Breaking Bad - The Complete First Season
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt, Bryan Cranston, Dean NorrisBrand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.78:1
Running Time: 346 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-02-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- AC-3; Closed-captioned; Color; Dolby; DVD; Subtitled; Widescreen; NTSC
Movie Reviews of Breaking Bad - The Complete First Season
Movie Review: Dark, gripping and unique! Well-written, well-acted! Definitely worth watching!
Summary: 5 Stars
Dark, gripping and unique!
Emmy Award winner Bryan Cranston plays the role of Walter White, a chemistry teacher at a local high school trying make ends meet for his family. His wife Skyler (Anna Gunn) is pregnant and his son Walter White Jr. (RJ Mitte) is physically challenged. The family are struggling financially and behind on bills.
Walter tries to provide for his family by working two jobs. He is a very intelligent chemist that can probably work anywhere and make a lot of money but yet he teaches chemistry to high school students (who have no care in chemistry) and then having to work part time at a car wash in which his students mock him for it. To make matters worse, Walter has just discovered that he has inoperable lung cancer.
Knowing that his family has no money, he doesn't tell his family about it. In fact, he keeps the cancer to himself and with all the crap going in his life, this is the last thing he needs.
Depressed and just out of it, he is surprised that his wife has a surprise 50th birthday party with all his friends and his family (with their friends). He watches his sister-in-law Marie's boyfriend Hank (Dean Norris) is a DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) agent on television and how he goes after the notorious drug dealers in New Mexico and has been successful. Always finding a way to poke fun at Walter's weakness, he offers Walter a chance to go on a DEA ride-along as they go after drug dealers. But what catches Walter's eye is the discussion of how much money is made by these drug dealers.
So, Walter decides one day to take on Hank's offer to go on a ride along for a crystal meth bust. He sees how chemistry is applied to crystal meth, how it's developed in their labs and how these drug dealers are making really crappy products. With basic chemistry, he can cook the finest crystal meth and possibly make some money for him and his family.
So, during the bust, he sees a former student named Jesse Pinkman escaping from the area of the drug bust. Walter goes to Jesse's residence after the busts and tells him that he wants to join forces with him. He'll create the best crystal meth using his intelligent chemist skills and Jesse finds a way to make money.
In an unlikely collaboration, both Walter and Jesse begin to work with each other. But because Walter's crystal meth is perfect, Jesse's distributor want to know who's cooking it. Thus they go to where Walter is cooking and threaten the both of them. In trouble, Walter uses his chemistry skills to create a cloud of poison and thus killing the drug dealers.
Caught up in a botched up drug deal, both Walter and Jesse have now crossed the line and now have murdered one and keeping the other captive in the basement of Jesse's home.
Walter goes from a ho-hum life to a criminal life involving drugs, theft and murder. And because he needs money badly, he gets him and Jesse farther into criminal territory with ruthless drug dealers. Meanwhile, his sister-in-law's DEA boyfriend is on the hunt for the person creating the perfect crystal meth.
The first season of "BREAKING BAD" features a total of seven episodes. Three discs are included. Three episodes with an episode commentary and deleted scenes on each disc. The third disc features the final episode and even more special features.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"BREAKING BAD" is featured in 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The video quality is similar to a lot of dramas that are on DVD but because of the many outdoor scenes, the quality of the film is pretty good. Not flooded with grain.
As for the audio, the audio is English 5.1 (Dolby Digital). The audio is primarily dialogue with no need for special effects or rear channel usage. There is music that come strong through your speakers but overall, this is a dialogue-driven TV series. There are a few action sequences in the series but they are limited to a few episodes.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
There are quite a few special features included on all three discs of "BREAKING BAD".
DISC 1: Audio commentary on the pilot episode by creator and cast including Vince Gilligan and Bryan Cranston. Plus deleted scenes.
DISC 2: Audio commentary on episode 6 "Crazy Handful of Nothin'" by creator and cast including Vince Gilligan and Bryan Cranston. Plus deleted scenes.
