This Week in DVD and Instant Watching

The Big Valley Season 2: Ahem.

The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug: Sometimes I still wake up in the middle of the night having dreamed I was still in the theater watching yet another false finish in the third "Lord of the Rings" movie.

Justin Beiber's Believe: Even with his supposed rabid following, the punk only gets a 1.6 average rating on IMDB for this concert film. Yeah, that's hardly scientific, but it's funny, and it makes him look bad, so let's roll with it.

August: Osage County: What a treat it is to see talented actresses like Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts going toe to toe in an intense family comedy/drama. I mean, for those who are into that kind of thing. Me,  I think I'll skip to the more lowbrow...

Grudge Match: Yeah, this is more my style. Sly  Stallone and Bobby DeNiro play off their histories to play two aging (OK, old) fighters who duke it out one more time because--because--because--well, I'm sure there's a good reason in there somewhere, and it probably involves money. You know how sometimes you know in your head a movie is terrible, but somewhere maybe in your left elbow you think it could be worth it? Kind of the deal here.

Paranormal Activity The Marked Ones: You know a franchise is way out of hand when it just dumps the numerals.

Night of the Hunter (Criterion): I have a pretty good DVD of this already, but Criterion usually improves on just about anything.

The 400 Blows (Criterion): Hey, I've never seen this, and I admit, given the choice, I'd watch "Night of the Hunter again (ducks). But then, I'm the guy who just admitted who might watch Grudge Match."

Family Matters Season 4: I have to admit  I kind of want to see this fourth-season episode (description from Wikipedia): Carl and Urkel get into a feud, and decide the only way to settle their grievances is to compete on American Gladiators,

Mayberry RFD Season 1: What could I say about this that hasn't been said in 3 years' worth of great work by the unofficial Mayor of Mayberry (ooh, I hope he realizes that's meant as a compliment)?

The Bobby Darin Show: This might have been a really cool release, but 13 episodes, 420 minutes? Did I mention it was an hourlong presentation when it aired in 1973? It looks like it's heavily edited, which is understandable for a variety show, but the price is pretty high for 13 shows that are so heavily trimmed.

In streaming, Hulu Plus added an original series called Deadbeats, a sitcom starring Tyler "I'm not Jack Black" Labine as a guy who can interact with dead spirits and help them fulfill their unfinished business. The previews make this seem surprisingly good. I will give this one a shot.

Also, while wandering around the vast Hulu catalog, I discovered that they added another season of Route 66. Hey, that's great! But I never would have known if I hadn't been browsing the "channel" where it's located and then clicked the show to look. There ought to be a little "NEW EPISODES" tag for me on a show to which I "subscribe."

Warner Archive Instant is due for a big update probably right after I post this, but it was quiet this week. No word on the Botchlist--uh, Watchlist feature, either.

Acorn Media added 4 more seasons of family show Wild at Heart, plus new seasons--excuse me, series--of Time Team, Jack Irish, Line of Duty, The Brief, and Land Girls. Much of this sounds great, but I wish Acorn could add more older programmes. It seems that in its new adds lately, it is focusing on material from this century. I don't know, maybe there isn't a lot more TO add from the 1970s and 1980s? Acorn did add season 1 of Lovejoy with Ian MacShane from 1986. It would be nice to seem more old school added.

Am I forgetting someone? Oh, yes, Netflix!

Netflix brings Short Poppies, a Kiwi comedy  from Rhys Darby, and while I'm not a fan, it's a cool get for those who are.

A few months ago I was raving about the box cover for Rapturepalooza with Anna Kendrick. Now I can see it for "free!" The Last Days of Mars with Live Schrieber might be an interesting sci-fi flick. There are also a few interesting documentaries old (Sherman's March) and new (When Jews Were Funny  and Let the Fire Burn about the 1985 MOVE incident in Philadelphia).