Latest new release dates

There is so much coming out in the next few weeks you'd think it's Christmastime. But here's some of what caught our eye:

March 7: Naked in the 21st Century (Pathfinder Home Entertainment)
March 6: Peter Pan Platinum Edition (Buena Vista)
March 13: Damn Yankees (music) (Rhino)
March 13: Vengeance of the Zombies (BCI Eclipse)
March 13: Fairport Convention: The Ultimate Collection (Classic Rock Legends)
March 13: The Kinks In Their Own Words (Classic Rock Legends)
March 13: Genesis In Their Own Words (Classic Rock Legends)
March 13: Led Zeppelin In Their Own Words (Classic Rock Legends)
March 13: Deep Purple Videobiography (Classic Rock Legends)
March 13: WWE Presents The Royal Rumble: The Complete Anthology (Genius Products)
March 13: The Naked City (Image Entertainment)
March 13: Ed Wood Collection: A Study in Incompetance (Koch)
March 13: Hopalong Cassidy Rarities (Koch)
March 13: TTW Topless Tapioca Wrestling (Koch)
March 13: War and Peace (Koch)
March 13: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season Four (Lionsgate)
March 13: Girls Gone Wild: Sexiest Moments Ever (Mantra)
March 13: Mary Wells' Greatest Hits (Music Video Distributors)
March 13: Casino Royale (2006) (Sony)
March 13: TNA Wrestling: Best of Tag Teams Vol. 1 (Total Non-Stop Action)
March 13: Barney: Let's To to the Fire House (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment)
March 20: Re-Animator (Anchor Bay)
March 20: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Great Treasure Hunt (Buena Vista)
March 20: Kong: The Animated Series Vols. 1 and 2 (Genius)
March 20: WWE No Way Out 2007 (Genius Products)
March 20: Billy Blanks Tae Bo Celebrity Get Fit Cardio (GT Media)
March 20: Billy Blanks Tae Bo Celebrity Get Fit Sculpt (GT Media)
March 20: Deadliest Catch Season 1 (Image Entertainment)
March 20: Mythbusters Mega Movie Myths(Image Entertainment)
March 20: R. Kelly: The Light It Up Tour (Image Entertainment)
March 20: Return of the Living Dead 5 (Lionsgate)
March 20: Terry Bozzio Solo Drums (Music Video Distributors)
March 20: Fight TV Vols. 3-4 (Music Video Distributors)
March 20: Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner Uncensored (Paramount)
March 20: Wild Wild West Complete Second Season (Paramount)
March 20: McHale's Navy Season One (Sony)
March 20: Maude: The Complete First Season (Sony)
March 20: Rocky Balboa (Sony)
March 20: Miami Vice Seasons 3 and 4 (Universal)
March 20: W.C. Fields Comedy Collection Vol. 2 with You're Telling Me!,
The Old Fashioned Way, The Man On The Flying Trapeze, Poppy,
Never Give A Sucker An Even Break. (Universal)
March 20: Batman Beyond Season 3 (Warner Home Video)
March 27: Whose Line Is It Anyway: The Original British Series Season 1 and 2 (A&E)
March 27: Little Rascals: Best of Our Gang, Best of Spanky, Superstars of Our Gang (Genius)
March 27: Addams Family Vol. 2 (MGM)
March 27: Three Stooges: Swing Parade (Genius)
March 27: Three Stooges: Greatest Routines (Genius)
March 27: Three Stooges: Extreme Rarities (Genius)
March 27: Baseball: The Ripken Way: The Fundamentals of Hitting (Hart Sharp)
March 27: Baseball: The Ripken Way: The Fundamentals of Pitching (Hart Sharp)
March 27: Baseball: The Ripken Way: The Fundamentals of Defense (Hart Sharp)
March 27: Flatt and Scruggs TV Show, Vols. 1 and 2 (Koch)
March 27: Dick Van Dyke in Rare Form (MPI)
March 27: Family Affair Season 3 (MPI)
March 27: Redd Foxx/Groucho Marx (MPI)
March 27: The Beatles Hamburg and the Hamburg Sound (Rykodisc)
March 27: Touched By An Angel: Fourth Season (Paramount)
March 27: Seventh Heaven: Fourth Season (Paramount)
March 27: John Prine Live on Soundstage 1980 (Sony)
March 27: Sonic the Hedgehog The Complete Series (Sony)
March 27: The Jeffersons: Complete Sixth Season (Sony)
March 27: Mary Hartman Mary Hartman Vol. 1 (Sony)
March 27: Shirley Temple Collection Vol. 5 with Stand Up and Cheer, The Little Princess and The Blue Bird (20th Century Fox)
April 3: Double Feature: Kill the Umpire/Safe at Home (Sony) (note: Safe at Home stars Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris)
April 3: The Natural Director's Cut (Sony)
April 3: Law and Order: The Fifth Year (Universal)
April 10: Teen Titans: The Complete Third Season (Warner Home Video)
April 10: Scooby Doo Where Are You: The Complete Third Season (Warner Home Video)
April 10: The Batman: The Complete Third Season (Warner Home Video)
April 17: Ella: The Life and Music of Ella Fitzgerald (Image Entertainment)
April 24: Pink Floyd Retrospectives (Classic Rock Legends)
April 24: Ironside Season 1 (Sony)
April 24: One Day at a Time: Season 1 (Sony)
April 24: WKRP In Cincinnati Season 1 (Sony)
May 8: The 4400 Third Season (Paramount)
May 8: Cagney and Lacey Season 1 (20th Century Fox)
May 15: Frasier: Ninth Season (Paramount)
May 15: M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (series finale) (20th Century Fox)

