DVD ROUND UP: THE HOLIDAY EDITION

We here at Penguin know you love to give DVDs as Christmas presents. Luckily for you I have many suggestions to make it a Merry Christmas!

THE LANDLORD

Tyler has a little place with three apartments to rent. Renting is easy. Keeping the tenants alive when you have a pair of 5000 year old demons haunting the place, is a different matter. A fun little flick!

HORROR EXPRESS

The classic prehistoric alien on a train with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas flick gets the BluRay treatment from Severin. This is the best this movie has ever looked and this is the version that your weirdo relative wants for Christmas.

MAKE BELIEVE

A documentary that follows six teens all following the same dream; to be crowned Teen World Champion by Master Magician Lance Burton. If magic is good enough for Neil Patrick Harris, then it's good enough for me.

DOLPHIN TALE

Dolphin with a busted tail gets a new one to swim into your hearts. Isn't this the same basic premise as HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON? Only that one had vikings and dragons. Here we get Harry Connick Jr. and Ashley Judd. I smell a ripoff!


A CINDERELLA STORY:ONCE UPON A SONG

So, a sequel to the Hilary Duff flick without Hilary Duff? I think executives love that there is no author to pay for this story that has already been done better.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

The classic Rankin/Bass cartoon gets the Blu Ray treatment. This is gonna seem pretty pricey for a flick that runs 24 minutes. And no DVD combo? What the?

THE SMURFS HOLIDAY CELEBRATION

Now this is better! Two Smurf holiday specials on one disc. We get Tis The Season To Be Smurfy along with The Smurf Christmas Special. With the recent popularity of The Smurfs with the feature film, this should fly off the shelves.

FROSTY'S WINTER WONDERLAND

The Bride of Frankenstein sequel to the original Frosty special. The kids get together and make Shelly Winters for Frosty so they can all have adventures together. This time they have managed to tick off Jack Frost so, look out! At 24 minutes, this should have been put in a double disc set with Twas The Night BEfore Christmas.

AUSTRALIA AFTER DARK/THE ABCs OF LOVE AND SEX AUSTRALIA STYLE!

These two new releases actually won't hit the shelves until January so they would have to be late Christmas presents. A pair of Mondo style looks at sex and perversion in the land down under. Save some of that Christmas cash for these two releases.

TOM AND JERRY'S FUR FLYING ADVENTURES VOL. 3

Normally, I would tell you how I feel about all these repackaging and double dipping, but it's Christmas so I won't. It's a cat trying to kill a mouse kids! Fun times are had by all!

Coming December 1st

A Cinderella Story

DVD Round Up

GOING POSTAL

I don't think that anyone has more fun than Terry Pratchett. This proves it on every level. Truly delightful.

WITHOUT MOTIVE

An intense show that might be one of the best things I have seen in the crime drama genre. Truly addictive. 

BILL MOYERS WISDOM OF FAITH

One of the best of the Moyers series.

BONEKICKERS

What the last Indiana Jones movie should have been.

ON THE ROAD WITH CHARLES KURALT

I remember watching this program as a kid. No one could sniff out a slice of Americana like Charles Kuralt. A show that deserves a rediscovery of a new generation and this box set will go a long way in getting it there.


THE RED GREEN SHOW THE GEEZER YEARS

What can I say? Red Green showed me the wisdom of using as much duct tape as possible. Funniest thing to come from Canada in decades.

VISIONS OF EUROPE

A breathtaking beautiful series showing you some of the most magnificent sites that Europe has to offer.

Aron Warner's Pariah

Brent Marks is a 'Pariah', one of a group of teens that, after being cured of a genetic disorder become extremely intelligent and disassociated with the general populace. He is one of many and they are becoming a visible threat to humanity.
Bent denies it, but when he is attacked by a group of thugs for being different, has no qualms in destroying his attackers. His parents even view him with distrust.

I like the concept of the book as well as Brett Weldele's art. I get what they are doing. Since there was a thing as a teenager, people have always looked at them with distrust. Young adults with hormones raging affecting the way they think. That's all this really is.

All in all, this is a good, solid book. It takes its time in telling the story it wants so, that might be a little slow for a lot of comic readers, but I think the payoff could be worth the journey. 

