This Week in DVD

Journey to the Center of the Earth: This DVD is allegedly in 3-D. Is it actual cool 3-D or lame, free glasses at 7-Eleven for some commercial gimmick 3-D? I sure don't know.

Guess I should try to find out that sort of thing before I post, huh?


Little Rascals Collection: It's a pleasant surprise to see this release show up in the Best Buy flyer this week. Everything I read indicates this collection of 80 "Our Gang" shorts is the real deal.

UPDATE: Since I first wrote this, I have read discussion at the Home Theater Forum of quality-control issues and inferior prints on some of the shorts. The set seems like a good value overall still, but it's apparently not the dream package many fans anticipated.

You know, Turner Classic Movies makes admirable efforts to introduce kids to classic movies, including a regular Essentials for Kids showcase and the departed "Cartoon Alley" series. I think they run the MGM Rascals shorts every now and then. Bu I'd like to see them put these earlier editions in a regular timeslot each Saturday or Sunday morning, along with some cartoons and maybe a comedy movie like a Bowery Boys flick or one starring Abbott and Costello. Hey, speaking of them...


Abbott and Costello "Will Play in Your Players Without Freezing" Collection: Er, also known as "The Complete Universal Pictures Collection." To stick daggers in the hearts of loyal A&C fans who bought the franchise collections, Universal sweetens the pot by putting everything on single-sided discs, a book (an excellent one, I might add), and the long-unavailable and previously unreleased "It Ain't Hay." Well, it ain't for me, as I already own most of the movies, and I own the book to boot. Not worth a double dip for me. And don't tell me, like so many wags on the Internet tell those who bemoan these kinds of upgrades that are done without compensation for those who bought the first releases, that I should "Just sell the originals on Ebay." Why should I have to go through the trouble of doing that? Let Universal pay me for them, I'll buy this new set, and then THEY can sell them on Ebay.


Mystery Science Theater 3000: 4 new-to-DVD episodes arrive as the franchise moves from Rhino to Shout. This can only be a good thing, as Rhino seems to have lost its interest in the business and Shout can put out a great product when it wants to.

Donna Reed Show Season 1: Thankfully, someone besides Sony owns the rights to this old-school family sitcom; otherwise who knows when we'd see it? I don't remember this as a particular favorite of mine on Nick at Nite, but I was young and stupid then. I'd like to at least take a look at the show now. Are these uncut episodes with original music? Well, reviews are trickling out, but unfortunately, we'll probably have to wait till the hardcore fans get their copies and report back. After all, if Ken Tucker can't be bothered to report on the music alterations on "My Three Sons" in 'Entertainment Weekly," how can we expect other reviewers to be on the ball with "Donna Reed"?