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Archive for the ‘DVDs’ Category

It Takes a Thief: The Complete Series
In this series from the late sixties, cat burglar Alexander Mundy escaped jail time by agreeing to use his shady skills as a professional thief for the U.S. government. Forty years later, every episode has been digitally remastered for this set, which also includes an extended version of the pilot, a fresh interview with star Robert Wagner, a collectible photo book, and a coaster set (why not?).

Smallville: The Complete Series
It takes a certain type of show to attract both swooning teenyboppers and rabid fanboys—which explains why this Teen of Steel show became the longest running sci-fi series in North America. This comprehensive set is a hefty beast, thanks to ten years’ worth of episodes and 28 hours of bonus content. Some of the coolest extras include a never-before-seen Superboy pilot from 1961, footage of the 2010 Comic-Con panel, the Aquaman pilot, a Daily Planet edition highlighting key story lines, and an episode guide with storyboards and sketches.

This collection would have been much smaller if NBC execs had their way—be tween low ratings and the writer’s strike, FNL wasn’t expected to survive its second season. It was saved by a fervent fan base and a move to DirecTV’s 101 Network, and capped off its final season with two Emmys (for star Kyle Chandler and for writing). Relive all five seasons, plus the bonus features from each previous release—deleted scenes, loads of commen tary tracks, behind the-scenes footage—a play book, and a weepy “Lights Go Out” featurette.

Colombiana
This underappreciated action flick stars the delicious Zoë Saldana as Cataleya, a sexy assassin seeking revenge on the mobster who murdered her parents. And of course the only thing better than watching a catsuitclad Saldana pick off bad guys is watching her do it in high-definition clarity. The bonus featurettes on the Blu-ray disc include “Cataleya’s Journey,” “Assassins,” “Training a Killer,” and “Take the Ride.”

Star Trek: The Next Generation—The Next Level
Trekkies have been buzzing about a high-def reworking of ST:NG for nearly two years now—and they’ll have to wait a little longer to see the whole series in HD, since CBS is going through 25,000 reels of uncut negatives to piece together the episodes in high-definition. All 178 episodes will eventually be transferred to 1080p (likely in 2012), but for now, the Bluray single-disc will show off the stunning visual effects on three episodes—the feature-length pilot and two fan favorites.

The Hangover Part II
Prerelease we pegged this sequel as one of the year’s most anticipated movies, and the half-billion-dollar opening weekend proved our point. This time around, Stu (Ed Helms) is the one walking down the aisle—and his modest bachelor brunch somehow gives way to a Bangkok shit-show involving a stolen monkey, a kathoey prostitute, and a very familiar face tattoo. Among the bonus features are a gag reel, a monkey featurette, and a tour of Bangkok with Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong). Stock up and give a copy to everyone in your wolf pack.

Boardwalk Empire: The Complete First Season
HBO’s drama about corrupt politicians in Prohibition-era Atlantic City was epic from day one. The $18 million pilot was one of the most expensive in history, and Martin Scorsese—who hadn’t directed a TV show in 25 years—was at the helm. Eighteen Emmy nominations later, the first season is on DVD, and the bonus features reveal how such a huge production came to the small screen. Standouts include a tour of famous speakeasies and a look at how to build a 300-foot boardwalk in a Brooklyn parking lot.

Cue midlife crisis: It’s been 25 years since this surreal David Lynch mystery was released. Kyle MacLachlan starred as a college kid who finds a severed ear, decides to inves tigate, and gets sucked into an affair with a lounge singer who’s being tortured by a sexually depraved villain (a scenery-chomping Dennis Hopper, who’s never been more fun to watch, except in Speed)—you know, just your average feel-good Lynch film. The anniversary-edition Blu-ray comes with Master Audio 5.1, 50 minutes of deleted scenes, and a few outtakes.

It’s a Western, it’s science fiction, it has Olivia Wilde—it’s like three gifts rolled into one! Special features include commentary from director Jon Favreau and an in-depth look at the fictional town of Absolution (and that deleted scene from the trailer of Daniel Craig roping a spaceship—please! Embrace the cheesiness). But we’re expecting the making-of footage to be epic, considering the film’s long journey to the screen. Universal and DreamWorks purchased the rights to the plot (aliens invade the Wild West; sworn enemies team up to ensure the survival of the species) back in 1997, nine years before the graphic novel was published.

Mr. Magoo: The Television Collection (1960–1977)
It’s the gift you didn’t even know you needed—a box set of Mr. Magoo’s zany, dumb luck escapades that spans 17 years, three shows, and a made-for-TV movie. Magoo fans will be psyched to find all 26 episodes of The Mister Magoo Show, the TV movie Uncle Sam Magoo, 26 episodes of The Famous Adventures of Mister Magoo, and 16 episodes of What’s New Mister Magoo? (Girlfriends of Magoo fans, on the other hand, will be less enthused.)