The big release of the week is Popeye the Sailor 1938-1940 (Volume 2). This set is about half the size of the first Fleisher theatrical cartoon volume, which remains arguably the most essential DVD release of the year so far. However, this doesn’t seem an attempt to burn folks for more money, since the price is roughly half of what the first set costs, too. More likely the extensive remastering process they are doing for each cartoon eats up enough time that they didn’t want to wait until all the remaining ‘toons were ready. A third and final set, I believe, is due
by the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the TV set of the week is for the cable series Burn Notice. I’ve only seen one episode, but it seems a very fun update of the old Equalizer show, about a spy who quits the biz and starts helping ordinary folks with big problems. This has achieved a big cult audience by giving genre icon Bruce Campbell a big supporting role.
Also out this week is the second and last season of the CBS sci-fier Jericho, by itself or as part of a complete series set.
Other TV sets of the week include Californication S1; Dynasty S3 Vol 1; ER S9; and The Real McCoys S3.
Criterion offers more arthouse fare this week, including:
Classe Tous Risques Criterion is aces when it comes to French noir and crime flicks, so I’m expecting this to be top-notch stuff.
They also offer this week both Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters , the film about a Japanese right-wing writer and failed revolutionary who in the end committed suicide, and (separately) Mishima’s own short film, Patriotism, which presaged his real life fate.
Rather further down the cinematic scale is The Dead Pit: Unrated Director’s Cut. The DVD for this zombie film from 1989 offers a commentary track and interviews.
Hoping to cash in on this weekend’s Get Smart movie, we get The Nude Bomb, Don Adams’ own one-time theatrial Maxwell Smart movie. It’s never had much of a rep, and much of the rest of the orginal cast is MIA, including Barbara Feldon.
Ending strong, though, we get the very fondly remembered Disney animated The Sword in the Stone, about (naturally) Merlin and young King Arthur.
