Here’s the last good, long list before Christmas. I’ll post the Dec. 23 picks shortly, but last minute shoppers should not depend on that list for anything worthwhile.
First, the DVD releases:
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 6
- Australian Pie: Naked Love
- Buster Keaton Double Header: I’ve been looking for “The Railrodder” on DVD for years, and now I’ve finally got access to it.
- The Day The Earth Stopped: Not to be confused with either version of “The Day The Earth Stood Still.”
- Death Race
- Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog: This Amazon.com exclusive release of Joss Whedon’s web series is actually out on December 19. Includes such classic lyrics as “It’s a brand new day, and the sun is high. / All the birds are singing that you’re gonna die! / How I hesitated, now I wonder why? / It’s a brand new day!” and “And Penny will see the evil me / Not a joke, not a dork, not a failure / And she may cry but her tears will dry / when I hand her the keys to a shiny new Australia!” Highly recommended to any Whedon fan.
- Hamlet 2
- The House Bunny
- Kodocha: Season One Box Set
- The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea
- Little Mermaid Trilogy: Includes the original, the prequel and the sequel
- Mamma Mia! The Movie: Single disc edition
- Mamma Mia! The Movie: Two disc special edition
- Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Collection: Includes the complete TV series and both movies. It doesn’t seem to include the “M. Hulot” movies from France that so clearly inspired the series.
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Single disc edition
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor: Two disc edition
- The Mummy Trilogy: Includes the three with Brendan Fraser only
- The Mummy, The Animated Series Vol. 1
- The Mummy, The Animated Series Vol. 2
- The Mummy, The Animated Series Vol. 3
- Mushi-shi: The Complete Series
- Naruto Uncut Box Set 11
- Naruto Uncut Box Set 11, Special Edition
- Negima: Re-imagined and Uncut, Part 1
- Negima: Box Set
- Peter Pan and Tinkerbell 3 DVD Gift Set: Includes “Peter Pan,” “Peter Pan: Return to Neverland” and “Tinkerbell.”
- Petticoat Junction: Official First Season: Due to rights issues, these have been released in much lower quality at a correspondingly lower price.
- Sailor and the 7 Ballz Part 2: Return of the Ballz: This appears to be a “Sailor Moon” and “Dragon Ball Z” crossover that is NOT for the kiddies. I don’t know if it’s official or not, but it’s strange enough that I just can’t ignore it.
- School Rumble, Season 2, Part 2
- The Story of Saiunkoku, Season 1 Part 2
- Traitor
- Transformers Energon Ultimate Collection
- The Women
Now, the Blu-Ray releases:
- 8 Mile
- Bottle Rocket – Criterion Collection
- Burn After Reading
- Coach Carter
- Chungking Express – Criterion Collection
- Death Proof
- Death Race
- Heartbreak Kid
- Hot Rod
- The House Bunny
- Mamma Mia! The Movie
- The Man Who Fell To Earth – Criterion Collection
- The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
- The Mummy Trilogy: These are the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies, omitting “Scorpion King.”
- Old School (Unrated Edition)
- Planet Terror
- The Third Man – Criterion Collection
- Tommy Boy
- Traitor
- Wedding Crashers
- The Women
Finally, the picks of the week. Yes, it’s plural. As far as I’m concerned, there are three must-have items on shelves this week. The DVD item is Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, but if you support Blu-Ray, go with Chungking Express and/or The Third Man too.
Regarding some of this week’s anime
Regarding "Sailor and the 7 Ballz part 2" – In short, it’s not official, it’s porn, and it’s really, really, bad. Avoid at all costs (seriously – if you’re into that kind of thing, there’s enough original, and officially licensed stuff available to *ahem* cover your bases.
Regarding Negima?! – basically, this is a second series based off Ken Akamatsu’s (the guy who did Love Hina) fantasy manga Negima (the first series was canceled early on). Basically, if you’re not familiar with it already, think of it as Harry Potter with fanservice.
As far as School Rumble goes – Season 1 is currently streaming for free from Hulu.com, subtitled, not dubbed (for cost reasons) in case you want to give it a try – before you start buying DVDs, likewise with the uncut episodes of Naruto (with the music from the Japanese release – again, subtitled only, but having listened to the English dub, it can get rather annoying – Believe it!)