A trio of box office disappointments including the most faithful adaptation of a Richard Stark Parker novel yet and the Governator’s return to action films should nevertheless prove of interest to geek viewers, while the latest season of the cult hit TV series True Blood and a stylish Steven Soderbergh thriller provide even more delights.
 
Theatrical Movies
 
While there are no huge mainstream releases this week, there are some that are very interesting to geek viewers including Parker (Film District, “R,” $30.99, BD $35.99), a 2013 crime thriller that is based on Flashfire, the 19th Parker novel by Donald E. Westlake (writing as “Richard Stark”).  Jason Statham stars as the no-nonsense eponymous anti-hero, a professional thief with his own code of ethics.  While neither critics (only 41% positive on Rotten Tomatoes) nor audiences (the movie earned just $17.6 million in North America) appeared to like Parker, this is a film that is ripe for a reappraisal on DVD.  Taylor Hackford’s direction is crisp and efficient throughout what is probably the most faithful adaptation of a Parker novel yet, and Jennifer Lopez provides what is her best screen performance since Out of Sight in 1998.
 
Also a bit better than it gets credit for is The Last Stand (Lionsgate, “R,” $29.95, BD $39.99), which marked Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to action filmmaking as well as the first U.S. film for South Korean director Kim Jee-woon.  This is not a big Terminator-type film, it’s more of a modern-day 3:10 to Yuma with Arnold as a small town Arizona sheriff stuck with Mexican drug lord on his hands.
 
The third of this week’s collection of films that disappointed at the box office is Beautiful Creatures (Warners, “PG-13,” $28.98, BD $35.99), Richard LaGravenese’s adaptation of a young adult novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.  While Warner Bros. was clearly hoping to start a new Harry Potter-type fantasy franchise with Beautiful Creatures, perhaps it wasn’t such a great idea to bring Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson into this PG-13 Southern Gothic project.
 
Those who enjoy more intellectually stimulating fare should check out Side Effects (Open Road, “R,” $29.98, BD $34.98), Steven Soderbergh’s complex thriller that follows the story of a psychiatrist played by Jude Law, who becomes involved inadvertently in complex murder scheme that leaves his career in ruins.
 
TV on DVD
 
This category’s top release is True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season (HBO, $59.99, BD/DVD 500 min., $79.98), which includes all 12 episodes from the 5th season of the popular HBO series based on Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire Mysteries.  This season, which premiered in June of 2012,  is loosely based on the fifth book in the series, Dead as a Doornail, but it includes a number of elements from the following books.  True Blood with its mix of soap opera narrative, Southern Gothic Louisiana settings, and supernatural battles between assimilationist vampires and their separatist enemies, has developed a cult following while providing Anna Paquin with the role of a lifetime as Sookie Stackhouse.  In addition to the occasional shock (and buckets of blood), True Blood delivers plenty of grotesque drive-by humor as in a scene in which the ex-Reverend Steve Newlin declares he is “a proud gay American vampire.”  This slickly produced series looks especially good on Blu-ray and the 5-disc Blu-ray set contains lots of great extras including in-depth documentaries, loads of commentaries, and even a "seamless" viewing option with minimal narrative interruptions between episodes.  Note that in addition to considerable violence and occasional nudity, there is adult language used throughout this series.
 
Other contemporary shows out this week include Perception: The Complete First Season (Disney, 430 min. $29.99), which stars Eric McCormack (Will and Grace) as a schizophrenic neuropsychiatrist who assists the FBI as a profiler.  Perception airs on the TNT cable channel and has been renewed for a second season.  Also due on Tuesday is the 2012 MTV series Teen Wolf: Season 2 (MTV, $39.98) based on 1985 film, and Saving Hope: The Complete 1st Season (eOne Entertainment, 572 min., $39.98), the Canadian supernatural medical drama that aired (except for the final two Season One episodes) on NBC.
 
Animated “TV on DVD” offerings include the sampler collection The Best of Warner Bros.: Hanna Barbera 25 Cartoon Collection (Warner Bros., 550 min., $26.99), a great collection of made-for-TV cartoons from the1950s, 60s, and 70s, plus Pound Puppies: Mission Adoption (Shout Factory, 120 min., $9.99) and the live-action/animation hybrid The Aquabats Super Show: Season 1 (Shout Factory, 300 min., $19.93).
 
Vintage TV releases include Laverne & Shirley: The Complete 6th Season (Paramount, 548 min., $39.98), and The Gene Autry Show: The 5th and Final Season (Shout Factory, 325 min., $14.97).
 
Anime
 
A great spring for anime releases continues this week with a bevy of great offerings old and new.  Among the latter is Tenchi Muyo: War on Geminar Part 1 (Funimation, “17+,” 322 min., BD/DVD Combo $64.98), which includes the first half of a series of OVAs produced by AIC Spirits and BeStack in 2010.  These OVAs were initially shown in Japan on the pay-per-view Animax network.  The action in this latest installment in the science fiction harem/romantic comedy takes place 15 years after the events of Tenchi Muyo! GXP.
 
Also due this week is the second half of the saga, Tenchi Muyo: War on Geminar Part 2 (Funimation, “17+,” 271 min., BD/DVD Combo $64.98), which includes the rest of OVAs.  Funimation is also making a Tenchi Muyo: War on Geminar Part 1 Limited Edition (Funimation, “17+,” 322 min. BD/DVD $69.98), which comes with a special box that is big enough to hold the second part of the saga as well.  Once again this Blu-ray edition looks and sounds great.
 
Fans will also be interested in the North American release of K’On: The Movie (Sentai Filmworks, “14+,” 110 min., $29.98, BD $39.98), the 2011 anime feature film from Kyoto Animation in which the girls of the Sakuragaoka Girls High Light Music Club visit London to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the British invasion.
 
Re-releases include Blu-ray/DVD combo editions of the Miyazaki classics My Neighbor Totoro (Disney, “G,” 88 min. BD/DVD $39.98) and Howl’s Moving Castle (Disney, “PG,” 119 min. BD/DVD $39.98).  Totoro is simply a masterpiece and Howl’s Moving Castle is seriously underrated.  The opportunity to acquire the best possible versions of these beautiful films is certainly worth seizing for those Miyazaki fans who can afford it.
 
Other anime offerings this week include the 2004 Gainax offering Gunbuster 2: Diebuster Complete Series (Eastern Star, “13+,” 180 min., $29.95), which collects a six OVAs, and the 2008 Lupin III: Green vs. Red (Eastern Star, 79 min. $24.95).

Tom Flinn

The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff of ICv2.com.