This Week (and last week) in DVD

Things are STILL so slow in the DVD world that once again I have to combine two weeks into one post.

Daybreakers: A vampire movie, only without the young kids the other young kids are drooling over. As a result, you probably have no recollection of this one's theatrical release whatsoever.

Legion: Some kind of goofy action/adventure flick. I want to talk about Paul Bettany. Remember when his career seemed red-hot? Lately, though, he has a succession of low-profile roles and misfires, and I think there was some kind of gentleman's agreement to forget that he was even in "The DaVinci Code."

The Messenger: Acclaimed film with Woody Harrelson as a soldier who informs families their loved ones have been killed in action. This premise is so serious that, especially given the upcoming holiday, I am not making any hemp jokes.

The Spy Next Door: I don't know about you, but everybody's kind of close together in my neighborhood, so this title makes me uncomfortable.

Extraordinary Measures: I made the "This looks like a TV movie" comments when it hit theaters, and not much has changed my mind since then. I want Harrison Ford movies to be a big deal again.

Daria The Complete Series: It took MTV long enough to get this out. It can't be due to a struggle to get music cleared since, from what I read, virtually all of the original contemporary tunes are excised from this set. Hey, remember when MTV used to be good? It wasn't always stellar even as far back as the nineties, but this animated series is an example of the channel doing something good with its original programming.

I confess, though, I never watched "Daria" much back in the day, and I am afraid to consider why because I think on a subconscious level--I'm not proud to admit this even with that qualifier--I resented her because she was condescending to Beavis and Butt-head.

The Monster and the Ape, The Navy and the Night Monsters: I looked the other way when Netflix refused to carry Warner Archives titles. I accepted that the company's policy was to stock few "upgrades" of previously released titles. But when Netflix carries neither "The Monster and the Ape" NOR "The Navy and the Night Monsters," something is seriously wrong!