This Week in DVD

This week's release slate is so thin it could fit in my iPad (I don't think that even makes sense, but I'm just trying to be hip this week), so this could be a short post.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans: When director Werner Herzog wanted to update Abel Ferrara's 1992 movie, he thought of Nicolas Cage in the Harvey Keitel over-the-top seedy policeman role. You know what? That makes perfect sense. Whether that's a compliment or insult for Cage, I'll let you decide.

National Lampoon's Ratko: The Dictator's Son: It's sad that we can tell from the titles alone nowadays that the "National Lampoon" name means absolutely nothing anymore.

Abbott and Costello: The Complete Series: I know many DVD sites listed this as coming out last week, but distributor E1 issued a press release a while back declaring it was pushed back to April 6, so here we are. I somehow missed the Passport release of this series a few years go--well, I say "somehow," but it's quite simple; I didn't spend money to buy it, therefore I didn't get it--and now I have a second chance.

Fortunately for late adopters like me, the out-of-print status of those earlier sets means the way is clear for what are reportedly better discs. The DVDs lack some of the quality control issues that plagued first incarnation of the Passport set, and some report improved picture on the episodes. Plus there's an extra extra not heretofore included on any release: 1978's "Hey, Abbott," a TV special hosted by Milton Berle.

So this is a good thing, unless, of course, you already bought the show in those previous season sets or in the form of the individual "volumes" that came out long ago. In that case, yeah, you might be a little irked. As for me, I don't plan to let this opportunity pass me by, as this is one of my favorite shows, one that's never on TV anymore. It's the clear choice in a meager week of DVD releases.