Big boxed sets are usually released in the fall to take advantage of the forthcoming gift-giving holiday season, but this year a fair share of those titles have come post-Christmas.
What a way to brighten up a dour January!
Leading the way is “The Facts of Life: The Complete Series” (Shout! Factory), an amazing set that contains all 201 episodes of the quintessential 1980s show as originally aired. The 26-DVD set also holds a disc of bonus features, including a cast reunion event from 2014. Hoosiers have seen Lisa Whelchel at the annual Women of Faith at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, and now they can see her again as she and pals Nancy McKeon, Mindy Cohn and Kim Fields experience the highs and lows at an exclusive girls school on the road to adulthood. Along the way, they receive great wisdome from Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae).
Keep a lookout for guest stars George Clooney and Seth Green.
“MythBusters: 10th Anniversary Collection” (Cinedigm) honors the Discovery Channel hit series with a 10-DVD collection that includes 50 episodes selected by the cast. There are more than 35 hours of debunking included.
Cinedigm also presents “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds: Season 1” as an eight-DVD set. This initial season first aired in North America on CW 4Kids with rebroadcasts on the Cartoon Network. Another series from the franchise is planned for this spring.
“Boardwalk Empire: The Complete Fifth Season” (HBO Home Entertainment) spotlights, on Blu-ray or DVD, Steve Buscemi and the gang as they jump forward from 1925 to 1931. Indeed, it is a stark contrast from previous seasons, as the country is knee-deep in the Great Depression.
“NYPD Blue: Season Eight” (Shout! Factory) is the year that Rick Schroder’s character began to show signs of unraveling. Dennis Franz and Kim Delaney come along for the ride, and James MacDaniel exits. This six-DVD set includes all 20 episodes from this 2000-2001 season.
“Dallas: The Complete Third and Final Season” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) showcases the new incarnation of the nighttime soap starring Patrick Duffy, Josh Henderson and Jesse Metcalfe. Which Ewing will die this time? Along with the 15 episodes are bonus features, including deleted scenes.
It’s the truth that “House of Lies: The Third Season” (CBS Home Entertainment) is more than charming. Fast-talking Don Cheadle joins Kristen Bell and others to illustrate how a crack team of management consultants use every dirty trick to close huge deals. Nothing is held back in the boardroom, barroom and bedroom. The DVD contains nearly six hours of entertainment.
“Ancient Aliens: Season 6, Volume 2” (LIonsgate) is a journey into an uncharted world of astonishing ancestors and technological advances. On Blu-ray or DVD, the final 12 episodes of Season 6 includes extraterrestrial seduction, Nazi time travel and mysterious megalithic stone structures.
“Stingray: The Complete Series” (Timeless Media Group) is a 50th anniversary, five-DVD collection featuring all 39 episodes of the show, plus bonus features including a previously unseen interview with co-creator Gerry Anderson.
“The Twilight Saga: Extended Editions Triple Feature” (Summit Entertainment) says it all. This is a Blu-ray or DVD of all three of the epic romances starring Kristen Stewart — re-edited to included deleted scenes in all-new extended versions of the films.
Top-flight movies
Parents of high schoolers can easily relate to “Men, Women & Children” (Paramount Home Media) starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Garner. The story tackles love and human connection in the modern world as high school teenagers and their parents try to navigate their complex relationships in the age of social media.
“Love Is Strange” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) had me at “love.” It’s a poignant, modern-day love story of a couple (John Lithgow and Alfred Molina) who tie the knot but soon have to deal with joblessness. Bonus features include a 23-minute behind-the-scenes documentary.
Liam Neeson and Dan Stevens star in “A Walk Among the Tombstones” (Universal Studios Home Entertainment), an action-thriller based on the best-selling novel. A cop (Neeson) reluctantly agrees to help a drug trafficker (Stevens) hunt down the men who murdered his wife.
“The Two Faces of January” (Magnolia Home Entertainment) is an engrossing drama with an ensemble cast starring Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst. The two play a married couple who meet a deceitful tour guide during a European vacation. Murder is involved.
“Annabelle” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) reunites the filmmakers behind 2013’s supernatural thriller “The Conjuring” and conjures up the terrifying story of where it all began as Annabelle comes to life. See the genesis of her creation. No surprise: blood is involved.
The Criterion Collection again steps to the plate and hits one over the fence with “Tootsie” on Blu-ray. Late Hoosier Sydney Pollack directed Dustin Hoffman in the famous man-dressed-as-woman role, with Jessica Lange, Teri Garr and Bill Murray adding great value in supporting roles. A plethora of bonus features includes previously released features plus a new interview with comedy writer Phil Rosenthal. Per usual, a new 4K digital restoration is impressive and includes an uncompressed monaural soundtrack.
Other titles
“Viktor” (Inception Media Group) is a fast-paced, film noir-style thriller starring Gerard Depardieu as a grieving father who revisits his dark past to avenge his son’s death.
“My Left Foot” (Lionsgate) finally places the 1989 Daniel Day-Lewis film onto Blu-ray.
“Bad Turn Worse” (Anchor Bay Entertainment) was an official selection of the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival. This Texas pulp noir finds three teens, who have partied with stolen money, now indebted to a sociopathic criminal. The indebted teens are forced to steal from his boss, who happens to be a money-laundering gangster. Sound dangerous? It is.
“Who Killed Alex Spourdalakis?” (TDC Entertainment) is an unprecedented documentary that captures the events that precipitated the alleged murder of the autistic Chicago teen. Bonus features include an interview with the filmmakers.
“Rye Coalition: The Story of the Hard Luck 5” (MVD Entertainment Group) follows the rock group that started as childhood friends and continued onto near-stardom that involved the help of Dave Grohl. The film won best-of awards in five film festivals.
“Great Estates of Scotland” (PBS Distribution) charmingly looks in-depth at the fascinating stories and inner workings of four of Scotland’s best country estates. The Inveraray Castle has never looked better.
“SpongeBob SquarePants Triple Feature” (Nickelodeon)allows viewers to catch up on SpongeBob before he returns to the big screen this February. The three-DVD set includes “10 Happiest Moments,” “Heroes of Bikini Bottom” and “Legends of Bikini Bottom.”
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