Mistake

This post really belongs here;

http://divineexploitation.blogspot.com/2011/08/dc-comics-52.html

Comic Round Up

Yup, went and bought comic books again. Here's what I got;

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE CREATURES OF THE UNKNOWN 2 & 3

This wraps up the miniseries and sets up the continuing storyline in the newly revamped DC Universe. It worked well. We got resolution for some characters and they even remembered GI Robot, which is cool. I see myself buying the new series when it comes out.

THE FEARSOME FOUR

I had no idea about this book! It seems that since the Marvel Universe is gripped in fear, The Man-Thing has gone berserk, drawn to large metropolitan areas to burn out the fear. There is only one, er, man able to stop him...Howard The Duck!   Along with Nighthawk, She Hulk and Frankenstein's Monster making this one of the best comics out there. I hope it continues after the four issues, but with my luck that ain't happening. Too bad.

RED SKULL:INCARNATE

The second issue of the history of a true sociopath. This comic is both compelling and bleak and one of the most interesting things Marvel has ever done with one of it's characters. And Marvel seriously needs to consider releasing these magnificent covers as posters.

WHAT THE HELL, MARVEL?!?!

Okay, before we get started, go read this;

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/08/the-great-marvel-comics-rip-off/

Finished?
Good.
Pissed off at Marvel?
Even better.
First they screw the Kirby family out of rightfully due bucks, but now they want people to literally destroy their competition.
What a crock!
And over a cover that is far from McGuiness' best work.
Ugh.
See, this is hard for me because I am a Marvel guy. Growing up my friend, Steve would buy all things DC and I would buy all things Marvel. We both knew what was better in our opinions and went with it.
Lately, I have been buying comics and really the only Marvel Comic I have been getting is the new Red Skull miniseries.
I read a lot of DC Comics nowadays.
But they are getting to reboot their universe.
Again.
I might just stick with buying the Marvel Essentials and the DC Showcase from here on out. At least then I know I'm getting quality comics with none of the BS.
Sheesh!

THE F WORD 2011

The F Word is my favorite Gordon Ramsay show. He takes normal people and puts them in a kitchen to see how many diners are willing to pay for their attempts at his recipes. Along the way there is informative segments about food. Gordon raises livestock to be served at the season finale and he does recipe challenges against semi famous people.
Like I said, one of my favorite shows.
Then the new season premiered. Seems he changed things up a bit. The concept is taking two independent restaurant owners of the same cuisine and pitting themselves against one another. So, two Italian chefs, two Indian chefs...you get the idea.
Yeah, this ain't what I signed up for.
There were two episodes on last night and I managed to get through most of one episode. It just isn't the same.
Thank God for reruns.

The Jack Kirby Case

There was a recent decision that the Jack Kirby estate would not be getting a settlement for characters that Kirby helped create.
This site does a better job of explaining it all;

http://grizzlybomb.com/2011/07/30/the-jack-kirby-settlement/

Cul De Sac

No, no not the fantastic film with Donald Pleasance, but a comic strip that has given me the gift of laughter.
I am referring to, of course, to the wonderful daily strip Cul De Sac by Richard Thompson.
My words can not do it justice. Instead, here is a link;

http://www.gocomics.com/culdesac

And here is a strip

Go read them all, buy the books and you can thank me later.

DVD Round Up

TOM AND JERRY: FUR FLYING ADVENTURES VOL. 2

This has already been in better packaging and better presentation. Why anyone would buy these double dip things is beyond me.















ER THE FINAL SEASON

The show that should have quit years before it did is finally over. Can I get an Amen?
















ARTHUR

Long time readers of this column know my opinion on remakes. This has done nothing to change that.

















THE SECRET LIFE OF JEFFREY DAHMER

Severin Films has done a great job in getting this sleazy classic on DVD. It made me feel dirty.
















REGGIE PERRIN SET 1

A deliciously black comedy with the master of such things; Martin Clune. Acorn Media gets high marks for this release.

















THE END OF POVERTY

A documentary that should be seen by everyone. Especially people who think they've got it bad.

















MAKING OF THE PRESIDENT

Anyone fascinated with JFK would need to add this meticulous collection to their DVD stack. Probably the most unbiased non political set of documentaries dealing with JFK out there.

















