CD Giveaway - 33Miles, "One Life"
Ends Aug 4, 2010
The country-pop sound established in their eponymous debut is a mainstay for this album as well, and even adds a little more southern flavor.
CD Giveaway - Phil Wickham, "Cannons"
Ends Aug 3, 2010
With an opening shot that hits the sonic pinnacle, this collection of spiritual Brit pop/rock is heavily influenced by Keane, Travis, Coldplay, and U2.
Rating: Country: USA Release Date: November 17, 2009 Distributor: HBO Home Video Cast: · Kevin McKidd · Ray Stevenson · Ciarán Hinds · James Purefoy · Lindsay Duncan · Polly Walker Related Sites: ·IMDb: Rome
Grade: A+
When I was just a young writer, still in high school, I had a favorite teacher. Mr. Simpson taught Latin and Classical Literature, and I made the most of the opportunity his classes offered throughout my high school career. So if this review is late, it's only because I was absolutely immersing myself in this series I had not seen prior to its compilation as a complete series on DVD.
Rome is the brainchild of The Mentalist creator Bruno Heller, and offers a three-fold vantage on the pinnacle of the Roman empire: the seats, the streets, and the sheets. It's history come alive, with a healthy dash of soap opera vis-a-vis action movie, making it something wholly engrossing for both genders.
The first of the two seasons tells the story of Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," "Race to Witch Mountain"), beginning with his conquest of Gaul, leading into his long-running battle with the Roman General Pompey, and culminating with the aftermath of his assassination on the floor of the Senate at the hands of Brutus (Tobias Menzies) and other conspirators. But Heller does more than just relate the bare facts -- he interweaves some intriguing fictions that give a clear vision of daily life in Rome, and those fictions interact with the recorded facts to such a degree that one might almost believe it were all true. Perhaps the root of Caesar's downfall truly lay in his breaking off his extramarital relations with Brutus's mother, Servilia (Lindsay Duncan), who is presented as one of the major behind-the-scenes movers and shakers of Rome, usually opposite the conniving Atia (Polly Walker), Caesar's niece, who could give Scarlett O'Hara a run for her money in the scheming for power department.
Two of the major players in this HBO series are Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), two former soldiers from the 13th Gallic Legion who fought under Caesar, and mentioned only briefly in Caesar's Commentary on the Gallic Wars. Heller latches onto this mention and fleshes out the characters, providing a view of Rome from the lower classes. Sometimes set against each other, Pullo and Vorenus are Rome's Murtaugh and Riggs -- particularly with Stevenson's Gibson-esque performance. They'll philosophize, they'll fall into Abbott & Costello-like routines, and find themselves in absurd situations, with the whoring Pullo offering marital advice to Vorenus. And they'll absorb you into their personal tragedies, as Pullo murders a man out of passion over a woman he loves, while Vorenus rashly curses his children after learning his wife bore a child to another man (thinking Vorenus was dead in the Gallic Wars). Moreso than the beaudoir chess matches of Atia and Servilia, Pullo and Vorenus show us the Roman lifestyle and customs.
The second season takes up immediately where the first left off, with Atia's son, Octavian, named as Caesar's heir -- an bequest that sits ill with Atia's lover and Caesar's ally, Mark Antony (James Purefoy). Antony's lack of cooperation leads to a rift between the two, which escalates into a full war with the youthful yet tactically brilliant Octavian, who amasses legions of his own and soundly trounces Antony, only to later forge an alliance with him to thwart the machinations of Cicero, who plans to set Brutus and Cassius (and their much larger armies) against Octavian.
If you've only watched Rome on HBO, you've not truly experienced the full impact of the series. Each episode can be viewed through the "All Roads Lead to Rome" function, which will pop up text boxes laden with information regarding the history of the scene, setting, characters and rituals. During the first season, this feature will also allow you to pause the action and delve deeper into a larger explanation of some of the rich history of Rome. Watching the series this way deepened my appreciation for the producers of the series, and sometimes served to make me proud that I already knew and recognized some of the mentions from those classes of bygone days. To which I must say, Gratias tibi ago, Mr. Simpson. And Ave atque vale.
This handsome burgundy boxed set features a pull-out recounting all the major players and their part in things. The eleven discs are held in a singular book-like folder that is far superior to any plastic case. There are also numerous audio commentaries available, as well as separate bonus features (noted below), all of which make Rome: The Complete Series a boxed set that will make anyone feel as though they're a part of Senatus Populusque Romani. Put this one on your gift-giving list this month.
Rome
The Complete Series
Disc I
Disc II
Disc III
101. The Stolen Eagle
- (optional commentary w/ Bruno Heller and Historical Consultant Jonathan Stamp) 102. How Titus Pullo Brought Down the Republic
- (optional commentary w/ Bruno Heller and Historical Consultant Jonathan Stamp) Bonus Feature:
- Friends, Roman, Countrymen: Introduction to the Characters of Rome.
103. An Owl in a Thornbush 104. Stealing from Saturn 105. The Ram has Touched the Wall
- (optional commentary w/ Ray Stevenson)
106. Egeria 107. Pharsalus
- (optional commentary w/ Bruno Heller and Historical Consultant Jonathan Stamp) 108. Caesarion
- (optional commentary w/ Director Steve Shill)
Disc IV
Disc V
Disc VI
109. Utica
- (optional commentary w/ Director Jeremy Podeswa) 110. Triumph Bonus Feature:
- Shot X Shot: Caesar's Triumph
111. The Spoils
- (optional commentary w/ Kevin McKidd) 112. Kalends of February
- (optional commentary w/ Bruno Heller and Historical Consultant Jonathan Stamp) Bonus Feature:
- Shot X Shot: Gladiator
Bonus Features:
- The Rise of Rome
- When in Rome
- Photo Gallery
Disc VII
Disc VIII
Disc IX
201. Passover
- (optional commentary w/ Bruno Heller and Historical Consultant Jonathan Stamp) 202. Son of Hades Bonus Feature:
- A Tale of Two Romes
203. These Being the Words of Marcus Tullius Cicero 204. Testudo et Lepus (The Tortoise and the Hare)
205. Heroes of the Republic 206. Philippi Bonus Feature:
- The Making of Rome, Season II
Disc X
Disc XI
Men of Rome: Kevin McKidd and Ray Stevenson as Marcus Vorenus and Titus Pullo
207. Death Mask
- (optional commentary Director John Maybury and Lindsay Duncan) 208. A Necessary Fiction
- (optional commentary w/ Executive Producer John Melfi and Director Carl Franklin) Bonus Feature:
- The Rise of Octavian: Rome's First Emperor
209. Deus Impeditio Esuritori Nullus (No God Can Stop a Hungry Man)
- (optional commentary w/ James Purefoy) 210. De Patre Vostro (About Your Father)
- (optional commentary w/ Bruno Heller and Historical Consultant Jonathan Stamp) Bonus Feature:
- Antony & Cleopatra
