I’ve long beat the drum for the brilliance of The Thick Of It (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP), recommending it to my fellow Americans as a rare slice of satirical brilliance brought to life by a stellar cast. And the timing of the long-awaited US release of the entire series just so happens to coincide with the announcement that star Peter Capaldi – who plays the foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker – just so happens to be the new Doctor in Doctor Who. Ah, coincidence. Regardless, pick up this set and watch it all. Twice. Then again, for good measure. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, outtakes, and more.
Having become used to gritty, grimy VHS versions and only slightly better DVD versions over the years, to see the absolute, sparkling clarity Disney has accomplished with their new high definition catalogue restorations of The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, and Oliver & Company (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP each). These truly are the definitive versions of these films – the restoration is just that impressive. All 3 carry over the bonus features from their DVD releases, while also managing to add some newly found alternate opening, finales, and storylines.
With the documentary West Of Memphis (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), filmmaker Amy Berg presents the powerful story behind the fight to save an innocent man from Arkansas’ death row, uncovering new evidence surrounding the murder of three boys and the trio of teenagers wrongfully imprisoned for the crime. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, Toronto Film Festival footage, deleted scenes, and more.
It gets campier as the years go by, but there’s still a B-movie charm to Wes Craven’s big screen adaptation of DC Comics’ green avenger, Swamp Thing (Shout Factory, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$26.99 SRP). The new high definition edition gets loaded with bonus features, including audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes, the trailer, and galleries.
When you view the brand new high definition restoration of Cleopatra (Fox, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) and see in glorious detail the visual excess on screen, it’s not surprising that the epic very nearly bankrupted the Fox studio. In this modern age of computers making anything imaginable an easy reality, to see the old-school physical scale on display is truly a marvel, even if the film itself is a bit of a dud. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, archival footage, and more.
No matter how much I try, even by its 3rd season, I just can’t understand the appeal of Top Gear USA (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The trio of hosts have none of the wit and quirky charm of the UK originals, which makes the whole affair feel terribly artificial. But hey, there must be fans, or it wouldn’t still be on, right? Bonus materials include audio commentaries, interviews, extra scenes, and featurettes.
It’s back to the backwoods with the 3rd season of Duck Dynasty (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), as the real life soap opera of the Dallas of duck calls keeps on rolling. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, webisodes, mash-ups, and music videos.
The releases seem to be coming fast and furious as we get Gunsmoke: The Ninth Season – Volume 1 & Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP each). Both 5-disc sets contain 18 episodes of James Arness’ marshal Matt Dillon doling out the frontier justice.
With the rambling Beat nature of it all, it’s damned hard to realize an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road (IFC, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), but Walter Salles makes a decent go of it with Sam Riley & Garrett Hedlun taking on the roles of Sal & Dean, and Kristen Stewart adding another emotion as Marylou. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a trailer.
Bronies the world over will be planning a movie night with the release of the first feature-length pony outing My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (Shout Factory, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.97 SRP), which recasts all of the pony characters into oddly disturbing humanized versions in an alternate dimension. Yup. Bonus materials include a featurette and karaoke songs.
Fans of a good ol’ British mystery? Look no further than the seemingly lovely villages of Midsomer County to find a thinly veneered undercurrent of murder in Midsomer Murders: Set 22 (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The set contains a quartet of cases, plus a behind-the-scenes conversation.
Expand your Star Trek prop shelf and feature film cosplay with the very first toy realization of the Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan Communicator (Diamond Select Toys, $45.00 SRP). Not only does it feature lights and sounds, but also sound clips of Admiral Kirk, Spock, Khan, and Lt. Uhura. Yes, even “KHAAAAAAAAN!”
Sadly out of circulation for nearly 15 years, there’s nothing that stirs up good memories of a much-missed television show quite like a beautifully produced book, which certainly applies to Babylon 5 At Twenty: A Visual Celebration (B5 Books, $134). Running at 256 pages and measuring 12″x12″ on museum-quality paper, the slipcased hardcover contains 753 behind-the-scenes production images detailing everything from sets and costumes to make-up and candid moments. All with running commentary from creator J. Michael Straczynski. I’m not going to wade into the whole B5 vs Star Trek debate, because I love both series dearly, but what becomes abundantly clear – and what this incredible tome displays so well – is the remarkable world Babylon 5 was able to convey on a relative pittance compared to the much larger budgets of Trek. If you act quick – and I do meant quick – you can head over to B5Books.com and snag what remains of the first printing at a ridiculous discount that you’ll be kicking yourself later if you’re fool enough let pass by. So yes – Go get it. And then revisit one of the finest serialized science fiction shows ever to grace the pop culture firmament.