THE BRETTS

A lavishly produced period drama that sucks you into a London theater family warts and all. Truly one of the best things ever presented on Masterpiece Theater.

















THE BABY

Severin gives us what can only be described as one weird ass movie. That being said, you need to watch it.

DC 52

Apparently I forgot to pay attention. I just assumed that Justice Society of America would be one of the 52 titles in the relaunch. Why wouldn't it? They gave Mr. Terrific his own title so, why wouldn't The Justice Society be in it.
And I'm excited about a couple of the books, Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. to be exact. The dark Justice League looked good. The Western comic would probably get my attention as long as it was good.
But no Justice Society?
No Justice Society that without there would be no Justice League.
Really?
I'm pretty sure I find this unacceptable.
Now I don't know if I feel like giving DC my coinage for comics.
Too soon to tell.
This sucks.

Justice Society of America #52

Justice Society has always been my favorite super team. The characters are cooler and operate as such heavy hitters that their adventures are always amazing. They manage to manipulate their writers in such a way that I think they have little control over what comes out on the page.
The most fascinating event in the recent storyline is that the new incarnation of Mr. Terrific is losing his intelligence. Something has been done to him and he is at the end of the trail in discovering who.
This is where it gets bizarre.
He tracks down a man who thinks that he is the biggest fan of Mr. Terrific. The original one. He has taken steps to remove the new Mr. Terrific's intelligence. Then he destroyed all shred of evidence that showed how he did it.
Then he hung himself.
There is no way to find out how it was done. Mr.Terrific is screwed.
But, Mr. Terrific is more than that. He realizes that he has to relearn all he has lost. The final scene of him watching a video that teaches small children how to read shows that he is a true hero, ready to tackle any problem head on.
This is epic storytelling at its best and shows that Justice Society is truly one of the great comics being produced today.
Here's hoping that DC doesn't screw it up with their new 52 idiotic idea.

YOU WILL WANT TO CHECK THIS OUT

I received this press release from Acorn Media and thought I would share it with you all ;

ACORN MEDIA GROUP UNVEILS ACORN TV


First British TV Focused Streaming Service Offers Critically Acclaimed Series including Upstairs Downstairs, Brideshead Revisited and Agatha Christie’s Poirot

Silver Spring, MD; July 18, 2011 – Acorn Media Group today announced the launch of Acorn TV, a new streaming service that makes the company’s award-winning British mysteries and dramas available online to American audiences.
Available at acornonline.com/TV, the launch line-up includes such bestselling classics and contemporary titles as Upstairs Downstairs, Brideshead Revisited, The Far Pavilions, Foyle’s War, Agatha Christie’s Poirot and The Forsyte Saga. Acorn TV will mark the first time many of these programs are available for streaming.

Acorn Media, a leading independent media company that Time magazine has called the “chief curators of the best Brit TV,” holds exclusive North American distribution rights to the most critically acclaimed programs, all of which are available from Acorn Media on lavishly packaged DVDs. Most are also available from Acorn Media as digital copies that can be purchased and downloaded. Now, Acorn TV offers U.S. fans of British TV the opportunity to stream many of their favorite series, as well as discover programs such as Vera starring Brenda Blethyn and Reggie Perrin starring Martin Clunes. These programs and many others offered by Acorn are beloved by U.K. viewers but haven’t been available to U.S. audiences.

"Acorn Media Group has found incredible success building a media company focused on audiences passionate for distinctive programming, in particular, British programming,” said Miguel Penella, CEO of Acorn Media Group. “Through our long-term relationship with our target audience, Acorn Media has helped introduce British dramas and mystery programs in North America. With Acorn TV, we can offer these programs on an anytime and, ultimately, anywhere basis. We look forward to streaming our incredible program library to U.S. audiences.”

At launch Acorn TV is offering a full season of six different series with the first episode of each season featured online for free. For only $24.99 a year, Acorn Premium subscribers get unlimited access to all of the episodes in each selected season. In addition, Premium members receive free shipping on all orders from Acorn’s distinctive merchandise catalog and website, www.AcornOnline.com.

A free trial of Acorn TV is being offered to viewers through August 31 at acornonline.com/TV.

