A week after my old favorite show closes its doors my new favorite show releases its second season as it picks up steam. We also get to see the rebirth of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew with a slew of new releases. Let us know what you plan on picking up this week over in our forums.
Pick of the Week
Burn Notice: Season Two
I would say with full confidence that Burn Notice is the most entertaining show on Television. It is a perfect blend of action, comedy, and intrigue with an excellent cast.
In fact I am worried that Jeffrey Donovan will take his star power into a film career which will put my new favorite show in jeopardy. I strongly recommend snatching up the DVDs and catching up (Amazon has a nice, cheap double-pack) so you can watch this summer show on USA, although in all honesty you could probably pick up the show immediately and be more than pleased.
Friday the 13th (2009)
Marcus Nispel recently remade The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and now gets his hands on the Friday the 13th series (Keep an eye out for news on his next remake, Conan the Barbarian). I expect similar results, although this time he is remaking a clumsy movie and so he has a better chance of being considered a success. Sadly, the DVD is barebones and only the Blu-ray gets extra features and a Digital Copy.
Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail
I will waste this space wondering aloud why Tyler Perry was in Star Trek. You would think there would be a long list of closet Trekkies in the celebrity world, so I wonder how he won the cameo privilege.
Morning Light
This is a documentary from Disney following the selection and training of a young crew for a sailing race from LA to Hawaii.
TV and Reissues
The Seventh Seal (Criterion Collection)
Now everyone can see where Bill and Ted got the idea of battling Death to stay alive. Seriously, this is an Ingmar Bergman masterpiece, long out of print from Criterion and now, finally, re-issued with a makeover.
Saving Grace: Season Two
Christina Ricci joins the cast for the second season of Saving Grace and helps raise the show above its lead-in The Closer in my eyes. I love that great character actors like Holly Hunter are getting involved in these shows and raising the quality level of TV shows in general.
Transformers: The Complete First Season (25th Anniversary Edition)
If you are looking forward to buying up the complete series wait a little while as there should be an epic sixteen disc collection coming in a few weeks or months. Keep an eye on the site and I’ll let you know when it drops.
Family Guy, Vol. 7
They are breaking these seasons up in an odd manner; this set includes 13 episodes from seasons 6 and 7 and is still full price. Thankfully, they still put a fun commentary on every episode.
The Diary of Anne Frank (50th Anniversary Edition)
They cleaned up the film and put together a ton of new features for the DVD although you get even more on the Blu-ray edition. The director’s son, George Stevens Jr. and the star Millie Perkins took part in most of the features and even recorded a commentary track.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Friday the 13th, Part V: A New Beginning, Friday the 13th, Part VI: Jason Lives
Isn’t it ironic that #4 is called “The Final Chapter?” For those of you who bought up the deluxe editions of the first three you can now continue with movies four through six. The features are similar to the ones on the first three where you usually get at least three bonus features per disc.
RiffTrax
The people behind Mystery Science Theater 3000 found it was much cheaper to skip buying up the rights to crappy “B” movies and just record commentaries for more popular films which you can download on your own and sync up to a film, circumventing many legal issues. Some of the films chosen actually allowed them to release a proper DVD and they are starting to come out. This week we get a ton of releases including Night of the Living Dead, Plan 9 From Outer Space, House on Haunted Hill, Reefer Madness, Missile to the Moon, Carnival of Souls, Little Shop of Horrors, and the Three Stooges’ Swing Parade. They also released two volumes of odd short films most of which are vintage PSAs on things like Hygiene and interacting with women appropriately.