Here’s yer DVD goodness…
DVD of the Week: Broken Flowers. Jim Jarmusch’s latest stars Chazzie-award winner Bill Murray as a single guy who’s been through a number of different relationships in his life. However, things come to a screeching halt when it’s revealed that he has a son–something he was unaware of previously. Thus, a quest begins for him to try and find out about this mystery child. Great performances from everyone involved, and also stars Tilda Swinton, Jessica Lange, Sharon Stone and Jeffrey Wright. This is out from Universal. (Buy it)
TV DVD of the Week: Jackass: The Boxed Set. Paramount finally brings you a big box of Jackass, and if Tobias digs it, you know it’s got to be worth watching. In addition to the three volumes, you get a bonus disc, meaning that the thing is stacked: commentaries with the Jackass crew, unreleased footage by the truckload, a docu where we find out what the crew is up to these days, and much more. (Buy it)
Anime DVD of the Week: Tetsujin 28, Vol. 2: Tetsujin vs. the Mafia. Well, it’s kinda obvious where the episodes are heading in this Geneon release, huh? Yes, it’s the American mafia that shows up to try and take Tetsujin, but it’s not that simple–is it ever? And what the hell is Murasame up to, exactly? You get five more episodes here with clean closing animation as a bonus. (Buy it)
Animation DVD of the Week: Batman: The Animated Series, Vol. 4. Before the reign of Bat-animation ended (and it’s all over now that JLU‘s gone, isn’t it?), these final twenty-four episodes were tacked on as an epilogue to bring you the new Robin, the introduction of Nightwing, and a bunch more to make you sorry it ever ended. There’s three commentary tracks and a featurette about Bat-villains. It’s certainly better than anything DC’s publishing so you should seriously pick this Warner Brothers release up. Check out the official site. (Buy it)
Brit DVD of the Week: Black Books: The First Complete Series. Absolutely freaking hilarious. Our highest recommendation goes along with this BBC Home Video release, featuring a trio of whacked out funny people. Dylan Moran is the owner of the titular bookshop, who hires sometime ex-accountant Bill Bailey to help him out in the store, only after shop-owner-next-door Tamsin Greig threatens him with bodily harm. From there, the series only gets stranger. But trust on this one: you need this. All six episodes of the first series are here, plus commentaries and outtakes. (Buy it)
Adverse Video of the Week: Venom. The town misfit dies in a car accident. But he comes back to life, possessed by evil, and goes after the young-ish cast…because…that’s just what you do when you come back from the dead empowered by darkness. If it’s just a flat-out slasher flick you’re looking for, that’s laughable in some places, then look no further. Comes with cast auditions, a making-of featurette, and a storyboard-to-film comparison. (Buy it)
Docu DVD of the Week: Unfinished Business. One of the worst things about the homefront here in the U.S. during World War II was the internment of Japanese-Americans. What I didn’t realize until this docu landed in my lap, although it certainly makes sense, is that some simply didn’t go quietly. This tells the story of three people who said “Oh hell no” and wound up in prison, and decades later trying to get their convictions overturned. Fascinating stuff from Docurama. Comes with a bonus film from the archives. (Buy it)
Adult DVD of the Week: Midnight Blue, Vol. 3: Celebrities Edition. Blue Underground brings another volume of this 70s cable access show to DVD for all you historical pr0nologists out there. As you can probably tell from the title, celebrities dropped by for the show. As a result, you get everybody from R. Crumb to Tiny Tim and Penn & Teller to Rob Lowe. Crazy stuff. It comes with an optional trivia track and more. (Buy it)
Western DVD of the Week: Take a Hard Ride. It’s kinda hard to lose with this title, hitting thanks to Anchor Bay. I mean, after all, you’ve got Lee Van Cleef, who, by law was required to be involved in westerns for years, plus Jim Brown and Fred Williamson. And if that wasn’t enough, Jim Kelly is on hand to offer the kick. It’s a nice fine western romp filled with gunplay that’s worth checking out at least once. (Buy it)
UMD of the Week: Rush Hour. Now that the third film is going to happen…and, well, finally give Chris Tucker something to do…you might want to refresh yourself in regards to the original. But who has time to sit on a couch and watch a movie these days? New Line wants you to cart it around with you for your PSP, and, as an incentive, this isn’t a bare bones release like most of the UMDs we’ve seen. Nope, this comes with a blooper reel and a commentary by director Brett Ratner. So bonus. (Buy it)
