This Week in DVD

Mars Needs Moms: You know it's not a huge video week when one of the biggest new releases is one of the biggest bombs of recent memory. Those of you who hate the Robert Zemeckis "dead eyes" animation style--you win! Those of you who want to see more children's movies where aliens apparently abduct our mothers for God Knows What--you lose.

Super: Rainn Wilson plays a dude who becomes a real-life superhero. I don't mean he gets bitten by a radioactive lantern injected with serum; I mean he just puts on a costume and calls himself a superhero. "Anybody cian do that," you say. Oh, yeah? I'd like to see YOU try. Actually, no, I wouldn't. Isn't this like the tenth movie, documentary and fiction combined, about average dudes becoming superheros in the last few years? Time to move back to, oh, I don't know, body-switching pictures.

Your Highness: Goofy fantasy-movie spoof also known as "Natalie Portman was in WHAT right after 'Black Swan'?

Paul: Another Simon Pegg/Nick Frost comedy. They encounter an alien (presumably one not looking for moms), hilarity ensues, and the reviews weren't all that solid, but I don't care. If it's a Pegg/Frost movie, I'll go see it. Uh, well, if I don't see it, I'll rent it. Uh, if I don't rent it, I'll see it on pay cable. If I--oh, hell, I'm gonna try to see this eventually, OK?

Fox and the Hound: This ain't exactly in the pantheon of all-time Disney greats, but my grandfather took me to see it when I was a wee lad, and it was good enough for me then, by cracky.

Challenge of the Gobots: I remember thinking Gobots were a fraction as cool as Transformers...until I saw they had a TV show called "CHALLENGE of the Gobots." Adding that one word made them almost awesome.

Webster Season 3: All I'm saying is, I would have liked this show a lot more were it called "Challenge of Webster."

James Ellroy's L.A. City of Demons: How the heck did I totally miss this true crime show on Investigation Discovery when it aired at the beginning of the year? Oh, yeah, it was on Investigation Discovery. Still, shame on me.

TV Cops and Private Eyes: Intriguing mish-mosh of old-school crime show episodes from Timeless. At only 10 bucks, it looks worth a shot even if it combines some of the same old same old ("Dragnet," I'm assuming the same PD episodes) with some interesting rarities ("Boston Blackie," anyone?) As usual, getting details about this is impossible until some kind soul posts a review somewhere, but we should keep our private eyes on this one.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: I'm breaking from my usual custom of ignoring Blu-Ray releases that are already on standard DVD so that we can all pause and think about Phoebe Cates in high-def. Sigh.

Four Daughters Collection: $50 retail from Warner Archives. Just think, in the Good Ol' Days, this would have been much cheaper, loaded with extras, and widely available in stores. Sigh. See, also George Sanders Saint Collection.

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff: Sounds like a cool doc about the legendary cinematographer. You know what else is cool? This and many other documentaries are showing up on Netflix Instant Watching the same day as the disc release. That's one area Netflix is covering pretty well.

Tactical Force: Yeah, it may be crap, but it stars Stone Cold Austin. So there.