ARTS The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 8, 2004 - 13 'Angel' bites back in fourth-season DVD By Adam Rottenberg Daily Arts Editor Drw The darkest season of "Angel" arrives on DVD in a package quite similar to the series's previous releases. In the finale of the third season, Angel's (David Boreanaz) son Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) betrays him by burying him at the bottom of the sea, leaving Angel Investigations in shambles. What follows is an engrossing season-long story arc that moves these characters into places that fans would have never predicted. "Season 4" proved to be quite divisive amongst the most ardent followers of the show. Some pro- Curtefapy com Eat your heart out "Halo." claimed it to be "Angel's" cre- ative peak, while others were too bitter about the drastic changes many of the show's core characters undertook. Fan favorites like Cordelia (Cha- risma Carpenter) and Wesley Angel: Season 4 20th Century Fox Capeom releases retro Mega Man' collection By Brian Stephens Daily Arts Writer In celebration of the blue bomber's 15th birthday, Capcom re-released the original "Mega Man" and its sequels through "Mega Man 8" in one disc. For those who have played old Ninten- do games, "Mega Mega Man: Man: Anniver- Anniversary sary Collection" Collection will undoubtedly PS2 and evoke a sense of GameCube nostalgia. The Capcom most interesting aspect of this game doesn't lie with the new anime sequenc- es or the unreleased "Mega Man" titles from Japan; rather, this game, with its outdated graphics, is just as fun as any other game shelved in your favorite vid- eogame store. Capcom lauds this compilation as a "tribute to "Mega Man," but that isn't exactly accurate. "Mega Man: Anni- versary Collection" is a tacit salute to a unique kind of game design that has been lost to the annals of time. In an age when games can require up to 10 but- tons to play, there is something inescap- ably elegant, yet austere that one can play this compilation with merely two buttons and the directional keys. Those who have bitterly complained about the complexity of the newer, sleeker video- games might find solace in this collec- tion of old "Mega Man" titles. With new, remixed music tracks and unlockable bonus materials, "Mega Man: Anniversary Collection" is able to retain a remarkable sense of newness while still keeping true to its fast-paced, side-scrolling roots. Since the games are perfect reproductions, they are just as difficult and addicting as you remember them; in fact, if you are so inclined, using those cheats and codes from old Nintendo Power maga- zines will work just like they used to. Eight games, plus two unreleased titles, for the price of $29.95 is a steal. Dating back to 1987, "Mega Man" is one of the oldest-running series and arguably the best 2-D platform game ever to be released. It may be Mega Man's 15th birthday, but we're the ones receiving the gifts. (Alexis Denisof) became so drastically different than they were in previous seasons that they were hardly recognizable. Additionally, the Connor character grew to be increasingly unlikable, both in Kartheiser's performance and in the character's actions. In spite of these claims, the story arc that propels "Season 4" is great. The team must come together to fight not only the evil law firm of Wolfram and Hart, but also face an oncoming apocalypse. Few shows dare to even tell stories that go beyond one episode, yet "Angel" tells a single story over the course of 22. This season takes an even more somber tone than other years, but still maintains the requisite witty dialogue that followers of writer/director Joss Whedon have come to expect. It is this levity that makes "Angel" a hybrid of genres. The episode "Spin the Bottle" epitomizes how the series can jump from comedy to drama even in the middle of a single show. However, the comedy is secondary to the drama in "Season 4" because of the serious themes that weave through the story. What unfolds tears at the very fiber of the characters and is only redeemable through a deus ex machina that turns the series on its head in the climactic finale. "Season 4" also reunites "Angel" with its sis- ter show "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" by relying on a couple of crossovers from Sunnydale to help Angel and friends avert the impending crisis. This reunion of the two series comes at a welcome time as "Angel" proved that it could stand on its own with "Season 3," but it's done in a way that ties the "Buffy"/"Angel" universe together believably and makes the threat seem that much more dire. Come closer... we don't bite... The return of characters like Willow (Alyson Han- nigan) and Faith (Eliza Dushku) creates an added sense of urgency to the crisis. The DVD set comes complete with the standard features found on the other "Angel" season releases. There are multiple featurettes and selected episode commentaries. The best of the commentaries are those by Whedon, who seems to truly care about the characters and the storylines. FOX also kept the widescreen aspect ratio, uncommon for most TV series, which helps give the show a more theatrical look. The series has extremely high production values, which become obvious not only in the elaborate costumes and make-up, but also in the special effects. The demons that populate this world look even more fanciful on DVD than they did in their original broadcasts. "Angel" was a unique show that challenged con- ventional TV practices. "Season 4" shows the series at its strongest, whether or not the viewer agrees with the depictions of the characters. Show: **** Picture/Sound: **** Features: *** * Oil business, soap opera collide in prime time television classic 'Dallas' The 29 episodes revolve around the exploits of the Ewings, a dysfunction- al family in the independent oil busi- ness, where corruption, greed and lust is the name of the game. The patri- arch of the family, Jock (Jim Davis), has stepped aside to give control of Ewing Oil to his son, J.R. (Larry Hagman), a guy everyone loves to hate, because of his womanizing, cockiness and never-ending manipu- lation. J .R.'s younger, more-adored brother Bobby (Patrick Duffy) tries to keep J.R. in check, both in the family business and at the Ewing household. Much to J.R.'s chagrin, Bobby has married the headstrong, no-nonsense Pamela Barnes (Victoria Principal), the daughter of Jock's enemy and for- mer partner Digger Barnes. Very few of the episodes use the cliffhanger style the show was later famous for. Most of the storylines are resolved within hour-long tales, and some are a little too silly. Too often, the show would focus on a far- fetched story involving Jock's rebel- lious grand-daughter Lucy or ranch foreman Ray, two characters who, when compared to J.R. and Bobby, are too weak. Fortunately, the show picks up when J.R.'s wife Sue Ellen (Linda Gray), upset at her husband's cheating ways, has an affair with Pamela's brother (and natural enemy of J.R.) Cliff, creating a "Who's the father?" storyline that showcased the show's tremendous potential. The set is neatly packaged and the episodes have transferred well to DVD. Unfortunately, the extras on the five discs are sparse. Hagman and the show's writers provide com- mentary on only three episodes, and the only other feature is a reunion on SoapNet. Still, the episodes are enough to carry the set, if only to see the beginning of the tremendous J.R. character and the first signs of "Dal- las" becoming a staple of entertain- ing television in the 1980s. Show: *** Picture/Sound: *** Features: ** Friday, Se ptember 17th start somewhere. While not exactly groundbreaking, the first two seasons dation for the seasons that cemented serve as a fine introduction to the the show as one of the most popular characters and provide a solid foun- of all time. IKI 1 +';041n;,7+77:7: 7 : , : : : + , 7 1 BOSITO0N UNIVE R I INTERNATIONAL.PROGRAMS AUSTRALIA BELIZE CHINA ECUADOR ENGLAND FRANCE GERMANY IRELAND Come ISRAEL Bosto ITALY Friday AA:. h Tickets available at the Breslin Center Box Office Charge by Phone: (800) 968-BRES or (517) 432-5000 his could be you. Come find out how. meet Heather Kent from on University International Programs y, September 10, 10 a.m.- 3 p.m. bin.. Ili: I 3a I