Monk - Season One
|
List Price: Our Price: $16.15 You Save: $43.83 (73%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $7.69 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Canada
Movie Reviews of Monk - Season One
Movie Review: I can't tell you how much I love this show!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't help but wonder....If Sherlock Holmes had OCD, would he have been as funny as Monk? Surely not. But Monk does owe his outstanding deductive reasoning skills to Holmes and, more directly, to Conan Doyle. The only derivative aspect that marks the show is that very skill. That being said, it is easy to forgive the series this fact. Most modern day mystery minded television and literature nods to Conan Doyle and, beyond him, Poe. And when something works so well and so effectively, why change it? It's still just as exhilirating to have Monk point out the origin of a callus on the left forefinger as it was when Rathbone in the guise of Holmes did something quite similar. As far as I'm concerned, it makes for great television (or film, for that matter.)
But what's the real reason to watch MONK? Because it is undoubtedly one of the absolute funniest television shows that you will ever hope to watch. In actuality there is nothing humorous about OCD. But the show not being reality, and the intelligence, emotion, and determination behind Monk's character, seem to make it okay to laugh. And laugh you will. Not smile, not chuckle, but full on contagious laughter. The kind that creates a well of euphoria in the pit of your stomach after you've finished. The kind that comes forth again when you recall a particular scene or bit of dialogue the next day. And what's even better is that the comedy inherent in Monk owes nothing to the slapstick that always prompted laughter in "comedies" of the past. It's intelligent and thoughtful. And it's carried off beautifully by Tony Shalhoub.
Shalhoub is adorable. He makes you believe in his character and you rally behind him whenever he encounters something he is afraid of. He deserves every accolade he garners for this show. And each of the cast members that surrounds him adds to the overall delight and humor of MONK.
I can only hope and cross my fingers that this show will remain on the air for a long time to come. And that they will manage to keep it as fresh and as funny as it is. My suggestion would be to watch the new season--it's even funnier than the first--at the same time as the episodes included in this first season set. For my family, a week isn't complete without a dose of MONK.
Movie Review: The perfect item for the obsessive compulsive fan....
Summary: 5 Stars
Monk is about a man named Adrian Monk, who is a private detective that has a disability, he is obsessive about anything, not to mention that he is afraid of practically anything.
He was at first a cop himself, however his wife was murdered in a car bomb that took place four years before the actuall time in the series takes place. It is the only mystery that Monk cant solve and because of that and the loss of his wife, he is forced to leave the force and get help.
But the series is far from depressing. Monk actually takes part in some of the most bizarre murders in San Francisco's history [Where the series takes place] whenever the police are stumped. He goes from place to place with his nurse and good friend, Sharona Flemming, as he questions the suspects.
In the end of each episode, he manages to prove the guilty murderer why and how he or she, or sometimes both, did the crime. And each time he solves it the ending is still surprising and has lots of twists that all tie in the weird clues that Monk finds in the beginning and middle of each episode.
The set includes four DVDs with 3 episodes each:
Disk one: Mr. Monk and the Candidate, Mr. Monk meets the psychic, Mr. Monk meets Dale the whale.
Disk two: Mr. Monk goes to the carnival, Mr. Monk goes to the asylum, Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger.
Disk three: Mr. Monk and the other woman, Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man, Mr. Monk takes the vacation.
Disk four: Mr. Monk and the Earthquake, Mr. Monk meets the Red Headed stranger [Special guest Willie Nelson], and Mr. Monk and the airplane.
Each episode is about 45 minutes, besides the opening which is about an hour and a half. Each mystery is as bizarre as the next:
From a billionaire killed after trying to mug a couple, to an 800 pound man accused of murder despite the fact he cant even fit through his door. And even to where Monk finds a crime scene that some cops are calling, "The cleanest crime scene ever." And one includes Willie Nelson being accused of murder.
Each episode will have you guessing if you havent seen them already, so go out and try to solve it before Monk can!
Movie Review: Excellent comedy, short season
Summary: 5 Stars
A funny show where a quirky detective is alternately helped and hindered by his obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and several phobias. The premiere was two hours long and episodes were 60 minutes long. I'm impressed that this is widescreen and DTS! Four discs and running time of 563 minutes doesn't leave much room for the extras, but I haven't been able to find much detail about the extras or their length.Premiere: 1 & 2. Mr. Monk and the Candidate: Monk works as a private investigator after losing his job on the police department due to his psychiatric problems. Three years later, he gets a call from his old boss who needs his help to solve a murder.