DISC 3: There are a good number of special features on the third disc such as:
* Making of "Breaking Bad" - An 11-minute featurette featuring the behind-the-scenes filming. Enjoyable and showing the wit of Cranston and the cast joking of how Cranston likes to be pants-less. Interview with the cast and crew. And the cast talking about creator/writer Vince Gilligan is such a gentleman and so nice but his screenwriting for "Breaking Bad" is dark, shocking and twisted.
* Inside "Breaking Bad" - A 30-minute featurette featuring interviews with Vince Gilligan and the cast. Especially the gory scene in episode 2 as acid is used to rid of a body and how they made the body parts. This featurette includes interview with the cast. Having RJ Mitte with a person who does have a disability playing the character and the cast commenting on how well he is able to improvise and deliver his lines. Also, in order to get the authenticity of drug dealers, how DEA consultants and even people of the street help develop their meth labs and make the show more realistic.
* Deleted Scenes - Two deleted scenes from episode 7.
* Vince Gilligan's Photo Gallery - Photo gallery of cast and crew.
* AMC Shootout - Interview with Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston and Mark Johnson - A 16-minute featurette from the "AMC Shootout" television series featuring Peter Guber and Peter Bart and showcasing "Breaking Bad". Interviews with Brian Lowry of "Variety" and Mark Johnson, executive producer of "Breaking Bad" and discussion of television series such as "Madmen" and "Breaking Bad" appearing on a movie channel, AMC. Discussions of television series versus films and more. An intelligent discussion among professionals.
* Screen Tests - The actual screen tests for Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt and Dean Norris.
* Breaking Bad on AMC - The AMC commercial for "Breaking Bad"
JUDGMENT CALL:
What an excellent series "BREAKING BAD" turned out to be. I was really impressed by the Vince Gilligan's writing and the talent of Bryan Cranston (who won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "BREAKING BAD") in such a demanding role.
I have to admit that I was a bit hesitant about watching the series because I wasn't sure if I wanted to watch a television series that may glorify crystal meth and it's good to know that the series doesn't.
In fact, it's more about a television series about a very intelligent man making a very stupid decision that will eventually take him to the lowest of lows in order to make money for his family and his treatment.
It's so shocking that Walter H. White forgoes working at a great company in order to utilize his talent towards creating crystal meth and getting him involved with the unthinkable and commiting certain heinous acts that you are just shocked.
And that is what is so impressive with "BREAKING BAD" is that it's a series that is well-written, smart but dark, shocking and even disturbing at times. And what helps break from the typical dark and depressing storylines is the other characters and the chemistry these characters have with the main character of Walter White.
Anna Gunn as Skyler White, a loving wife, mother and sister other does an excellent job of playing a character with so many layers. In one scene, she may be the concerned housewife and then another scene, the sultry wife who wants to make love to her husband.
Then you have Walter's chemistry with the drug dealer Jesse. Two unlikely people who would never be together in society but now having to work with each other in making money and despite the viewer feeling empathy for Walter because of his health condition and trying to make ends meet for his family, you can foresee nothing but darkness as both Walter and Jesse continue the downward spiral of working in the criminal underground.
You see Walter eventually understanding that he put himself in a terrible position. Having to work with unstable drug dealers, watching Jesse getting beaten and bloodied and even these two having to get involved in various criminal activities.
This is not a television series glorifying drugs, it's a series that shows the seedy, dark and gritty criminal underground and things are not all rosy. I was shocked about the developments that happen in the series which I rather not spoil for the viewer but you have to watch and see for yourself. Definitely many twists and turns in this television series.
Overall, "BREAKING BAD" is a unique, well-written and well-acted television series. Surprisingly, AMC of all cable networks to showcase two exceptional dramatic series (the other is "MADMEN") is impressive and you can only think of how far this series will go. The first season for "BREAKING BAD" really was surprising, entertaining and unique. I was very impressed and looking back, I'm still quite shocked about a few certain scenes.
An excellent television series thus far and I look forward in the upcoming twists and turns for the second season. "BREAKING BAD - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON" is definitely recommended!
Summary of Breaking Bad - The Complete First Season
Genre: Television: Series
Rating: NR
Release Date: 24-FEB-2009
Media Type: DVD
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