The pace of releases continues to pick up led by the first season of HBO’s hit fantasy series Game of Thrones and the first full season collection of the new Transformers animated TV series, but there are other offerings of interest including the Blu-ray debut of what some think is the “funniest film of all time,” as well new BDs of two Woody Allen classics.

 

 

The big news in this category is the release of the first season of HBO’s hugely popular adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones Season 1 (HBO, 561 min., $59.99, BD $79.98) collects every episode of the first season of the epic fantasy production that deftly portrays lust, violence, and the pursuit of power in a mythical kingdom populated by a wide variety of sharply-drawn characters.  Impressively mounted and well-acted, this series, which was quickly dubbed “The Sopranos with swords,” has quickly established its own identity with the viewing public and spun-off games, comic book adaptations, and other merchandise.  The Blu-ray version is more expensive, but this production is so well-mounted that it is definitely worth the extra cost.

 

This week also sees the debut of the latest animated iteration of a popular property.  Transformers Prime: The Complete First Season (Shout Factory, 600 min., $29.93, Limited Edition BD $64.99) collects the best new animated Transformers series in a long time, and the Limited Edition Blu-ray includes a 96-page Transformers Prime Prequel graphic novel from IDW along with numerous other extras.

 

Other TV animated releases include the inaccurately titled Looney Tunes Comedy Hour: The Best of Bugs Bunny (Warner Bros. $9.97), which contains 3 Bugs Bunny cartoons (“The Million-Hare,” “Napoleon Bunny-Part,” and “Knightly Knight Bugs”) that no one could confuse with the Brooklyn bunny’s best, the latest collection of the new Cartoon Network series Adventure Time with Finn and Jake: It Came from the Nightosphere (Warner Bros. 176 min., $19.98), Tom & Jerry: In the Doghouse (Warner Bros. 154 min., $19.98),a new collection of cartoons featuring the vintage MGM characters, plus two collections that are strictly for the youngest viewers, The Care Bears: Bear Buddies (Lionsgate, $14.98), and Pound Puppies: Homeward Pound (Shout Factory, 120 min., $12.99). 

 

There are also some vintage TV cartoons of note including Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales Complete Collection (Shout Factory, 1260 min., $49.97), which collects all 70 episodes of the semi-educational cartoons that originally aired on CBS from 1963-1966 and featured the vocal work of Don Adams (Get Smart), who voiced the title character.  And for those who enjoy vintage Australian cartoons there is the 1960s series Arthur! And the Square Knights of the Round Table Vol. 1 (Visual Entertainment, 478 min. $15.98) and the 1970s Jules Verne-based Around the World in Eighty Days (Visual Entertainment, 390 min., $15.98).

 

The only major new live-action release (aside from Game of Thrones) is HawthoRNe: The Complete Final Season (Sony, 422 min., $45.99), which includes the last season and the explosive finale of the medical drama starring Jada Pinkett Smith.  Vintage TV releases include Cimarron City: The Complete Series (Timeless Media, 1300 min., $39.98), the western starring George Montgomery and John Smith that lasted for one season on NBC in the late 1950s, and Happy Days: The Best of Happy Days (Paramount, 201 min., $14.98), which includes eight fan favorite episodes of the sitcom.

 

The top U.K. release is Poirot Series 3 (Acorn Media, 628 min., $39.98, BD $49.98), which collects 11 episodes from the Agatha Christie’s Poirot series, which stars David Suchet as Christie’s eponymous Belgian sleuth.  The series, which began in 1989, will soon have adapted all of Christie’s Poirot novels and short stories, and is considered the definitive “Poirot.”  This particular series has been released before, but it has been re-mastered for this edition, which includes the first ever release of this material on Blu-ray.  By all means spend the extra sawbuck and get the BD, the meticulous reproduction of the 1930s in these spot-on adaptations comes across much better in high definition.

 

Also due this week is MI-5: Volume 10 (BBC, 360 min., $29.98), which includes the final season of the long-running BBC spy drama in which the U.K.’s crack counter-terrorism squad attempts to mend fences with other services in the U.S. and the Middle East, while also forging a relationship with the new Russia and tracking down an anarchist who trying to set off a dirty bomb in London.  Other notable BBC offerings include the “odd couple” cop series, Dalziel and Pascoe: Season 5 (BBC, 380 min., $29.98), and Judge John Deed: Season 5, Episodes 1-4 (BBC, 356 min., $29.98).

 

The other U.K. series of special interest is Above Suspicion Set 1 (Acorn Media, 254 min. $39.99), which includes two feature-length mysteries adapted from novels by Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect), and is recommended for those who enjoy La Plante’s gritty crime dramas.  The protagonist of Above Suspicion is attractive young detective Anna Reilly (played by Kelly Reilly), leading a critic to characterize the series (not without justification) as “a younger, sassier successor to Prime Suspect.”

 

 

While there is not much that is truly “new” to North America this week, there are some very important releases this week starting with Isao Takahata’s brilliant Grave of the Fireflies Remastered Edition (Sentai Filmworks, “13+,” 89 min., $19.98), a searing story of two orphaned children struggling to survive during the last days of World War II as Japan is being bombed and starved into submission.  The tragedy of modern warfare’s immense amount of “collateral damage” has never been more starkly portrayed than in this often hard-to-watch, but undeniably powerful, film that is certainly one of the most moving animated features ever made.

