Built America: The Complete Miniseries
The Men Who Built America: The Complete Miniseries (Blu-ray)
The Scarecrow and Mrs. King 4.x
Young Justice 2.x Vol. 1
January 29
Downton Abbey 3.x
Downton Abbey 3.x (Blu-ray)
Femme Fatales 1.x
Pan Am: The Complete Series
February 5
Animaniacs Vol. 4
Avenging Spider-Man
Ben 10: Omniverse - A New Beginning Vol. 1
Cougar Town 3.x <--- NEW!!
Gunsmoke 7.x Vol. 2
Gunsmoke: 7-Season Pack
R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour Vol. 3
R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour Vol. 4
Southland 2.x/3.x/4.x
The Virginian 7.x
February 12
Big Bad Beetleborgs 1.x Vol. 2
Bonanza 5.x
Doctor Who: Reign of Terror
Family Matters 3.x
Gossip Girl 6.x
Gossip Girl: The Complete Series
The Hardy Boys 3.x
Loretta Young: 100th Birthday Edition - Best Of
Matlock 8.x
Nurse Jackie 4.x
Nurse Jackie 4.x (Blu-ray)
SlugTerra: Return Of The Shane Gang
Storage Wars Vol. 4
Weeds 8.x
Weeds 8.x (Blu-ray)
February 19
Adventure Time Vol. 4
Alvin & The Chipmunks: Easter Collection
Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes Vol. 6
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome
Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (Blu-ray)
Carol Burnett Show: This Time Together <--- NEW!!
Duck Dodgers 1.x
Game of Thrones 2.x
Game of Thrones 2.x (Blu-ray)
The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams 2.x
Naked City: 20 Episodes
The Six Million Dollar Man 3.x
Swamp People 3.x
Top Gear 2.x
February 26
First Performances: Streisand
Law & Order 12.x
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2.x Vol. 1
Rocko's Modern Life: The Complete Series
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Rise of the Turtles <--- NEW!!
West Point
March 5
Dalziel & Pascoe 7.x
Peter Gunn 1.x <--- NEW!!
Rescue Bots: Energize
Tom & Jerry: Pint Sized Pals
Wagon Train 6.x <--- NEW!!
March 12
Doctor Who: Ark In Space <--- NEW!!
Doctor Who: The Aztecs <--- NEW!!
Father Dowling Mysteries 3.x <--- NEW!!
Father Dowling Mysteries: The Complete Series <--- NEW!!
Hercules 4.x <--- NEW!!
Law & Order: Criminal Intent 10.x
Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp 2.x
Ripper Street
Ripper Street (Blu-ray)
SpongeBob 8.x <--- NEW!!
Xena 4.x <--- NEW!!
March 19
Jersey Shore 6.x <--- NEW!!
Jersey Shore: The Complete Series <--- NEW!!
Quincy, M.E. 5.x
March 26
Carol Burnett Show: This Time Together - Collector's Edition
Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot: The Complete Series
Lee Marvin Presents Lawbreaker <--- NEW!!
Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXVI
Veep 1.x
Veep 1.x (Blu-ray)
April 23
The Restless Gun: The Complete Series