More new releases

From Anchor Bay:
In March 2007 (no dates): Death Row, The Manitou, Eloise: Eloise in Hollywood, Hellbenders, Pleasuredrivers, Masters of Horror - Season Two: Pro-Life (John Carpenter), Re-Animator, Stan Lee Presents: Condor, Thomas & Friends: Percy's Ghostly Trick, Thomas & Friends: Percy's Ghostly Trick w/ Train, Thomas & Friends: The Special Letter, Thomas & Friends: The Special Letter w/ Train, Funny Money, Little Dieter Needs To Fly, Tactics: Volume Four, Tokko: Volume One.

In April: Bava Box Set: Volume One, Roseanne: Season Seven, Dead and Deader, Phantasm, Survival Quest, Highlander Series: Best of the Best Box Set, Masters of Horror - Season Two: Family (John Landis), Noein: Volume Three.

From New Line:
April 24: Code Name: The Cleaner
May 1: Who the #$&% is Jackson Pollock?
May 8: Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

From Buena Vista:
Feb. 27: The Heart of the Game

Public domain gold mine

How many movie and DVD fans tend to take for granted the incredible number of films and programming in the public domain on those bargain bin DVDs you often find in drug stores and discount houses?
If you like old B movies and obscure TV shows, as we do, they're no brainers. But even discriminating fans of this stuff can find some great DVDs out there.
The best collections of this stuff are put out by Mill Creek Entertainment. They've compiled box sets of programming in collections with four, 10, 20, 50 and 100 films in a package. The 100 film boxes retail for about $30 -- 3 cents a film!
So what do you get in these collections? You'll find a fairly complete selection of them here in our Movie Pack store, but we'll run down a few of them and rate them on a five-star basis:
Warriors 50 Movie Pack: A collection of sword-and-sandal films. Most appear to be Italian and therefore overdubbed, making this a great one for fans of "Mystery Science Theater." The box includes "Hercules Unchained" with Steve Reeves (but, strangely, no "Hercules," the first film in the series) and 13 other "Hercules" or "Son of Hercules" films, including the dreaded "Hercules Against the Moon Men." There's also "Cleopatra's Daughter," "Caesar the Conquerer" and "Atlas in the Land of Cyclops." This is a fun set, not a serious one. 12 discs. 2 1/2 stars.
Historic Classics 50 Movie Pack: A fairly solid set for those who aren't big fans of these films, since there are several good films included here, among them "The Jackie Robinson Story," an autobiographical film Robinson starred in himself, "Abraham Lincoln," the D.W. Griffith film starring Walter Huston and "Scrooge" with Seymour Hicks, not our favorite version of "A Christmas Carol," but not a bad one, either. The box contains more than a few Biblical dramas, plus a few rare TV live drama playhouse shows, including "The Nativity" with Paul Tripp and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" with John Carradine. Those featured in films include Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Michael Redgrave, Richard Greene, Chuck Conners, Jose Ferrer, Orson Welles and David McCallum. 12 discs. 3 stars.
Classic Serials Megapack 150 Episodes: This one appears to be out of print, though it's still available used on Amazon.com. It collects 12 serials: "The Hurricane Express" with John Wayne, "The Lost City" with William "Stage" Boyd, "The New Adventures of Tarzan" with Herman Brix, "Ace Drummond" with John "Dusty" King, "The Phantom Creeps" with Bela Lugosi,
"Shadow of the Eagle" with John Wayne, "SOS Coast Guard" with Bela Lugosi,
"The Three Musketeers" with John Wayne, "Undersea Kingdom" with Ray "Crash" Corrigan,
"Zorro’s Fighting Legion" with Reed Hadley, "The Clutching Hand" with Jack Mulhall,
and "Dick Tracy" with Ralph Byrd. This is hardly prime stuff as far as serials go, but it's not a total washout. The vintage serials make for some unintentionally funny stuff. Still, this would have been dynamite if the content had been better (3 John Wayne serials?) 12 discs. 2 stars.
Action Classics 50 Movie Pack:
"Action," and we use that term loosely, is the defining term of this set, which includes a couple of gems and a lot of B-movie fodder. Edward D. Wood Jr.'s "Jail Bait" is one of the highlights. The set spotlights action and adventure films, with more of the former than the latter. Classic Adventure, Born to Be Bad, Exotic Adventures and Hard-Boiled Heroes are the categories from the inside of the box. Couldn't have said it better. 12 discs. 2 stars.
Sci-Fi Classics 50 Movie Pack: Some of the titles make this one a natural for "Mystery Science Theater" fans. "First Spaceship on Venus," "The Brain Machine," "Eegah," "Mesa of Lost Women," "Teenagers From Outer Space" and "The Amazing Transparent Man" are just some of them. Some real sci-fi "classics" here, we said jokingly. A lot of fun for the money. 12 discs. 3 stars.
TV Favorites Megapack 100 Episodes: A discerning collection of old TV shows. There's a lot of the shows that always turn up on bargain DVDs -- "Bonanza," "The Lone Ranger," "Dragnet" "The Red Skelton Show" and "The Beverly Hillbillies." But there are some that don't. This is only the second DVD collection we've seen with an episode of "Highway Patrol," the hard-boiled cop show with Broderick Crawford ("10-4") and the only one we've seen with "Boston Blackie". There's also "Racket Squad," "You Bet Your Life," "Dangerous Assignment" and "Mr. and Mrs. North." Grab this one. 9 discs. 4 stars.
Family Classics 50 Movie Pack: The collection this type of box set was made for. A fantastic set with box office big names. "Till the Clouds Roll By" with Judy Garland and Frank Sinatra, "Life With Father" with William Powell, "A Star Is Born" with Janet Gaynor, the animated "Gulliver's Travels" from the Fleischer Studios, "A Farewell to Arms" with Gary Cooper, "Royal Wedding" with Fred Astaire, "The Little Princess" with Shirley Temple and "The Last Time I Saw Paris" with Elizabeth Taylor. As all of these sets do (some more than others), there are some flubs ("Utopia" by Laurel and Hardy comes to mind). But there is so much good here that it's worth the buy. 12 discs. 4 1/2 stars.
We've seen criticism that some of the films in these boxes are cut or may have logos. Except for "Long John Silver" in the Family Classics box, we haven't seen any that seem cut. No logos either.
But given that these aren't remastered and are basically just put quickly on DVD, these are a bargain and, in our view, well worth having.
We'll do a review of others in the series as time goes on. But these sets are valuable because they the cheapest and most convenient way to pick up some of these films. If you think too many of today's films seem like they came out of focus groups, you'll find these sets take you back to a different and bygone era in Hollywood.
And the nice thing is that it's a fairly cheap trip, too. Scan through our Movie Pack store and have a look.

Huge release date update

We're just going to list the dates without any comment. Notice "The Nativity Story" is listed for March 20. A good number of the other listings are TV boxes or re-releases of older films. Coupled with the list of dates we posted yesterday, you've got quite a preview of what's to come. Please use the Amazon.com DVD link at the right to pre-order any of these and thank you in advance.