3. Mr. Monk and the Psychic: Monk and a psychic stage a psychic reading to catch a murderer.
4. Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale gs: Adam Arkin: Monk tries to prove how a bedridden 800 pound man could have murdered a judge.
5. Mr. Monk Goes to the Carnival: Monk tries to discover who murdered a man riding on a ferris wheel.
6. Mr. Monk Goes to the Asylum: While incarcerated in a psychiatric facility, Monk learns of an unsolved murder.
7. Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger: A billionaire is shot dead while supposedly mugging a couple outside a movie theater.
8. Mr. Monk and the Other Woman: While investigating the murder of a lawyer and his assistant, Monk is attracted to another woman who understands him.
9. Mr. Monk and the Marathon Man: Monk tries to find out who killed a woman during the San Francisco marathon.
10. Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation: Monk goes on vacation to the beach with Benjy and Sharona. The vacation ends when Benjy witnesses a murder.
11. Mr. Monk and the Earthquake: A man dies during an earthquake and Monk tries to prove that he was murdered.
12. Mr. Monk and the Red-Headed Stranger gs Willie Nelson: Willie Nelson (playing himself) is suspected of killing his manager.
13. Mr. Monk and the Airplane gs Tim Daly: Monk's concerns about flying doesn't keep him from investigating what he thinks might be a murder. The flight attendant is played by Monk's wife in real life, Brooke Adams.
Movie Review: 5 stars for the show, 2 or 3 for the DVD itself
Summary: 5 Stars
Monk is one of the best tv series out there- I'd even go further and say, it's one of the best tv series ever. The writing is brilliant- subtle comedy and some dark humor found throughout every episode...the concept is original- a genius detective with OCD, who battles the disease while trying to solve complex cases for the police...all while trying to get his life back on track to the point where he can rejoin the force.
Shaloub is a wonderful actor who does the character of Adrian Monk complete justice. He's been awarded for his role with an emmy, and it's well deserved. The rest of the cast are just as wonderful, filling out the areas that Monk can't fill himself very nicely.
The series is very professional in it's look- the dp on this series has done a great job...and it really helps that after season 1, they moved actual shooting to San Francisco, instead of the, almost surely, Canadian city they used as a look-alike.
The series also has great music, most of the scoring done by the guy who did the original season 1 theme song- a much better version than the dark Randy Newman theme used for season 2 and ever since.
There is nothing bad to say about this series- it's always a joy to watch Monk solve the crimes, dealing with his disease, and lauhging along with everything that takes place. This is the very definition of great television.
A note about the DVD itself, and why I would rate the set a 2 or 3 and the show a 5- there's very little here added on. You would think that a hit series like this would have some commentaries or indepth behind-the-scenes stuff, but all it has is 4 or 5 short behind-the-scenes segments about the show and about the illness and how the creators came up with the idea. There are no commentary tracks, nor any longer documentary-style segments on the set. The audio is dolby 5.1, I believe, and it's in letterbox- very nice for both, but I would have liked to see some commentary tracks, and more bonus material- it's a little weak for such a popular series if you ask me.
Movie Review: A Great Show
Summary: 5 Stars
The concept for this series is ingenious. Adrian Monk is a private investigator with a host of fears and obsessions. He used to be on the police force, but when his wife was murdered, he could no longer function. Now with the help of his nurse Sharona, he is working to become reinstated.
Monk works as a consultant on any case that has the police stumped. He simply sees connections the others cannot. We learn that his obsessions are both a blessing and a curse.
This season is a great start, but season two and three are even better. The highlights in this season are:
1. Mr. Monk and the Candidate- the double episode pilot. The tone for this episode is a little darker than the others, but it gets the series off to an interesting start.
2. Mr. Monk goes on Vacation- There is just something funny about Monk lying by the pool while wearing a suit. Benjy witnesses a murder and Mr. Monk is the only person who believes him.
3. Mr. Monk and the Earthquake- When a celebrated philantropist dies in an earthquake can Monk prove that it was actually murder? This episode contains what I consider the best scene in the season. Just imagine Monk's reaction to an earthquake. I won't spoil this scene.
4. Mr. Monk and the Airplane- The best episode in this season. Mr. Monk identifies and solves a case all while on a cross country flight. Has a great scene in which Randy surveys the crime scene with the same mannerisms Monk uses. Gary Marshall plays an extension cord salesman.
All in all, this is a wonderful series.