This Week in DVD

This week's post is dedicated to the memory of the late Dwayne McDuffie, a talented comic book and animation writer who died suddenly this week just as his adaptation of comic hit "All-Star Superman" hit DVD shelves. Unfortunately, my biggest exposure to the man's comic book work came on his ill-fated run on "JLA," which should have been DC's flagship title but was plagued by editorial interference and chaos which hampered McDuffie's work. The coverage of that situation and McDuffie's exit from the company overshadowed the book itself, but I have seen enough of his animation writing in efforts like "Justice League Unlimited" to recognize the man's talent and to be shaken up by his untimely death. Reading the outpouring of grief and kind words from his colleagues makes it even more heartbreaking, but I still look forward to sitting down soon and enjoying "All-Star Superman."

Megamind: Will Ferrell and Brad Pitt square off in animated form, and I'll be darned if I'm not kind of interested in this one. It seems like it was heavily hyped but flamed out relatively quickly, but it looks like a solid rental.

Due Date: I won't say I was gratified when I read James Woolcott claim he didn't "get" Zach Galifinakis, but I'm just saying, at least I'm not alone. The marketing for this buddy comedy with Robert Downey Jr. was clearly going for a "Hangover" vibe, but it didn't get anywhere near it. This one looks more like a "wait for pay cable and hope for the best" kind of title.

Get Low: Bobby Duvall stages his own funeral, while he's still around, mind you, and that sounds at least worth a look, doesn't it?

Have Gun Will Travel Season 5 Series 2: I can't say that I understand why CBS brought this back into regular rotation while shelving "Rawhide"--can it really be just a pure numbers decision, given the unpredictable schedules? But at least the show is getting out there.

BCS football games: A series of presumably complete games from this year's college football BCS. I find the system totally illegitimate, but I welcome the release of high-profile big sporting events on DVD.