Feb. 27: Alexander Revisited: (Unrated) Final Cut (Warner Bros.)
Feb. 27: Bullitt: Special Edition (Warner Bros.)
Feb. 27: Getaway, The: Deluxe Edition (Warner Bros.)
Feb. 27: NFL Super Bowl XLI: Indianapolis Colts (Warner Bros.)
Feb. 27:
Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Season 4 (Warner Bros.)
Feb. 27: Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry: Seasons 1-4 (4-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
Feb. 27: Secrets of Jerusalem's Holiest Sites Feb. 27: The State Within (Warner Bros.)
Feb. 27: Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Fast Food Nation
March 6: The Affair (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Billy Budd (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Captain Horatio Hornblower (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Doctor Who: Ep. 46 - Invasion, The (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Doctor Who: Ep. 77 - The Sontaran Experiment (Warner Bros.)
March 6:
March 6: Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Complete Season One (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Judgment (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Literary Classics Collection (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Madame Bovary (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Marcus (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Prisoner of Zenda (1937/1952) (Warner Bros.)
March 6: The Three Musketeers, The (1948) (Warner Bros.)
March 6: Walkout (Warner Bros.)
March 13: Baby Looney Tunes: Volume 3 (Warner Bros.)
March 13: Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (in Rated and Unrated versions) (Warner Bros.)
March 13: Loonatics Unleashed: Season 1 (Warner Bros.)
March 13: NBA Indiana Pacers Greatest Game Collection V.1 (Warner Bros.)
March 13: Sublime (Raw Feed Series) (Unrated) (Warner Bros.)
March 13: Without A Trace: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.)
March 13: Without a Trace: The Complete Seasons 1-2 (2-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Addiction (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Batman Beyond: Season 3 (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Batman Beyond: Seasons 1-3 (3-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Blood Diamond (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Blood Diamond: Special Edition (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Burning Annie (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Diamonds of War: Africa's Blood Diamonds (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Inside North Korea (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Seasons 1&2 (2-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
March 20: Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.)
March 20: The Nativity Story (Warner Bros.)
March 27: The Adventures of Don Juan (Warner Bros.)
March 27: The Charge of the Light Brigade (WB) (1936) (Warner Bros.)
March 27: The Cherry Orchard (1981 / 1962) (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Clarkson: Heaven and Hell (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Confessions of a Thug (Warner Bros.)
March 27: The Dawn Patrol (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Deep Sea IMAX (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Dive Bomber (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Emperors of the Ice (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Errol Flynn: The Signature Collection 2 (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Full House: The Complete Seasons 1-6 (6-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Full House: The Complete Sixth Season (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Gentleman Jim (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Happy Feet (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Hip Hop Legends (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Judi Dench Collection (Warner Bros.)
March 27: March of the Penguins (Warner Bros.)
March 27: NBA Los Angeles Lakers 1985 Champions: Return to Glory (Warner Bros.)
March 27: One Foot in the Grave: Season One (Warner Bros.)
March 27: One Foot in the Grave: Season Two (Warner Bros.)
March 27: Relentless Enemies (Warner Bros.)
April 3: "Charlotte's Web" (live action) (Paramount)
April 3: Cartoon Network Movie: Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure (Warner Bros.)
April 3: Entourage: Season 3 Part 1 (Warner Bros.)
April 3: Galapagos (BBC)
April 3: NHL History of the Philadelphia Flyers (Warner Bros.
April 3: Tom Goes To The Mayor: The Complete Series (Warner Bros.)
April 10: Batman, The: The Complete Seasons 1 2 3 (3-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
April 10:
Batman, The: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros.)
April 10: By the Light of the Silvery Moon (Warner Bros.)
April 10: Doris Day Collection Vol. 2 (Warner Bros.)
April 10: I'll See You in My Dreams (Warner Bros.)
April 10: Lucky Me (Warner Bros.)
April 10: My Dream Is Yours (Warner Bros.)
April 10: On Moonlight Bay (Warner Bros.)
April 10: Romance On The High Seas (Warner Bros.)
April 10: Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros.)
April 10: Teen Titans, The: The Complete Seasons 1 2 3 (3-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
April 10: Teen Titans: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Adam Bede (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Age Old Friends (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Chapters (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Daniel Deronda (Warner Bros.)
April 17: George Eliot Collection (Warner Bros.)
April 17: George Lopez: The Complete First & Second Seasons (Warner Bros.)
April 17: The Image (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Larry King Live: Greatest Interviews Collection (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Silas Marner (Warner Bros.)
April 17: State of Emergency (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Venture Bros. Season Two (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Venture Bros. Seasons One & Two (2-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
April 17: Women & Men Double Feature (Warner Bros.)
April 24: The Bride Came C.O.D. (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Captains of the Clouds (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Code Name: The Cleaner (Warner Bros.)