Programming for Acorn TV is refreshed weekly, with each season available for six weeks. There are six seasons and more than 40 hours of programming offered at any given time. Each week one season will be added and the oldest season will be removed. As Acorn TV develops the programming offering will evolve based on audience preferences.
Acorn TV is accessible at launch on computers, iPhones, iPads, and any portable device with a browser that runs Flash 10 or higher, Apple TV, and Google TV. Additional devices and applications will follow over the next 12 months.

To access Acorn TV:
1. Visit acornonline.com/TV and click on the big red button at the top right of the page that says “Register now to try Acorn TV Premium Access for free until 8/31/11”
2. Enter registration information (just email, no credit card required) and then sit back and enjoy some fine British television!

Comic Book Round Up

Yes, sigh, I am buying comic books again. I figure with the release of the Captain America movie there will be some great and not so great stuff coming down the pike. Add in DC's Flashpoint and their soon to be realized reboot (again) and there is some stuff I will need to read.

XOMBI 1,2,3

This was one of my favorite comic books in its first incarnation. I bought them all and thought they were great. The new incarnation is just a good. The artwork by Frazer Irving is fantastic and it feels like Xombi never left. Of course since DC is doing it's reboot in September I get six issues and then it's gone again. CRAP! Maybe he'll end up as a supporting character in one of the new books. Wishful thinking.

FRANKENSTEIN AND THE CREATURES OF THE UNKNOWN 1

It's the return of Frankenstein and the rest of the good old Creature Commandos. The storyline starts in WW2, but is in modern time by the end of the first issue and things will never be the same. While this is only a three issue limited for the Flashpoint event, we do get Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. in the reboot. Frankenstein is always cool.

FIRST WAVE SPECIAL 1

When I first heard the concept of  First Wave, it appealed to me. I like Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spirit, Batman and The Avenger. This could be really cool. Yeah, then I didn't buy any of them. But this one had The Avenger in it. I thought they made him a little dark and took away his supporting cast from the original pulps, but he was still pretty cool. I imagine this whole line will be cancelled as well.

RED SKULL INCARNATE 1

I am a huge Captain America fan and this means that The Red Skull gets dragged along for the ride. But this isn't your daddy's Red Skull. Sure, it's his origin, but this takes us waaaay back to his horrid beginnings and show us what transformed him into the red skulled monster we all know and love. This is only issue 1 and the whole thing is just so damned dark in tone. This is gonna be a bumpy ride folks.

So, there you have it. Four different titles all with a finite lifespan. Well, I guess Frankenstein will continue in his new title, but we'll have to see if it is as much fun as the three issue mini series has started out to be.

DVD Round Up

THE FAR PAVILIONS

A 1984 television drama starring Ben Cross and Amy Irving. The Far Pavilions tells the story of Anjuli and Ash and their turbulent love in India. Filled with lavish production values and intense battle scenes, The Far Pavilions looks better than ever from Acorn Media.

WIRED

This three part British thriller keeps you on the edge of your seat while trying to figure out who is the good guy and who is the bad guy. Are there even any good guys? The only way to know for sure is to watch this gripping mystery from beginning to end.

GEORGE GENTLY SERIES 3

Based on the novels of Alan Hunter, Geroge Gently is set in 1966 Britain. Gently, played by Martin Shaw, along with his youthful sidekick, Bacchus, find themselves embroiled in some of the strangest murder mysteries on television today.

WEAPONS RACES

An interesting series that chronicles 8 different war machines from their inception to 2006 to show the trials and errors in constructing machines with one purpose. War.

GREEN LANTERN EMERALD KNIGHTS ON SALE TODAY!

What can I say? The voice of Hal Jordan by Nathan Fillion and Henry Rollins and Kilowog? Rowdy Roddy Piper? This just shows that DC Comics still knows what they are doing when it comes to animated stuff.
This sounds like it could be better than the upcoming feature film.
Here's a clip. Go get it already.

THUNDER! THUNDER! THUNDERCATS, HOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ThunderCats, Ho!

