This Week in DVD (Ok, last week, but who's counting?)

I took a week off from this feature, but hopefully you found something to buy/rent/shoplift. Or maybe you bought something useful, like, I don't know, food. Well, feel free to skimp on the necessities this week because there are some decent releases.

Unfortunately, there are only 3 of them.

Foyle's War Set 5: The excellent BBC series is apparently kaput, and here's the last batch. These sets are expensive, and I wish they offered more extensive bonus material, but the teleplays (look at me putting on airs just because I'm talking about British telly) are excellent. Michael Kitchen is outstanding as Chief Superintendent Detective Exalted First Lieutenant Commodore Foyle (I may be off on his title somewhat), conveying heaps of wise-ass sentiments with a mere raised eyebrow or askew glance. The mysteries can be routine, but the setting--the homefront in WWII-era Hastings--fascinates. "Masterpiece Theater" shows these, yes, but they are edited versions, and you're missing a lot if you only see the PBS versions.

Get Smart Season 1: If our planet isn't hit by a meteor and dashed to bits in the next few weeks or so, I'm convinced it'll be because a karmic injustice has been rectified. Though this entire series was available through Time-Life for a few years, it was not otherwise available on store shelves or anywhere else. Meanwhile, the Nineties remake with Andy Dick was released this summer. That means that for a period of time, however brief it was, the Andy Dick version of "Get Smart" was readily available, but the original was not. You don't think this angered the Gods?

Route 66 Season 1: Yes, all of Season 1. So those of you who bought the butchered Season 1 Volume 2 releases with the fake widescreen effect, you are hereby rewarded with the opportunity to repurchase those episodes in their correct aspect ration--only you'll pay twice as much to get the first half of Season 1 all over again.

Oh, well, you ask, at least the subpar picture quality that plagued some first-half episodes was corrected, right?

Uh, no.

But, hey, at least they finally released a whole season box, right? Right?

Anyone want to take a chance on a preorder for Season 2?