TV releases will continue to trickle in for the next month or so. There are also some great titles on Blu-Ray for martial arts fans.

First, the DVD picks:

• An American Werewolf in London (Special Edition)
• Army of Darkness: Screwhead Edition: Also available on Blu-Ray
• Astro Boy, Vol. 1: Alex: A re-mastered, re-dubbed and, as necessary re-animated (where footage was lost or not repairable) release of the original anime series based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga, and produced by the man himself.
• Astro Boy, Vol. 2: Alex: A re-mastered, re-dubbed and, as necessary re-animated (where footage was lost or not repairable) release of the original anime series based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga, and produced by the man himself.
• Astro Boy, Vol. 3: Alex: A re-mastered, re-dubbed and, as necessary re-animated (where footage was lost or not repairable) release of the original anime series based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga, and produced by the man himself.
• Astro Boy, Vol. 4: Alex: A re-mastered, re-dubbed and, as necessary re-animated (where footage was lost or not repairable) release of the original anime series based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga, and produced by the man himself.
• Astro Boy, Vol. 5: Alex: A re-mastered, re-dubbed and, as necessary re-animated (where footage was lost or not repairable) release of the original anime series based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga, and produced by the man himself.
• The Best of WWE Smackdown – 10th Anniversary: By all accounts the quality of this is debatable.
• The Big Bang Theory: Second Season
• Bleach Vol. 20
• Bodyguard – A New Beginning: Hong Kong gangland martial arts film about a Triad who is sent to the UK to protect a girl by his boss.
• Bonanza, Official First Season Volume 1
• Bonanza, Official First Season Volume 2
• Bonanza: Official Complete First Season
• Bride of Frankenstein (w/ Halloween Candy Cash)
• C.S.I.: Miami – The Complete Seventh Season
• Case Closed Season 2
• Charles Dickens Masterpiece Collection
• Crash: Season One: Also available on Blu-Ray.
• Deadgirl (Unrated Director’s Cut)
• Doctor Who: The Next Doctor (2008 Christmas Special)
• Dragon Ball – Season 1: Note, this is not DBZ.
• Dragonball Z: Bardok – Father of Goku: Alex: A preview “film” (it’s only 48 minutes long) to DBZ.
• Dragonball Z: History of Trunks: Alex: IIRC, this is the 48 minute long “film” depicting the dark future that Trunks came from (for those unfamiliar with the series, think of Trunks as the DBZ equivalent to Cable or Bishop).
• Easy Virtue: Also available on Blu-Ray.
• Essential Art House, Vol. 4: Includes “Gervaise,” “Le Jour Se Leve,” “Mayerling,” “The Tales of Hoffmann,” “The 39 Steps” and “Throne of Blood.” Again, these are Criterion Collection quality transfers without the bonus features. All titles are also available individually.
• Essential Art House: The 39 Steps: Classic early Hitchcock.
• Essential Art House: Gervaise
• Essential Art House: Le Jour Se Leve
• Essential Art House: Mayerling
• Essential Art House: Tales of Hoffmann
• Essential Art House: Throne of Blood: Reviewed here.
• Fame: The movie that launched the series
• Fame: Seasons One and Two
• Fear Itself: Complete First Season
• Friday the 13th: Part VII (The New Blood)
• Friday the 13th: Part VIII (Jason Takes Manhattan)
• Ghost Hunt The Complete Series: Supernatural horror anime
• Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex Second Gig – Anime Legends: Slimpack brick of season 2 of Stand Alone Complex.
• Ghost Slayers Ayashi Vol. 3
• Gigantor – The Collection Vol. 2: The English version of the anime series known in Japan as “Tetsujin 28 Go!”
• Grey’s Anatomy: Complete Fifth Season
• Hairspray: Deluxe Edition
• Hayate the Combat Butler Part 2
• The IT Crowd: Complete Third Season
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 4
• John Wayne – John Ford Film Collection: Includes “The Searchers,” “Stagecoach,” “Fort Apache,” “She Wore A Yellow Ribbon,” “The Long Voyage Home,” “They Were Expendable,” “3 Godfathers” and “The Wings of Eagles.”
• King Kong vs. Godzilla
• Laramie – The Final Season
• The Lawnmower Man / The Lawnmower Man 2: Jobe’s War
• Legend of the Dark Kings Complete: A spinoff series from the (in)famous post-apocalyptic anime “Fist of the North Star”, about Kenshiro’s rival, Raoh, who killed their teacher when Kenshiro was picked as heir to the style.
• The Lost Boys Collection
• Magikano The Complete Series: Alex: Romantic comedy about a teenage witch who’s cursed to lose her powers unless a certain boy can break the spell.
• My Name Is Earl: Season Four: This is also the final season. Also available on Blu-Ray.
• Nerdcore Rising: Documentary about Nerdcore music.
• Nightwatching
• One Step Beyond: Official First Season
• Private Practice – Complete Second Season
• Sanctuary: Complete Season One: This Amanda Tapping series launched online, if memory serves.
• The Shadow Boxer: Alex: Shaw Brothers Kung Fu movie – not a Wuxia one either – it’s set in the present day. It may have been made to capitalize on the success of Bruce Lee, but before he died, as Lee declined to work for Shaw Brothers because he didn’t want to do Wuxia.
• Shakugan No Shana – Viridian Collection: Alex: A sort of fantasy high school anime thing. I can’t quite get enough to describe it in a nutshell. This is one of the shows Funimation rescued from Geneon’s demise.
• Shinobi no Mono – Collector’s Set
• Star Wars: Clone Commandos, Season One Volume 2
• Stargate: 15th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Collection: This includes the remake and recent prequel. As far as I can tell, this does not include the original. (The running time is 189 minutes, which is consistent with two movies but not three.)
• Transformers, Season Two, Vol. 1
• Triangle: Alex: Hong Kong crime movie from Tsui Hark (A Better Tomorrow III, A Chinese Ghost Story), Ringo Lam (City on Fire) & Johnnie To (Election & Triad Election).
• Varsity Blues: Also available on Blu-Ray.
• Winter Soldier: Entirely unconnected to James Buchanan Barnes
• The Wolfman Special Legacy Edition
• X-Men: Volume 3: Part of a five volume series that will eventually collect the entire series from the 1990s.
• X-Men: Volumd 4: Part of a five volume series that will eventually collect the entire series from the 1990s.
• X-Men: Origins: Wolverine (One Disc)
• X-Men: Origins: Wolverine (Two Disc): Also available on Blu-Ray.