April 24: The Drew Carey Show, The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy: Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Empress of Ambition (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Essential Classic American Musicals (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Essential Classic Dramas 3/20/07 (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Essential Classic Family Films (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Essential Classic Musicals (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Essential Classic Romances (Warner Bros.)
April 24: The Fighting 69th (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Icons of Power (4-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
April 24: James Cagney: Signature Collection (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Little Children (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Moral Orel: Volume One (Uncensored) (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Planet Earth: The Complete Collection (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Shameless: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Torrid Zone (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Tsunami: The Aftermath (Warner Bros.)
April 24: West Point Story, The (Warner Bros.)
April 24: Wrath of The Tsar, The (Warner Bros.)
May 1: "An Officer and a Gentlemen: Special Edition" (Paramount)
May 1: "Melrose Place: The Second Season" (Paramount)
May 8: Clatterford: Season 1 (Warner Bros.)
May 8: Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Eighth Season (Warner Bros.)
May 8: Fur (Warner Bros.)
May 8: In the Womb: Animals (Warner Bros.)
May 8: In the Womb: Multiples (Warner Bros.)
May 8: Little Britain Live 4/3/07 5/8/07
May 8: Waltons, The: The Complete Fifth Season (Warner Bros.)
May 8: Waltons, The: The Complete Seasons 1-5 (5-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
May 15: Casi Casi (Warner Bros.)
May 15: Creepshow 3 (Warner Bros.)
May 15: ER: The Complete Seasons 1-7 (7-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
May 15: ER: The Complete Seventh Season (Warner Bros.)
May 15: Monarch of the Glen: The Complete Series 5 & 6 (2pack) (Warner Bros.)
May 15: Monarch of the Glen: The Complete Series 6 (Warner Bros.)
May 15: Pup Named Scooby-Doo, A: Volume 6 (Warner Bros.)
May 15: Tex Avery's Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection (Warner Bros.)
May 15: Tom and Jerry: Tales Vol. 2 (Warner Bros.)
May 15: War at Home: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Cinderella Story/Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (DVD) (FS) (Warner Bros.)
May 22: City of Angels/Michael (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Films of Faith Collection Vol. 2 (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Gothika/Queen of the Damned (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Kelly's Heroes (Eastwood Collection)/Dirty Dozen (DVD) (FS) (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Martin: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Miss Congeniality/Miss Congeniality 2 (DVD) (Warner Bros.)
May 22: O.C., The: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Prince of the City: Special Edition (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Road Warrior, The/Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome (DVD) (DBFE) (Multi-Title) (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Roots: 30th Anniversary (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Steelyard Blues (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Straight Time 4/17/07 (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Training Day/Fallen (DBFE) (Warner Bros.)
May 22: Whose Life Is It Anyway (Warner Bros.)
May 22: "True Grit: Collector's Edition" (Paramount)
May 29: "Rawhide: The Second Season" (Paramount)
May 29: "The Andy Griffith Show: The Complete Series" (Paramount)
May 29: Big Train: Season One and Two (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Charlie & Lola: Volume 4 (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Closer, The: The Complete Seasons 1&2 2-Pack (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Closer, The: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Corn is Green, The (1979 TVM) (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Dragon Seed (Warner Bros.)
May 29: F-Troop: The Complete Seasons 1&2 (2-Pack) (Warner Bros.)
May 29: F-Troop: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.)
May 29: In the Gloaming (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Katharine Hepburn Collection (Warner Bros.)
May 29: The Lost Language of Cranes (Warner Bros.)
May 29: The Naked Civil Servant (1975) (BBC)
May 29: Sylvia Scarlett (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Undercurrent (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Wide Awake (Warner Bros.)
May 29: Without Love (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Ambushed (Warner Bros.)
June 5: CHiPs: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Deadly Voyage (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Doctor Who: Ep.115 - Keeper of Traken (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Doctor Who: Ep.116 - Logopolis (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Doctor Who: Ep.117 - Castrovalva (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Doctor Who: New Beginnings (Warner Bros.)
June 5: The Infiltrator (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Path to Paradise (Warner Bros.)
June 5: Wait Till Your Father Gets Home: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.)
June 5: What's New Scooby-Doo: Complete Second Season (Warner Bros.)
June 5: "Hogan's Heroes: The Sixth Season" (Paramount)
June 5: "Jackass: The Movie" (Paramount)
June 5: "Martin and Lewis: Volume 2" (Paramount)
June 5: "Maui Fever: The Complete First Season" (Paramount)
June 5: "Mission Impossible: The Second Season" (Paramount)
June 5: "SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Adventures" (Paramount)
June 5: "The Best of Chappelle's Show" (Paramount)
June 5: "Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael" (Paramount)
June 12: Waiting for God: Season 2 (Warner Bros.)
June 12: Lovejoy: Complete Season 1 (Warner Bros.)
June 12: "Walker: Texas Ranger: The Third Season" (Paramount)
June 12: "Bam's Unholy Union: The Complete First Season (Paramount)
June 12: "Diagnosis Murder: The Second Season" (Paramount)

