The best of this week’s crop are two vintage comedies directed by John Landis that are making their first appearance on Blu-ray, but there are some other interesting releases including the animated feature Rio and a number of anime Blu-rays including the latest installment in the new Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood series.

 

 

It’s hard to imagine today’s rash of “R” rated comedies without the example of 1978’s National Lampoon’s Animal House (Universal, “R” BD $26.98).  Yes much of John Landis’ groundbreaking comedy is tame by 21st Century gross-out comedy standards, but this is still a very funny movie in parts, though its satirical elements may be lost on those who didn’t live through the 1970s.  The Blu-ray transfer is OK, but a precedent-setting “R” rated comedy with this much historical importance certainly deserved a lot more than the perfunctory treatment it received.  Yes it looks much better than the previous DVD iterations of the film (especially notable are the deep rich blacks), but it could have been so much more.

 

It’s hard to understand why the studio didn’t treat both Animal House and Landis’ popular follow-up film the same way when preparing Blu-ray releases, but unlike what it did with Animal House, Universal did produce an excellent Blu-ray transfer for The Blues Brothers (Universal, “R,” $26.98).  The Blues Brothers has a flimsy plot that would have been a cliché in one of the first movie musicals in the 1930s, and those neverending car smash-ups are a harbinger of the excess that Hollywood has increasingly specialized in—though today much of it would be CGI, and at least it was all great stunt work in The Blues Brothers.  But all the cheesy elements are well worth putting up with thanks to a number of great musical performances that make the whole thing well worth the price of admission—and the film has never looked or sounded better than it does in this new Blu-ray edition.

 

 

Animated “TV on DVD” releases include Ben 10: Ultimate Alien-Vol. 3 (Warner Bros. 230 min., $19.98), a 2-disc, 10-episode collection of the popular Cartoon Network boys adventures series, and Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet Vol.1 (Shout Factory, 150 min., $14.93), a single-disc, 6-episode collection of the cute Marvel-based series for youngsters featuring super-deformed versions of the Marvel heroes.

 

Continuing American series out this week include the raunchy HBO comedy series produced by Will Ferrell, Eastbound and Down: The Complete Second Season (HBO, 180 min., $29.98, BD $39.98), Everwood: The Complete 4th Season (Warner Bros., 966 min., $39.98), the final season of the WB drama series that has been rerun on ABC Family, McMillan and Wife: Season 6 (First Look, 450 min., $39.98), the popular detective series that starred Rock Hudson, and United States of Tara: The 3rd Season (Showtime, 328 min., $45.98), in which the heroine with multiple personalities heads back to college.

 

But the most interesting American release of the week is Mystery Science Theater 3000-XXI: MST3K vs. Gamera (Shout Factory, 540 min., $64.99), which includes 5 classic Gamera movies in which the giant spinning turtle gets the irreverent MST3K treatment.  This is not for serious kaiju fans unless they can take a joke, which fortunately most of they actually can.

 

The most delightful release of the week is Pie in the Sky: Series 5 (Acorn Media, 392 min., $49.99), the delightfully offbeat cop show that stars Richard Griffiths (Harry Potter, The History Boys) as a reluctant semi-retired detective whose heart is the restaurant he runs, but whose mind is deemed absolutely essential by his careerist boss (played by the subtle and hilarious Malcolm Sinclair), who keeps pulling him back to help on one case after another.

 

Equally intriguing, though perhaps not quite as entertaining, is Garrow’s Law: Series 2 (Acorn Media, 240 min., $39.99), an award-winning courtroom drama series set in 18th Century England and centering around the character of the fiery barrister William Garrow, who fought valiantly for the rights of the accused and who is responsible for many of the elements of a “fair” trial that we take for granted today.  This series is closely based on the archives of the Old Bailey, and its historical accuracy and the importance of the precedents that Garrow established give it a power that few period dramas have.

 

 

The bestseller among this week’s releases will undoubtedly be Rio (Fox, “G,” $29.99, BD/Combo $39.99), a vibrant animated film about a Brazilian Blue Macaw raised in Minneapolis, who returns to Rio to find a mate and avert the extinction of its species.  Though it is colorfully animated and well voiced by Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway in the two major roles, Rio owes its distinction to its soundtrack, which is full of great Brazilian music.  Rio, which earned a solid 72% positive rating from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, is visually interesting enough to warrant the extra expense of the Blu-ray.

 

Soul Surfer (Sony, “PG,” $28.99, $38.99) is the inspiring story of Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who lost an arm in a shark attack at the age of 13, but overcame her disability to succeed on the pro surfing circuit.  This film, which was directed by Sean McNamara, occasionally looks like a “TV Movie of the Week,” but still manages to succeed in large part because of a strong performance by AnnaSophia Robb in the title role.

 

Another inspirational sports saga, The Perfect Game (Image, “PG,” $27.97, BD $29.97) was just too predictable for the critics (only 54% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), but those who enjoy a solid family sports movie should love this true story of a rag tag team of baseball players from Monterey, Mexico who dream of playing Little League baseball in the U.S.

 

 

This is a big week for anime releases with lots of Blu-rays, chief among them Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Part 5 (Funimation, “14+,” 300 min., $49.98, BD $54.98), which contains episodes 53-64 of the new FMA series that is being shown on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. Unlike the first FMA series, Brotherhood follows the storyline of the Hiromu Arakawa with great fidelity.

 

Also due on Blu-ray this week are Casshern Sins Complete Series (Funimation, “17+,” 600 min., $74.98), a 24-episode reboot of the classic 1970s anime series Neo Human Casshern, which was animated by Madhouse and aired in Japan in 2008, and Baka and Test Season 1 Blu-ray Complete Set Limited Edition (Funimation, “14+, 325 min., $69.98), a fast-paced comedy set at Fumizuki Academy where the slackers in Class F need all the help they can get in a battle of avatars based on academic ability.

 

Two interesting anime series based on popular shojo manga are also out this week, Maid Sama! Collection 2 (Sentai Filmworks, “14+,” 325 min., $49.98), which includes episodes 14-26 of the anime produced by J.C. Staff based on the manga by Hiro Fujiwara, and Utena, Revolutionary Girl DVD Set 2: Black Rose Saga Limited Edition (Right Stuf, “16+,” 300 min., $49.99), the continuation of the Right Stuf’s excellent new re-mastered edition of the classic shojo series by Chiho Saito.

 

This week’s bargain release is also available on Blu-ray—Tsubasa, Reservoir Chronicle Season 2 (Funimation, “13+,” 625 min., $29.98, BD $34.98), which includes the complete 26-episode second season of the anime series based on the popular Clamp manga.

 

 

Exporting Raymond (Sony, “PG,” $30.99, BD $35.99) is a highly enjoyable look at the culture clash created when Sony attempted to create a Russian version of the American sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond.  Raymond producer Phil Rosenthal had the inspired idea of taking a camera crew with him as he flew to Russia numerous times to try to get the show on a Russian TV network, a task every bit as difficult in Russia as it is in the U.S. (just ask the producers of the failed Wonder Woman and Locke & Key pilots about the hassles involved in getting a show on the air here).  Exporting Raymond proves to be a fascinating look at the new Russia as well as an excellent examination of the nature of humor and the similarities and differences in how it is perceived in two very distinctive cultures.