It’s a light week for the genre. Also, there’s a
slight format change this week; details below.

I’m doing things a bit differently this week. Most
genre and
non-genre releases will be listed as usual, but the
one item that I
think is really fantastic, and the one product you
should get if you
buy only one new release this week, will be listed
seperately after
the other lists. This “pick of the week” may or may
not be genre.

The genre releases include:

• Blade
  two
  pack: This has Blade and Blade II.
  Add in The
  Punisher, and it would include every recent
  Marvel adaptation
  I’ve never seen.
• Ju-On
  (The
  Grudge): This is the original Japanese version.
  It may be worth a
  comparison to the recent remake.
• Stepford
  Wives: Yet another summer release I haven’t had a
  chance to see
  yet.

Now, the non-genre releases include:

• Bridget
  Jones’s Diary (Collector’s Edition): This was a
  decent romantic
  comedy. It’s not my thing, but someone out there may
  enjoy it, or
  need to do Christmas shopping for someone who
  does.
• Complete
  Monty
  Python’s Flying Circus Megaset and Life of Python
  Bundle: There’s
  a similar bundle with Monty Python Live
  instead of the
  Life of Python. The main reason to buy this
  would be to get
  the entire series on DVD.
• Friends
  – The
  Complete Eighth Season: For those who didn’t tire
  of the show
  seven seasons earlier.
• Gone
  With The
  Wind (4 Disc Collector’s Edition): Highly
  regarded as a classic.
  Frankly, my dear…
• Legally
  Blonde
  Platinum Collection: I wouldn’t shell out for the
  special edition,
  especially since that would entail paying actual
  money for the sequel,
  but the original is actually amusing.
• Marx
  Brothers
  Silver Screen Collection: This one is Universal’s
  collection of
  all their big Marx Brothers movies. (The Warner Bros.
  collection is
  already available.) With Duck Soup,
  Monkey
  Business, and Animal Crackers, this
  nearly made the
  first Pick of the Week.
• W.
  C. Fields
  Comedy Collection: The Bank Dick has
  already been
  released under the Criterion label.

Finally, my pick for the best product coming out this
week is the Fritz
Lang Epic
Collection, which contains Metropolis,
Die
Nibelungen, Woman in the Moon, and
Spies. It’s
a Kino International release, including the fully
restored version of
the dystopian Metropolis, which I plan to
review shortly.
Lang was a fantastic early director who was
remarkably innovative.
I’d love to get my hands on more of his stuff.