Now, the Blu-Ray picks:

• Amadeus: Director’s Cut
• An American Werewolf in London
• Army of Darkness: Screwhead Edition
• The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi: A new(er) Zatoichi film from Japanese comedian Takishi Kitano (Johnny Mnemonic, Violent Cop).
• Child’s Play
• Crash: Season 1
• Deep Impact
• Easy Virtue
• Equilibrium
• The Hannibal Lecter Anthology
• Hero: Georgious wuxia movie from Zhang Yimou, with some propagandic undertones for the movie regarding China’s relationship with Taiwan.
• Iron Monkey: Wuxia film about a Zorro figure.
• Legend of Drunken Master: Alex: The second of Jackie Chan’s Drunken Master films. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I should get around to watching it. Blaine: I’ve seen this one, but not the first. Very amusing, with martial arts that impress me (though I don’t know enough about martial arts to truly judge.)
• Lies and Illusions
• Misery
• My Name Is Earl: Season Four: Also the final season.
• The Ultimate Force of Four: Includes “Legend of Drunken Master,” “Hero,” “Iron Monkey” and “Zatoichi.”
• Van Helsing
• Varsity Blues
• The Wonder of it All
• Wrong Turn
• Wrong Turn 2: Dead End
• X-Men Trilogy + X-Men: Origins: Wolverine: Blaine: Based on the image, this seems to be a shrink wrap collection. If you already have the trilogy on Blu-Ray, you’ll get all the same content and permanent packaging by purchasing the standalone Origins movie.
• X-Men: Origins: Wolverine

Finally, the picks of the week. Alex says, “I’m tempted to pick Hero, because of how visually stunning it is, but I’m really not a big fan of the film’s political sentiment, which is, ultimately, why House of Flying Daggers is in my library and not Hero. Iron Monkey, on the other hand, while it’s good, isn’t as much of visual big deal as Hero, and I see no reason to get it on Blu-Ray other than “it’s available” and “the case is thinner”. I haven’t watched Zatoichi & Legend of Drunken Master yet, so I can’t pick those. So… if you can look past my qualims with Hero’s message, it’s definitely a Wuxia film that will hold up on Blu-Ray (and I do like the film’s Rashomon style). Otherwise, if you’ve got a Blu-Ray player and don’t have it in an earlier edition, get the new edition of Army of Darkness. On DVD, go with either the Re-Release of Throne of Blood or Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig.” Blaine says, “If you’ve got Blu-Ray, grab Equilibrium. Otherwise, consider The 39 Steps, or saving up for next week’s flood of Star Trek product.”