New release update

We're starting to expand our reach with the new release list, so you'll find some unusual and fun stuff here. We'd appreciate it if you'd use the Amazon.com DVD link at the right to pre-order any of these. If there's something you're interested in, leave us a comment and we'll try to track it down:

Feb. 27: "Wild Women Double Feature": "Bowanga, Bowanga" (1941) / "Devil Monster" (1946)" (Alpha Video)
March 20: "McHale's Navy: Season One" (Shout Factory) (One of our favorite old shows. Good to see this one finally hitting DVD.)
March 20: "Petula" (1968 Petula Clark TV special) (Varese Vintage)
March 27: "Ten Violent Women" (the description: "Good girls turn bad and end up in a women's prison with a sadistic warden.") (Alpha Video)
March 27: "The Corpse Grinders" (description: "Lowlife cat food manufacturers grind humans into pet food producing horrifing unforseen side effects." (Alpha Video) (Don't you just love those scholocky old movies!)
April 17: "George and the Dragon" (First Look)
April 24: "Ironside: Season One" (Shout Factory)
April 24: "Ten Items Or Less" (First Look)
May 1: "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" (Shout Factory) ("Ozzie and Harriet" DVD collections have been put out by several public domain labels. Few of the episodes were the real classic ones. It's good to see this finally happening by Shout Factory, in our opinion the premiere retro TV DVD label out there.)
May 8: "The Dead Girl" (First Look)
May 15: "Wings: The Fourth Season" (Paramount)
May 15: "Frasier: The Ninth Season" (Paramount)
May 29: "Katharine Hepburn Collection": Six discs, also available separately: "The Corn is Green," "Dragon Seed," "Morning Glory,"
"Sylvia Scarlett," "Undercurrent," "Without Love."
June 5: "World War II Collection Vol. 2": Six discs with "Air Force," "Command Decision," "Hell to Eternity," "The Hill," "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" and "36 Hours." (Warner Bros.)
June 12: "The Original Nancy Drew Movie Mystery Collection" (2 DVDs) featuring "Nancy Drew, Detective," "Nancy Drew, Reporter," "Nancy Drew,Troubleshooter" and "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase." Starring Bonita Granville. (Warner Bros.) This one could be a lot of fun.