ThunderCats: The Original Series
Season 1, Part 1

The Legendary 80’s Cartoon Comes to DVD on July 12, 2011

BURBANK, CA (June 5, 2011) – This summer, the Code of Thundera will
live on when Warner Home Video releases ThunderCats: The Original
Series Season 1 Part 1 July 12, 2011 on DVD – just ahead of the
all-new series premiere of ThunderCats on Cartoon Network. The 2-disc
collection set, priced to own at $19.97, includes the first 12
action-packed episodes, as well as a special featurette entitled "Feel
the Magic, Hear the Roar," where fans speak out about their incredible
passion for the classic animated series.
One of the 1980s’ most popular animated series, ThunderCats spawned
fan-driven conventions and a wide array of highly sought-after
consumer products – from action figures and video games to lunch boxes
and comic books. ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1
introduces the first animated adventures of the feline-inspired
fantasy! A noble band of survivors from the peaceful world of Thundera
bravely faces off against vicious mutants intent on destroying them.
Make way for exotic creatures, mystical powers and action-packed
battles of good versus evil in the exciting saga of the ThunderCats!
ThunderCats: The Original Series Season 1 Part 1 follows the heroic
groups’ early adventures as they adopt Third Earth as their new home
and encounter alien beings galore – some friendly, some looking for a
fight! And while they brave their strange surroundings, their young
leader Lion-O struggles with his new responsibilities as head of their
foundling civilization. The result is more than four hours of classic
cartoon thrills.
“This release is perfectly timed to engage devoted fans eagerly
awaiting the new ThunderCats series debut on Cartoon Network this
summer,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director, Family &
Animation Marketing. “We are excited for this great opportunity to
introduce the series to a brand new generation a quarter of a century
after the original premiere.”

Episodes

Disc 1

1. Exodus

2. The Unholy Alliance

3. Berbils

4. The Slaves of Castle Plun-darr

5. Pumma-Ra

6. The Terror of Hammerhand



Disc 2

7. Trouble with Time

8. The Tower of Traps

9. The Garden of Delights

10. Mandora the Evil Chaser

11. The Ghost Warrior

12. The Doomgaze

Officially sick of it.

I have read comic books since I was three. I learned to read from comic books. I love them all. The major ones. The minor ones. The independents. The mini comics. It's the comic format.
What I am sick of is this event thing that the two big boys in the industry try every year. They attempt to re imagine their respective universes.
And what happens, say six months later?
(Say it with me)
Everything goes back to the way it was.
Why?
Simple, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
We are talking about characters that have been around for a very long time.
When Marvel and DC make movies of their characters they don't go with whatever they are screwing up at the moment. They go with the original.
Why?
Because they know it's what the readers want.
We don't want re imaginings, we want what we have always had.
The original characters in great stories.
The companies need to realize that we read for the stories.
They need to write better stories, not shake things up.
DC is introducing a new storyline that will streamline their titles. A lot of very interesting things will fall by the wayside. It has always been the risky stuff that made DC for me.
Things like 'Mazing Man, Ambush Bug and most of the Vertigo line.
Here's the story from Geeks of Doom;

http://geeksofdoom.com/2011/05/23/details-on-the-future-of-the-dcu-to-be-revealed-this-june/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+geeksofdoom+%28GEEKS+OF+DOOM%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail



Go ahead and read it. It's appalling.
The smartest thing that DC and Marvel could do at this point would be to develop electronic comic readers exclusive to their companies where people could subscribe to comics, get exclusive downloads and read more comics.
And still print comics because old fuddy duddys like myself love the printed stuff.
So, in the end; stop with the event crap, write better stories, don;t forget what got you there and try out this new gizmo I suggested.

As for me? I'm going to go read some old Iron Man with George Tuska art. I loves me some George Tuska art.

XOMBI

I really love comics. The unfortunate part is that if I love a series that is new, it doesn't have long for this world.
DEVIL DINOSAUR, MACHINE MAN, NIGHT FORCE and, of course, XOMBI. I always thought it was a smart, funny book that is more of a antihero kind of story.
Anyway, I read them all and they cancelled it anyway.
Well, good news. It's back and it's great. I like that they have let David continue to be doing things while his comic book has been gone. He has been examining what he is and is able to affect his environment more than ever before.
Things from the old series like the unlikely duo Nun Of The Above and Catholic Girl along with an interesting creature called a Rustling Husk that is created with the souls of insects that die trapped in between windows.
The new series has a group of creatures that run a cult and they are made of old bible tracts and political manifestos.
Like I said...interesting.
I have read the first two books and hope that it sticks around for a very long time.
But, I'm not holding my breath.