The pre-holiday barrage of blockbusters on DVD is over, but a fusillade of potential cult favorites from various genres heads to disc this week along with a TV series with similar potential and a devoted following.

 

Theatrical Releases

 

The top-grossing film debuting on DVD is Paramount’s Paranormal Activity (Single Disc $29.99, Limited Collector’s Edition $57.99, BD $48.99), a micro-budgeted (under $20,000) horror film that demonstrated once again that it is the unseen that can create the most suspense and true horror.  Paranormal Activity grossed over 107 million at the domestic box office, and like The Blair Witch Project before it, will undoubtedly inspire of host of similar efforts, which if they are half as clever as Paranormal Activity, will be a good thing.

 

All three Paranormal Activity DVDs include an unrated version of the film plus an alternate ending, but Paramount is going after the horror film collectors with its special Limited Collector’s Edition that comes with an authentic film frame from the movie mounted on a trading card, and an individually numbered limited edition t-shirt.  These limited items do not come with the Blu-ray—and given the overall less than stellar visuals of this largely single-camera production, the high-def format might not make a lot of difference and devotees of the movie may well want to go with the Limited Collector’s Edition.

 

Among the other horror releases, Jennifer’s Body (Fox, $29.99, BD $39.99), which stars the sexy Megan Fox in a horror comedy about a stuck-up small town girl possessed by a demon, actually earned the most ($16 million) at the box office, but David Twohy’s Perfect Getaway (Universal, $29.98, BD $39.98), a smarter than average slasher film that is available on DVD in an unrated Director’s Cut, is a better bet for horror fans.  And for those who enjoy realistic horror, the apocalyptic viral pandemic depicted in Carriers (Paramount, $19.99), which stars Chris Pine (Star Trek), is much more frightening.

 

While these horror films, particularly Paranormal Activity, have cult film potential, the CGI animated film 9 (Universal $29.98, BD $39.98), which was produced by Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov, has got some serious “Goth” cred that should result in some serious sales on DVD.  Based on director Shane Acker’s Oscar-nominated short film from 2005, 9 is a post-apocalyptic saga about a series of burlap-covered homunculi (known because of their appearance as “stitchpunks”) created by a scientist who has imprinted in them the potential for the resurgence of life as we know it.  With its lovably grungy stitchpunk aesthetic and a stellar vocal cast that includes Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Connelly, Crispin Glover, and John C. Reilly, 9 is reminiscent of the Burton-produced Nightmare Before Christmas.

 

TV on DVD

 

The major TV DVD release this week is Glee Vol.1: The Road to Sectionals (Fox, $39.98).  Glee is simply one of the very best new TV series in recent years.  The saga of high school outsiders who find something to care about, if not their vocation, when they join the Glee Club has struck a chord with everyone from professional performers to anyone who has ever had a part in a high school play or sung in the chorus.  Created by Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck), Glee is smarter and funnier than the High School Musical movies, but it has the same spark and energy provided by its talented and youthful cast.  The problem with this release is that it contains only the first 13 episodes of the series. The show was originally slated for just 13, but it was expanded by 9 additional episodes when it became a breakout hit.  Since Glee is broadcast in hi-def, it will likely available in a complete 22-episode Season One release on Blu-ray this summer and some fans may want to wait.

 

Also due out this week is Spaceballs: The Animated Series—The Totally Warped Adventures (MGM, $19.98) a single DVD containing the animated series that appeared on the G4 cable network in 2008.  Loosely based on the sci-fi parody film Spaceballs, the cartoon series, which was created by the mastermind of the Spaceballs movieMel Brooks, takes on such tempting pop culture targets as the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, and the Grand Theft Auto video game.

 

Other TV on DVD releases this week include Diablo Cody’s The United States of Tara: The First Season (Showtime, $42.99) featuring Toni Collette in a multiple personality tour de force series of performances, Time Warp: Season 2 (Image, $24.98), the popular science-based Discovery Channel series in which Jeff Lieberman and Matt Kearney train their high speed cameras on a variety of household items, everyday occurrences and uniquely talented individuals, and Whale Wars: Season Two (Genius Products, $19.98), which contains all 11 episodes from the second season of the Animal Planet series that chronicles the adventures of Paul Watson and the crew of the Steve Irwin as they attempt to prevent Japanese harpoon ships from killing whales off the coast of Antarctica.

 

Anime

 

Though the week after Christmas is traditionally a light week for anime releases, Funimation continues to pump out the titles including Baccano! The Complete Series (400 min., $49.98, Rated “TV-MA”), a 16-episode series from Brains Base that aired in Japan in 2007.  Based on a light novel series by Ryohgo Narita, Baccano! mixes alchemy and Prohibition-era gangsters into a wild, weird and ultimately entertaining blend.  Viewers who may have checked out the first couple of episodes on the Web should consider revisiting this series, which starts slowly, but really gains momentum after the first couple of episodes.  The new 3-disc set from Funimation contains a bevy of extras including episode commentaries, promotional video, textless songs & trailers.

 

Also due this week from Funi is Blassreiter: The Complete Series Part 2 (288 min., $59.98, rated “TV-MA”), the second 12 episodes of the Gonzo series that aired in Japan in 2008.  Blassreiter and The Tower of Druaga were made available to American audiences via Crunchyroll and BOST in subtitled form simultaneous with their airing in Japan.  The DVD features a dubbed English version of the sexy series as well as a number of extras including a commentary on the final episode, a “Director’s Guide to Blassreiter,” as well as textless opening andc closing songs and trailers.  Funimation is also releasing the second half of another Gonzo series, the fantasy/mecha/romance, Dragonaut: The Resonance, Part 2 (315 min., $49.98, rated “TV-14”).

 

One huge anime franchise in Japan that has never caught on here, is Detective Conan, though hardcore anime fans realize how quintessentially Japanese this ingenious mystery series really is.  Part of the problem here could be the inability to use the series’ Japanese name due to rights confusion with the Robert E. Howard character.  But even under their American title, Case Closed, these two movies Case Closed: The Last Wizard of the Century (100 min., $19.98, rated “TV-PG”), and Case Closed: Captured in Her Eyes (105 min., $19.98, rated “TV-PG”) are first rate mysteries that demonstrate the range of animated entertainment in Japan where the Detective Conan series appeals to a very broad demographic.

 

Not every anime release this week is from Funimation.  Media Blasters is putting out Genshiken 2, Vol.3 (100 min., $29.99) the final single-disc DVD from the 12-episode otaku-centric Genshiken 2 from ARMS that aired in Japan in 2007.

 

Documentaries

 

Boxing fans will enjoy Pete McCormack’s Facing Ali (Lionsgate, $27.98), an hour and 40-minute documentary that looks at the career of the greatest boxer of the second half of the 20th Century from the perspective of his opponents such as George Foreman, Joe Frazier, and Larry Holmes.