This Week in DVD

Walk Hard: I actually just watched the theatrical version of this a few days ago. Check out the Shark Bites section for my take.

Aw, what the heck, I'll go ahead and tell you I was disappointed. But if you are a fan of the movie, the DVD is packed to the Vince Gills with extras.

Lions for Lambs: Remember that left-wing politics prof you had who would occasionally go off in a harangue about U.S. policy on something or other? Remember how you'd try to skip those lectures and go get a burger?

Corner Gas: Two seasons come oot of that Canadian sitcom WGN shows 10 times a day.

Bette Davis Centenary Collection: Sadly, the only people who know what "Centenary" means are likely the only people who know who Bette Davis is these days. This FOX set is a mix of previously released movies with some minor additions and some new-to-DVD titles.

There Will Be Blood: Oh, how I wanted to see this in theaters. It was like those ads I always see for Sonic (see, because Sonic sells milkshakes, and in the film, Daniel Day-Lewis says...eh, never mind). Always tempting me, yet never really accessible because there is not one in my area. Funny, though, now that this is on DVD, I still find it tough to set aside the, what, 5 hours it will take to get through it. Maybe I'll schedule the chicken pox next week.

Perry Mason Anniversary Edition: This "best of" (really, like most such collections, more like a "guest of," apparently, with the focus on celebrity appearances) contains kick-ass extras and an assortment of episodes not already issued in the season half-sets that have appeared. It looks like another class package from DVD producer Paul Brownstein. But if you go to Amazon, take a look at the reviews and you'll see series fans crapping all over this release.

Why? They want season sets, and they want them much faster than they've been getting them. This collection does not come with a guarantee that Paramount will finish the series--or even continue it. In a perfect world, casual fans could pick up this set, while collectors could buy it for the extras but still rest assured the rest of the seasons were on the way. But collectors know better than to count on that.

Hey, Brownstein put together an awesome, awesome 50th Anniversary "Sgt. Bilko" set a few years ago, the sales were reportedly poor, and I'm still waiting for season sets.