 

Also due this week is Hetalia Axis Powers Complete Series: Seasons 1 &2 (Funimation, “17+,” 260 min., $44.98), a popular cult-favorite series, which takes a much more comedic, though definitely not a “politically correct” view of World War II using stereotyped characters to represent the warring nations.  The two seasons of Hetalia were released separately in 2010 for $34.98 each.

 

The one new release is House of Five Leaves Complete Series Premium Edition (NIS America, “13+,” 274 min., $59.99), which contains all 12 episodes of the 2010 anime series by Manglobe that was based on the excellent seinen manga series by Natsume Ono (published here by Viz Media).  House of Five Leaves is a very arty jidaigeki property, and those who enjoy historical martial arts/samurai sagas should be aware of Ono’s subtle take on the genre, which puts more emphasis on character than swordplay.

 

Other releases due this week include Sands of Destruction Complete Series (Funimation, “14+,” 325 min., $19.98), which includes all 13 episodes of the 2008 anime series from Production I.G. based on the role-playing video game developed by imageepoch, and the KimiKiss Pure Rouge Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, “14+,” 625 min. $69.98), which was previously released in two parts at $49.98 each.

 

 

While there are a number of releases in this category this week, nothing really stands out, certainly not the week’s high profile release The Immortals (Fox, “R,” $29.98, BD $39.99, 3-D BD $49.99), another green screen fantasy film that does to Greek mythology what the European Union's central bankers are currently doing to Greece.  The one reason to check out this turkey, which earned only a paltry 36% positive rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, is to watch the young English actor Henry Cavill, who plays Thesus in this film and Superman in Zack Snyder’s forthcoming Man of Steel.

 

But The Immortals, even with its faults, is preferable to the other major theatrical DVD release, Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill (Sony, “PG,” $30.99, BD $40.99), in which the comedian plays a genderbending dual role as his own sister.  This movie, which is recommended only for Sandler’s most die-hard fans, earned a pitiful 3% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

Surprisingly even Craig Brewer’s remake of the 1984 Kevin Bacon/Tom Cruise vehicle Footloose (Paramount, “PG-13,” $29.99, BD $44.99 is preferable to Jack and Jill, thanks to the way it manages to recapture the toe-tapping energy of the original.  Even better is Like Crazy (Paramount, “PG-13,” $29.99, BD $39.99), a realistic and honest portrait of young lovers involved in the trials and tribulations of a long distance romance, which features a superlative performance by Felicity Jones.

 

For those who hunger for a true art film there is The Skin I Live In (Sony, “R,” BD $45.99), a sort of existential surrealist horror movie by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar that is complex (and disjointed enough) to please the most demanding art house movie fans.

 

 

If you have a sense of humor and you have never seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of the funniest films of the 1970s, or if you love this movie, either way, you really owe it to yourself to check out the new Monty Python and the Holy Grail Blu-ray (Sony, “PG,” BD $19.99).  Sony has produced a superior transfer of this 1974 classic, which many fans of absurd humor consider the “funniest movie of all time.”  Maybe, or maybe not, but this is yet another Blu-ray to consider adding to your collection.

 

Another 1970s classic now out on Blu-ray is Woody Allen’s Manhattan (MGM, BD $19.99), which was originally released in 1979.  It may not be Allen’s best film, but it is definitely right up there among his best and it exhibits all the thematic hallmarks of his work. Those who don’t like Allen’s films should avoid this release, but for everybody else, Manhattan with its sharp black-and-white photography has never looked than it does in this new transfer—and Allen’s rapier-sharp dialogue has never been more audible than in this version.  As important as the visual capabilities of the high-def Blu-ray process are, the format’s audio potential is equally crucial in providing a greatly enhanced viewing experience. 

 

Allen fans will also want to upgrade to the new BD edition of Annie Hall (MGM, $19.99).  When I first saw the title screen for this edition I winced, but this grainy image is about the only bad thing in the new hi-def transfer of the 1977 classic, which is otherwise sharp and clear throughout.

 

Billy Wilder’s 1960 classic The Apartment is another classic comedy that has received the Blu-ray treatment and is well worth picking up.  Wilder is more of a visual stylist than Allen and Joseph LaShelle’s widescreen black-and-white photography is simply superb.  This new Blu-ray transfer is a definite upgrade over previous DVD versions. 

 

 

If this were a just world there would also be new Blu-ray editions of the seven brilliant films that director Josef von Sternberg and actress Marlene Dietrich made together in the 1930s.  Sternberg, was the finest visual stylist in the history of the American cinema, and his films demonstrate the immense dramatic and design possibilities of black-and-white cinematography.  Unfortunately all seven of the Sternberg/Dietrich films haven’t even been available on DVD here in North America until the recent release of a two-disc Marlene Dietrich: Directed By Josef Von Sternberg (TCM, $29.99) collection, which contains two of the best Sternberg/Dietrich collaborations, Dishonored and Shanghai Express.  It is truly unfortunate that TCM can’t lavish the restorative resources on these films that they deserve, but at least these visually remarkable movies are at last available on disc.  Dishonored is an existential spy drama that reveals hidden depths of despair underneath its shimmering surfaces, while Shanghai Express is an adventure/comedy set in a fantasy orient brilliantly created by Von Sternberg on the Paramount backlot. 

--Tom Flinn

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.