After lots of weak slates so far in 2012 finally a strong week of theatrical releases led by Puss in Boots, Tower Heist, and J. Edgar plus the first Blu-ray edition of the best U.K. murder mystery series ever, and an anime slate dominated by new material not just re-packaged releases.

 

 

The bestselling release this week will undoubtedly be Dreamworks’ Puss in Boots (Dreamworks, “PG,” $29.99, BD/Combo $39.99, 3-D BD Combo $54.99), a chaotic, but ultimately entertaining spin-off of the studio’s popular Shrek series that displays all the virtues (and faults) of that franchise with plenty of quips that fly over the kiddies’ heads and manage to enliven the narrative’s mish-mash of fairy tale narratives.

 

Also entertaining without being the least bit challenging is Tower Heist (Universal, “PG-13,” $29.98, BD $34.98), a fun sort of caper movie/action comedy that aspired to tap into the “anti-1 %” sentiment, but never quite managed to capitalize on the populist themes of its narrative.

 

Altogether more ambitious, but less successful is J. Edgar (Warner Bros. “R,” $28.98, BD/Combo $35.99), which Clint Eastwood directed from a screenplay by Lance Black (Milk).  Critics only gave the film a 44% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but there is no doubting the skill of Leonardo DiCaprio’s central performance and the script’s subtle link between frustrated homosexual longing and right wing politics is actually handled much more effectively than in the better known and more highly regarded The Conformist.

 

The critics preferred Martha Marcy May Marlene (Fox, “R,” $29.98, BD $39.99), a modest indie art movie directed by Sean Darkin about a young woman (played by Elizabeth Olsen) who struggles to break free of a religious cult and its leader, who is played effectively by John Hawkes.  Although it earned only $3 million at the box office, the film garnered a substantial 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

 

 

The top TV releases this week are all from the U.K. led by Midsomer Murders Box Set 19 (Acorn Media, 400 min., $49.99 BD $59.99), which is now available in Blu-ray for the first time.  The extra detail and sharpness of the Blu-ray format definitely work to the advantage of this series since the Midsomer Murders episodes are meticulously photographed in actual village locations, which come through much better in the Blu-ray version.  Off course the Midsomer Murders episodes are also extremely well-plotted and brilliantly acted, but the settings are uniquely important to this delightful culmination of the entire category of “the English village murder mystery.”

 

Traditionally British sitcoms have been a harder sell here in North America than police dramas and mysteries, but those who do enjoy the subtler rhythms of the typical middle-class British comedy series could certainly do worse than French Fields: The Complete Collection (Acorn Media, 473 min., $59.99), which stars Julia MacKenzie and Anton Rodgers, who continue the sitcom tradition they began in Fresh Fields in this series that was set in France and aired from 1989-1991 on ITV.

 

World War II period dramas are another category in which the U.K. has taken the lead with series like Foyle’s War and Wish Me Luck.  Land Girls: Series 3 (BFS, 225 min., $39.98), which follows the lives and loves of five urban and suburban ladies sent to do farm work during the war, is another 1940s drama that has aired here on PBS.  Though it’s not in a class with the previously-mentioned WWII dramas, its melodramatic plot has developed a following.

 

One of the most popular shows on BBC America is the rowdy unscripted autocentric Top Gear. Top Gear: The Complete Season 17 (BBC, 348 min., $24.98, BD $29.98), which contains all six episodes from the show’s 17th season, continues to exude that pure passion for driving and cars themselves that has made the show a hit with gearheads and weekend drivers alike.

 

Also due this week is The Brief (Acorn Media, 559 min., $59.99), a savvy legal thriller from the creators of Inspector Morse that stars Alan Davies (Jonathan Creek) as a barrister with a personal life that is a messy as those of some of his clients.

 

The top U.S. release is The Angry Beavers: Season 3, Part 1 (Shout Factory, 240 min., $19.93), which includes some prime episodes of the series that aired on Nickelodeon from 1997 to 2006.  Vintage TV releases are led by Mission: Impossible-Season 2, The 89 Season, which includes the second season of the revived series, and also include Here Come the Brides: The Complete 2nd Season (Shout Factory, 1230 min., $44.99), which includes the second and final season of the show that ran from 1968-1970 on ABC, Here’s Lucy: Season 5 (MPI, 600 min., $29.98), and Law and Order: The 10th Year (Universal, 36.98).

 

 

Action heats up in this category for the last week of the month led by Fairy Tail Part 4 (Funimation, “14+,” 300 min., BD/DVD combo $54.98), which contains episodes 37-48 of the popular anime series based on the manga from the creator of Rave Master. Also new this week is Princess Jellyfish (Funimation, “14+,” 275 min. BD/Combo $69.95), which includes all 11 episodes of the adaptation of Akiko Higashimura’s josei manga produced by the Brain’s Base studio.  It’s not all that often that a josei property gets animated and even rarer that North American audiences get to see a full-fledged release like this delightful romantic comedy series from 2010 that really does look (and sound) great on Blu-ray.

 

The other new releases are straight DVDs, the single-disc Bakuman Part 2 (Media Blasters, “13+,” 150 min., $24.95), which includes episodes 8-13 of the anime based on the popular manga series published her by Viz Media, the single-disc Pokemon Diamond & Pearl: Sinnoh League Victors Disc 1 (Viz Media, “All-Ages,” $19.97), plus The A-Channel Complete Collection (Sentai Filmworks, “13+,” 300 min.), which includes all 12 episodes of the slice-of-life comedy series based on the 4-panel humor manga by bb Kuroda.

--Tom Flinn

The opinions expressed by this columnist do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.