Leaving the Stream: Week of September 12, 2010

Like cop shows? How about above average – but not great – science fiction and fantasy? If so, you’ll want to hit Netflix quick. You’ve got plenty to watch.

The Shield: Seasons 6 & 7 (10/15)

This is the show that put FX on the map as a destination for high quality television. It set the stage for shows like ‘Nip/Tuck’ and ‘Rescue Me.’ You won’t find a better gritty cop drama than ‘The Shield.’ Season 6 is one of the two seasons featuring Forest Whitaker, which is a fantastic bonus.

Magnum P.I. (10/20)

Fine, he’s not a cop. But as a private investigator, Magnum does cop things. ‘Magnum P.I.‘ is a classic show that ran for eight seasons, all of which are expiring on the 20th. During the eight season run, guest stars like Ian McShane, Frank Sinatra, Orson Welles and Ernest Borgnine came and went, but Tom Selleck never went away. Well, he did in the seventh season, but he came back in the eighth, and he brought his moustache with him.

Event Horizon (10/16)

I was on a bit of a Sam Neill kick when ‘Event Horizon‘ hit the theaters, so I went in expecting a lot. I was also expecting science fiction which the movie really doesn’t deliver. It’s a sort of space horror film, and it’s not bad. It’s also not great, despite some decent work from Neill and Lawrence Fishburne. (See Blu-ray review.)

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (10/17)

Say what you want, I like the ‘Underworld’ series. They may not be the deepest movies, but if I’m getting vampires, this is the kind I like to see. They’re not nice, and they barely even qualify as people. They’re horrible and monstrous, just like they should be. ‘Rise of the Lycans‘ takes the franchise back to the origins of the whole vampire/werewolf feud and stars Michael Sheen, the underused Rhona Mitra, and the brilliant Bill Nighy. (See Blu-ray review.)

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