7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Ike Evans risks everything in a life and death battle to rid his Miramar Playa Hotel of the mob and Ben “The Butcher” Diamond. Ike’s dangerous plan to defeat Ben takes Ike from Havana’s glamorous casinos to dealings with a new devil – Ben’s boss in the Chicago Outfit. Ike’s wife Vera gets a second chance at her former dancing glory, while sons Stevie and Danny drift farther from Ike – Stevie toward the power and rewards of Ben’s dark world, Danny into the moral righteousness of State’s Attorney Jack Klein. Changes in Castro’s Cuba ripple to the shores of Miami Beach, and a new world order begins to tear the Evans family apart. Even if Ike’s long-shot gamble to take back his hotel succeeds, will the price of victory be too high?
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Olga Kurylenko, Steven Strait, Jessica Marais, Christian CookeDrama | 100% |
Crime | 65% |
Period | 37% |
Mystery | 24% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
The cable television drama rat race heats up again for more dark dealings on the bright beaches of Miami in the second season of Magic City, the Starz program about the late 1950s beachside hotel business and the corruption, bad dealings, personal intrigue, sex, politics, and the law that shape the business behind the scenes, certainly more than even the glitz and glamour façade that lures customers and makes money. The truth is that the big money is made and exchanged in the back rooms and the penthouses and away from the hustle-and-bustle of tourism, and through the sort of dark, shady deals that would probably leave customers running and ruin a reputation that even the most extravagant decor and prime real estate couldn't fix. Magic City enjoys all of the bells and whistles of modern television, including a top-notch cast, amazing production values, passably intense drama, complex (albeit rather generic) characters, and a suitably intriguing arc. But that's also part of the problem. The series never does feel quite so fresh as the best that television has to offer. It's striving to duplicate success rather than make its own. It's certainly very good in that regard, but there's never a real spice, a real groundbreaking novelty, a real escape from genre basics. Series Creator Mitch Glazer has crafted an alluring world, but no matter how smart the writing, how good the acting, how compelling the drama may be, the series never quite reaches the heights of success for which it strives.
Reflecting on where he's been, where he's going.
Magic City: The Complete Second Season's 1080p transfer looks terrific. Colors are a little warm, favoring and reinforcing that hot Miami feel. Still, the palette proves suitably vibrant, providing rich exterior greens, beautifully realized makeup and clothing shades, and more regal hotel backgrounds. Skin tones do push a little warm, but black levels are rather deep and accurate. Detail is strong throughout. The HD video source can look a little flat, but not to the detriment of facial textures, clothing lines, or the clarity with which all of the gorgeous Miami scenery is presented. The image always borders on excellence and achieves excellence more often than not; it's so well colored and detailed that it often passes for lifelike, particularly in its brightest outdoor scenes. It's a satisfying image that's also largely without the fault of banding, noise, or other eyesores. In sum, it's a very strong, very enjoyable transfer from Anchor Bay.
Magic City: The Complete Second Season features a balanced and enjoyable Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Musical notes play with even spacing, frequent and balanced surround support, good general clarity, and basic low end support heft, whether the opening title theme music or the many popular tunes that play throughout the season. The track also provides very well realized ambient effects, whether rolling beachside waves or well integrated background noises at parties. All of the basic front-and-center sound effects enjoy a rather natural, nicely realized accuracy, including gunfire; a few shotgun blasts in episode two are particularly noteworthy for their stage presence and power. Dialogue plays smoothly and evenly from the center channel. This is a good all-around sound presentation from Anchor Bay.
Magic City: The Complete Second Season's supplemental features may be found on disc three. Optional English SDH subtitles are included.
Magic City: The Complete Second Season's bread-and-butter drama satisfies, but there are an awful lot of rather empty dramatic calories here. The show feels rather stale and never really innovates, maneuvering through typically big-staged and occasionally overblown new-wave cable television drama. It doesn't push the envelope in the way other Starz series tend to; it's a fairly routine experience that's enhanced by gorgeous photography, fantastic costume and set design, and superb performances that elevate otherwise stereotypical characters into people whose complex lives are worth experiencing. The show received its walking papers a couple of months ago, leaving fans with an empty feeling but also an empty slot that Starz will, hopefully, fill with something a little more novel but equally, or better, acted and structurally realized. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Magic City: The Complete Second Season features top-end video and high quality audio. Disc three is dedicated to five brief featurettes. Worth a rental, though fans can purchase with confidence if the lack of bonus features isn't a deal breaker.
2013
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1997
2009
10th Anniversary
2013
1955
1954
2002-2008
1956
1995
2006
1956
1992
2016
1987-1990
1995
Limited Edition to 3000 - SOLD OUT
1949
2012
Collector's Edition | Theatrical on BD
1991
2009