Featured DVD: Three Stooges: "Hapless Half-Wits"

A rarity from YouTube: Moe and Curly Joe live in 1967. (This isn't on the reviewed disc.)

Three Stooges: "Hapless Half-Wits: Columbia continues their abysmal treatment of the Three Stooges on DVD with this new release, out Feb. 20. Four more Stooges shorts -- two with Curly: "Beer Barrel Polecats" and "I'll Never Heil Again" and two with Shemp "Dopey Dicks" and "Brideless Groom" -- are featured in black-and-white and newly colorized versions, all billed as remastered in high definition. None of the shorts are the Stooges' best stuff and one, "Brideless Groom," has been reissued endlessly because it's in the public domain.
If you're buying this for the color versions, you'll find they look very clean and sharp. For some reason, though, the black and white versions look a bit fuzzy.
The bigger issue, though, is why Columbia persists in this piecemeal release treatment. The obvious answer is to squeeze money from the fans. The best and most respectful solution would be to release the entire Stooges' catalog in chronological box sets (black-and-white only, omitting the colorized versions), beginning with the early Curly shorts through the last ones with Joe DeRita.
Maybe someday those knuckleheads at Columbia will get it right.

The upcoming release date update

Highlights of upcoming release schedules:
Feb. 20: "The Getaway: The Deluxe Editon (Warner Home Video)
Feb. 27: "Magnum, P.I.: The Complete Sixth Season" (Universal)
March 6: "Billy Budd" (Warner Home Video)
March 6: "Three Musketeers" (1948) (Warner Home Video)
March 6: "Northern Exposure: Season Six" (Universal)
March 13: "The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning" (Warner Home Video)
March 13: "Without a Trace: The Complete Second Season" (Warner Home Video)
March 20: "Navitity Story" (New Line)
March 20: "McHale's Navy: Season One" (Shout Factory)
March 27: "The Brady Bunch: The Complete Series" (new 21-disc set with shag carpet exterior featuring all episodes, plus "A Very Brady Christmas," "The Brady 500," episodes of "The Brady Kids" animated series, all new to DVD.) (Paramount)
March 27: "Charge of the Light Brigade" (Warner Home Video)
March 27: "The Dawn Patrol" (Warner Home Video)
March 27: "The Adventures of Don Juan" (Warner Home Video)
March 27: "Full House: The Complete Sixth Season" (Warner Home Video)
April 5: Three baseball movies, "Bang the Drum Slowly," "Fear Strikes Out," "Talent for the Game" (all individual releases, Paramount)
April 10: "The Streets of San Francisco: The Complete First Season, Volume 1" (Paramount)
April 10: "The Untouchables: Season One, Volume 1" (Paramount)
April 12: "Gunfight at the OK Corral"
April 12: "Love Story" (Paramount)
April 12: "Nevada Smith" (Paramount)
April 17: "Larry King Live: Great Interviews Collection" (Warner Bros.)
April 17: "Happy Days: The Second Season" (Paramount)
April 17: "Mork and Mindy: The Second Season" (Paramount)
April 17: "Laverne and Shirley: The Second Season" (Paramount)
April 24: "Parenthood" (Universal)
April 24: Several two-movie packages, including "48 HRS/Another 48 HRS," "First Wives' Club"/"Sliding Doors", "School of Rock"/"Orange County" and "Wayne's World"/"Wayne's World 2" (Paramount)
April 24: "The Drew Carey Show: The Complete First Season" (Warner Bros.)
April 24: "The Odd Couple: Season One" (Paramount)
May 1: "Beverly Hills, 90210: The Second Season" (Spelling Entertainment)
May 1: "Melrose Place: The Second Season" (Spelling Entertainment)
May 1: "Finding Oprah's Roots" (PBS Home Video)
May 8: "The 4400: The Second Season" (Viacin Productions)
May 8: "To Catch a Thief" (with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly) (Paramount)
May 29: "F Troop: The Complete Second Season" (Warner Bros.)
May 29: "The Closer: The Complete Second Season"
Aug. 29: "Old Grey Whistle Test 3" (featuring Roger Daltrey)

