The top commercial releases for this week include remakes of The Karate Kid and A Nightmare on Elm Street, but the more interesting discs due out include the first complete edition of the Grindhouse double feature and Splice, one of the most intriguing horror/science fiction films of the decade, plus the first season sets for the science fiction TV series Stargate Universe and Caprica, and an animated Doctor Who saga.

 

Theatrical

 

Two popular genre films from 1984, The Karate Kid and A Nightmare on Elm Street, got remade this year, and there is no denying which film was more successful.  The Karate Kid (Sony “PG,” $28.96, BD Combo-Pak $38.96), which starred Will Smith’s son Jaden and Jackie Chan, was shot in China for $40 million and has made nearly $355 million worldwide.  With its change of setting and clever alterations of the storyline, The Karate Kid was clearly the more creative of the two remakes, and is almost certain to be the top DVD release of the week.  It may not be a classic, but with solid direction from Harald Zwart and a fine score by James Horner, The Karate Kid, like its 1984 predecessor, is a solidly entertaining film.

 

New Line took a more literal and faithful approach to its new version of A Nightmare on Elm Street  (New Line, “R,” $28.98, BD $35.99), but the unfortunate result was a rather pedestrian slasher film despite the intent of the writers and producers to go back to the darker original conception of Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven’s 1984 classic, a portrayal that had been softened into a wisecracking serial killer in a series of sequels.

 

The exploitation films of the 1970s were the inspiration for directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez to create their Grindhouse double feature.  Both films (Planet Terror and Death Proof) have been released separately on DVD, but are now reunited on the Grindhouse: Special Edition Blu-ray (Vivendi, “R,” $39.96) where they remain a tribute schlock cinema at its best.

 

Vincenzo Natali’s Splice (Warners, “R,”  $26.96, BD $35.99) is one of those intelligent science fiction/horror films that deserved a better fate than the $24.5 million it earned at the worldwide box office.  This is a film that is based on the very real possibility that gene-splicing technology could result in the creation of life by rogue scientists, something that gives this film a real heft that most modern over-the-top horror movies lack.  A fine cast headed by Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley brings a level of intelligence to this film that is rare in the genre.  Splice deserves a wider audience, perhaps it will find it on DVD.

 

TV on DVD

 

Stargate Universe: The Complete First Season (MGM, 874 min., $49.98, BD $69.98), the latest iteration of the popular Stargate franchise, is out in both Blu-ray and regular editions.  Also premiering in both formats is Blue Mountain State: Season 1 (Lionsgate, $29.98, $29.98, BD $29.98), the Animal House-like football parody series that airs on Spike TV, and Bones: Season 5 (Fox, $59.98, BD $69.98).

 

Battlestar Galactica fans might want to check out Caprica: Season 1.0 (Universal, 534 min., $49.98), which collects the first nine episodes of the BSG prequel.  While its ratings don’t match those of its predecessor, Caprica has developed a coterie of devoted fans.

 

The major holiday gift release of the week is the limited edition Monk: The Complete Series (Universal, 5,292 min., $249.98), which includes 32 discs containing all 126 episodes featuring the exploits of the “defective detective” Adrian Monk, who always managed to overcome his neurosis just enough to solve the  puzzling crimes he was faced with in this often ingeniously-plotted comedy mystery series.

 

There are a number of animated  “TV on DVD” releases due this week including Ben 10: Alien Force, Vol.9 (Warner Bros. 140 min., $14.98), which includes seven episodes of the latest iteration of the popular Cartoon Network series, a Blu-ray edition of The Charlie Brown/Peanuts Specials: Deluxe Holiday Collection 3 (Warner Bros., 150 min., $42.99), The Garfield Show: Vol. 1: Odie Oh (Vivendi, 132 min., $14.99), The Penguins of Madagascar: I Was a Penguin Zombie (Dreamworks, 88 min., $19.99), and Phineas and Ferb: A Very Perry Christmas (Disney, 79 min., $19.99).

