If the 4th season was Walter White extricating himself from the dangerous position he had gotten himself into, the first half of Breaking Bad: Season Five (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$65.99 SRP) finds the unpredictable Heisenberg taking the reigns of a full-fledged drug empire on his own terms… For better or worse. Which, granted, we won’t know for sure how it all winds up until the show wraps this Fall. Bonus features include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a gag reel.
Hey hey hey! Another childhood favorite gets the deluxe special edition treatment from the fine folks at Shout Factory with the debut of Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids: The Complete Series (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$119.99 SRP). While there has been a previous release of the show, this iteration gets a full remaster – looking and sounding better than it did in its original network airing. There’s also a snazzy new documentary on the making of the show with creator Bill Cosby.
As much as can be said for the uneven show, the 3rd season of MadTV (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP) is probably its strongest, with a strong cast (including Phil Lamarr, Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Will Sasso, and Alex Borstein) that came to play.
The lasagna-loving tabby is back with a whole new fixation in the latest collection of episodes – The Garfield Show: Pizza Dreams (Vivendi, Not Rated, DVD-$14.93 SRP), featuring six episodes plus a handful of shorts.
A comedy about an aging magical double act whose friendship since childhood splinters when a new stunt-based act comes on the scene? You’d think there’d be plenty of comedy to mine with a cast that includes Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi as the duo and Jim Carrey as the stunt performer, but except for Carrey’s inspired turn, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) never manages to reach the heights it should, which is a shame. For a better take on the same material, take a look at Magicians, starring David Mitchell & Robert Webb. Bonus materials include deleted/alternate scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.
And now, your comedy album round up for this week brings Bob Saget: That’s What I’m Talkin’ About (New Wave Dynamics, $13.89 SRP), Brian Posehn: The Fartist (New Wave Dynamics, $12.99 SRP), Owen Benjamin: High Five Til It Hurts (Comedy Central, CD/DVD-$14.98 SRP), and Kumail Nanjiani: Beta Male (Comedy Central, CD/DVD-$13.99 SRP).
Inspired by actual events, Phantom (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is a Cold War game of cat and mouse aboard a missing Soviet sub between a battle-hardened captain (Ed Harris) and a rogue KGB agent (David Duchovny with the fate of the world in the balance. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and a music video.
Still reeling from an attempt on his life, Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) begins the march towards closure in the final season of CSI: NY (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP). Bonus materials include featurettes, the CSI crossover episode, the Vegas/NY crossover, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
When it comes to affordable entertainment, no one beats the economy-priced fare from the folks at Mill Creek. The latest batch of titles are an eclectic mix, with standard DVD releases of the SyFy Channel miniseries Tin Man (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$25.00 SRP) and the documentary The United States Military: History Of Heroes (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). They’ve also got a clutch of high definition releases, including the double feature titles The Nines/Slipstream and Universal Soldier: The Return/Second In Command (Mill Creek, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$9.98 SRP each), and the documentary JFK: A New World Order (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP).
For the past few years, the fine folks at Diamond Select Toys – purveyors of pop culture collectibles – have been putting out a range of items based on the most seminal of comedy-horror films, Ghostbusters. The latest batch of times sure to tempt even the most casual fan include a faithfully-sculpted 8″ Slimer Bank ($19.99 SRP), a party-ready Slimer Gelatin Mold ($14.99 SRP), and a Ghostbusters Silicone Tray ($14.99 SRP), which perfectly crafts ice ready for your next spooky cocktail.
I realize now I read a Neil Gaiman story for the places you shouldn’t go but must, the innocence gained in innocence lost, and the light lurking about in the darkness. All of those elements are woven into the fabric of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane (William Morrow, $25.99 SRP), a tightly told tale that ranks among his best. So just go read it. Now.
Daleks! You can never have enough Daleks! Small ones, big ones, plastic ones, metal ones – even inflatable ones. Measuring an impressive 47″ tall and available in a variety of colors, the gents at Thinkgeek are stocking an Inflatable Dalek ($39.99). That’s right. AN INFLATABLE DALEK. You know you want one. Or a dozen.