Featured DVD: "Hollywoodland"

The trailer for "Hollywoodland"

"Hollywoodland"(Focus Films, out now): Hollywood. To outsiders, it's a mystery. To insiders, it's mysterious. That's the underlying premise behind Allan Coulter's "Hollywoodland," a film with two, two, two plots in one: It's a mystery film about whether the death of TV's Superman, George Reeves (played by Ben Affleck), was suicide, as the police investigation concluded, or murder, and a drama about a fictional private investigator Louis Simo (Adrian Brody) whose life had been unfulfilling due to a broken marriage and a lack of clients until the case of Reeves' death falls in his lap.
The film beautifully recreates the Hollywood of old, both in scenery and in spirit, from the architecture to the automobiles.
On the big screen, "Hollywoodland" was a somewhat murky film that has trouble figuring out whether it was a murder mystery or an atmospheric history lesson. On DVD, however, the viewer crystalizes the parallels between Reeves and Simo's lives. Both men had aimless lives. It's Reeves' death that, strangely enough, that makes him an almost mythical creature and gives Simo's life some purpose.
As befits any murder mystery, there are many suspects. Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the wife of MGM executive Eddie Mannix (played by Bob Hoskins) in a marriage of convenience. She's Reeves' first "benefactor" and is angered when he decides to move to New York to further his career after the "Superman" TV series is cancelled. Did she kill him? Eddie Mannix, meanwhile, has power at his fingertips. Did he have Reeves murdered because of his affair with Mannix's wife? There's also Lenore Lemmon (Robin Tunney), who plays Reeves fiance at the time of his death. Did she kill him for his money? The film, for all the clues it offers, never answers the question. No surprise there.
Molly Parker plays Laurie Simo, the detective's estranged wife, while Lois Smith plays Helen Besselo, Reeves' mother, who initiates the investigation because she doesn't accept the L.A.P.D.'s police report.
Reeves was never much more than a cardboard actor, from his early role in "Gone With the Wind" as one of the Tarleton twins, to his "Superman" role. Affleck manages to flesh him out a little, but not much. One exception is a scene where Reeves, sitting in a restaurant, puts down a cigarette ("Superman doesn't smoke," he's told) and plays up to some young fans at the window. It's a charming bit that, for a few seconds, gives life to a face that never exhibited much on the screen.
The "Superman" aura itself really plays somewhat of a small role in the film. That the filmmakers managed to do that keeps the focus on the storyline.
Mystery or mysterious, we have a fascination with Hollywood. The film "Hollywoodland" drags in spots, but between its recreation of the old Hollywood and the dual stories about Reeves and Simo, it is an absorbing film, well worth a view, especially off the big screen.

Short takes
"All in the Family: The Complete Sixth Season": Changes are in store as the sixth season begins. Mike and Gloria are moving next door. But there's even bigger news: Gloria is pregnant, and the opening episode, with this revelation, is absolutely charming and one of the best in the series. "All in the Family" was at the top of the sitcom world for most of its run. The sixth season continues to show why.

Featured DVD: "The U.S. Vs. John Lennon"

The trailer for "The U.S. Vs. John Lennon"


"The U.S. Vs. John Lennon" (Lionsgate): Everyone knows the story of John Lennon and the Beatles. But it's less known, especially to younger audiences, how Lennon was the focus of FBI investigations during the Vietnam War Era because of the Nixon Administration's paranoia against protesters.
"The U.S. Vs. John Lennon" , which goes on sale Feb. 13, is a frightening reminder of that. The 96 minute documentary looks at how John Lennon changed from a cuddly Beatle to an outspoken protester of the Vietnam War and the Nixon Administration policies. It also recounts how the government used the controversy to hold the U.S. citizenship Lennon hoped for in hostage.
It was indeed a scary time. As Yoko recounts early in the film, while the Lennons were on a Michigan stage playing a benefit concert to help free John Sinclair, who was busted for possession of a small amount of marijuana, the FBI was in the audience taking down the lyrics to his songs. The film recounts how the government spied on him through wiretaps.
The hatred and pervasity of the Nixon Administration was chilling. In one of the bonus features, Nixon Administration member G. Gordon Liddy recalls how he ordered his children planning to attend a public event not to sing Lennon's song "Imagine" when it was played there.
The DVD includes interviews with his widow, Yoko Ono Lennon, George McGovern, Bobby Seale, Gore Vidal, John Dean, author Ron Kovic, John Sinclair, Geraldo Rivera, Walter Cronkite and Mario Cuomo.
It includes 10 clips of additional footage left out of the film. The most touching is a reading of the letter Yoko wrote to the New York State parole board requesting her husband's killer remain in jail. It's an emotional moment for Yoko, who manages to read the letter, but not without her voice quivering to the point of almost breaking.
For anyone who lived through the '60s turmoil, the documentary brings back frightening reminders of the paranoia that swept the country.
It also sends a message that the nation should have learned from its mistakes. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case thanks to the Bush Administration.