 

Continuing series releases include the Norman Lear-produced socially relevant sitcom All in the Family: The Complete 7th Season (Shout Factory, 650 min., $29.99), three seasons of the fem-skewing Ally McBeal, Ally McBeal: The Complete Third Season (Fox, 845 min., $39.98), Ally McBeal: The Complete Fourth Season (Fox, 850 min., $39.98), and Ally McBeal: The Complete Fifth Season (Fox, 850 min., $39.98), the classic western Gunsmoke: The 4th Season, Vol.1 (Paramount, 487 min., $36.98), plus the innovative sitcom The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete 7th Season (Fox, 612 min., $29.98), and the supernatural mystery series Medium: The Complete Sixth Season (Paramount, 866 min., $57.99).

 

The top releases from the U.K. include The Queen (Acorn Media, 388 min., $39.99), an in-depth biography of Queen Elizabeth II, who is portrayed at various stages of her life by five different actresses.  This exceptionally well-produced five-part series blends documentary footage with dramatic recreations of key moments in the life of the long-reigning monarch in ways that should please fans of the “royals.”

 

For history buffs, The Roman Invasion of Britain (Acorn Media, 138 min., $29.98) is an excellent historical documentary narrated by historian Bettany Hughes.  Though not well known to Americans, the saga of the Roman conquest of Britain is filled with drama, brutality, and memorable characters such as the rebel Queen Boudicca.

 

There are also two animated entries from the UK this week including Doctor Who: Dreamland (BBC, 44 min., $24.98), the second Doctor Who animated production.  Dreamland, which features the voice and animated image of David Tenant, the tenth Doctor, is a story that explores the Roswell, New Mexico/Area 51events with a distinctly Whovian touch. The other BBC toon is Charlie and Lola: Absolutely Complete Season 3 (BBC, 649 min., $29.98), an innovative series that uses collage animation to replicate the design of Lauren Child’s series of children’s books.

 

Anime

 

The top release this week is Kurokami Vol. 3 (Bandai Entertainment, “PG-13,” 150 min., $29.98, BD 100 min., $24.98).  Produced by anime powerhouse Sunrise and based on the Japanese/Korean seinen action/fantasy manga by Dall Young-Kim and Sung-Wu Park, Kurokami (Black God) is published in Japan by Square Enix and in the U.S. by Yen Press.  The 23-episode anime, which was directed by Tsuneo Kobeyashi (Emma), aired in Japan in 2009.

 

Also of great interest is Linebarrels of Iron, Part 2 (Funimation, “17+,” 300 min., $49.98) and the Linebarrels of Iron OVA (Funimation, “17+,” 50 min., $14.98).  Produced by Gonzo, Linebarrels of Iron is based on the manga series by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi.  This action/romance/mecha/comedy is about an ordinary 14-

year-old boy, who is turned into a top flight mecha pilot by an accident.  This 24-episode series, which aired in Japan in 2009, is one of the most recent additions to the always popular “only teenagers can pilot mecha’ genre.

 

Also out this week is Crunchyroll’s first DVD release, Makoto Shinkai’s poetic and evocative romance 5 Centimeters Per Second (Crunchyroll, “PG-13,” 85 min., $24.98), which was previously released here by ADV.

 

Re-priced bargain sets include the Super GALS Complete Collection (Right Stuf/Nozumi, “13+,” 1,300 min., $59.99), which contains all 52 episodes of the anime series that was based on the shojo manga by Mihona Fujii (published here by CMX).  ADV released the first 26 episodes of this series with both subbed and dubbed soundtracks, while Right Stuf put out a subtitled edition of the second 26 episodes in 2007.  Now for the first time fans can get all 52 episodes at a bargain price. 

 

Other great deals include the stylish adventure series Last Exile: The Complete Series (Funimation, “14+”,” 625 min., $39.98), and the Jinki Extend Complete Series (Funimation, :”13+”, 325 min., $19.98).