What titles would you like to see on DVD?

Those are getting fewer and fewer with the seeming avalanche of titles, but we can think of a couple.

How about the Beatles' "Help!" (which is available, though not domestically), and "American Hot Wax" (with Tim McIntyre)? Not to mention the "Batman" TV series.

How about you?

New titles on the way

From Universal Home Video:

2/6: The Universal Cinema Classics line launches with individual releases of "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Arabian Nights," "Going My Way" and "The Heiress."
2/6: "Hollywoodland"
2/13: "The Steve Martin Wild and Crazy Collection" with "The Jerk," "Dead Men Don't Wair Plaid" and "The Lonely Guy"
2/13: "Emergency: Season 3"
2/13: "The Tom Hanks Collection" with "The Money Pit," "The ‘Burbs" and "Dragnet"
2/20: "Alias Smith and Jones: Season One"
2/20: "Man of the Year" with Robin Williams
2/27: "Magnum, P.I.: The Complete Sixth Season"
2/27: "The Rockford Files: Season Three"
2/27: "The Return"
3/6: "Northern Exposure: Season Six"
3/6: "Let's Go To Prison"
3/6: "Private School"
3/13: "Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow"
4/24: "Harry and the Hendersons: Special Edition"
4/24: "Parenthood: Special Edition"


And a few others:
2/13: "All in the Family: The Complete Sixth Season"
2/13: "Grosse Point: The Complete Series"
2/20: "Ghandi: The 25th Anniversary Edition"
3/20: "Jag: The Third Season" (Paramount)
3/20: "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider / Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life Double Feature"
3/20: "The Wild Wild West: The Second Season"
4/17: "National Lampoon's Pucked"
4/17: "The Marsh" with Forrest Whitaker
4/17: "Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show" (with eight hours of new material) (HBO)
4/21: "Spider-Man 2.1: Extended Cut" with eight minutes of never-before-seen footage.
4/24: "Morel Orel: The Unholy Edition" (moved back a month)
4/24: "The Essential Classics Collection" from Warner Home Video, five separate box sets -- Classic Romances ("Gone with the Wind," "Casablanca," "Doctor Zhivago"); Classic Family Films ("Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," "Goonies," "The Wizard of Oz"); Classic Dramas ("The Maltese Falcon," "Citizen Kane," "Ben Hur"); Classic Musicals ("My Fair Lady," "Singin’ in the Rain," "Gigi"); and Classic American Musicals ("The Music Man," "Meet Me in St. Louis," Seven Brides for Seven Brothers"). Each will list for $30.97.
4/24: "James Cagney: The Signature Collection" (with "The Bride Came C.O.D.", "Captain of the Clouds," "The Fighting 69th," "Torrid Zone" and "The West Point Story"). $49.92 together, $19.95 separately.
5/8: "Everybody Loves Raymond: The Complete Eighth Season" (HBO)
5/15: "ER: The Complete Seventh Season"

"Superman" replacement disc

Here's information on getting a replacement for discs from "Superman":

Statement from Warner Home Video, November 29, 2006
To Purchasers of the “Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition”, “Superman: The Movie Four Disc Special Edition” and “The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection” – Region One Only: Bonus content was inadvertently omitted from some of the "Superman III Deluxe Editions" contained within the 14-disc "Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition."

Also, disc one of the "Superman: The Movie Four Disc Special Edition", “The Christopher Reeve Collection” and the “Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition” inadvertently did not include the original 1978 Theatrical Dolby Digital 2.0 mix, although the disc does contain the Dolby Surround 5.1 mix. Please note that these discs are not defective; we have received no complaints regarding the playability of these discs.

Warner Home Video has taken immediate steps to correct these unintentional errors. Replacement discs can be obtained, at no cost to the consumer, by calling: 800-553-6937. Warner Home Video will provide consumers with a pre-paid, pre-addressed envelope for sending the discs they are returning to Warner Home Video. Upon receipt of the purchased discs, Warner Home Video will send replacement discs as soon as they become available, currently anticipated in mid-December 2006.

Only Region 1 discs from the “Superman III Deluxe Edition” contained within the “Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition” and disc one of “Superman: The Movie Four Disc Special Edition,” “The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection” and the “Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition” are eligible to participate in this exchange program. Warner Home Video will honor all requests for replacement discs that comply with the exchange program requirements.