The month has “Marched” forward into full-fledged kids mode, at least in the home video spectrum.
Top-flight titles for children, or kids at heart, hit video shelves this week.
“Yu-Gi-Oh! Collection: Volume 1” (Cinedigm) is a potpourri of manga fun. The two-disc set contains the first two episodes from four of the franchise’s series: “Yu-Gi-Oh!” “Yu-Gi-Oh! GX,” “Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s” and “Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL!” In case you weren’t counting, that’s five exclamation points. The DVD collection also includes the popular film “Bonds Beyond Time.”
It has been 14 years since the series first aired. This 226-minute collection features English-language episodes from 2008 to 2011.
Back-in-the-day 1980s kids, now in their 30s, might enjoy showing their own kids “Pee-wee’s Playhouse: Seasons 3, 4 & 5: Special Edition” (Shout! Factory). The final 23 episodes of the groundbreaking series are now remastered into high definition. Best of all, the special edition includes five excusive featurettes from all-new interviews with 25 cast and crew members.
For sure, the visuals were dynamic and sense of humor offbeat, even by today’s standards. Double entendres made the show doubly enjoyable. Laurence Fishburne and Phil Hartman made their presence known, making this show ahead of its time — meaning it’s perfectly enjoyable right now.
Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Retreat” (Paramount Home Media Distribution) showcases the first seven episodes of season three of the hit-animated series. Remember the three R’s: Retreat, Return, Revenge.
“Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games” (Lionsgate) reunites the pups for some friendly competition with their fellow forest dwellers. The Blu-ray/DVD combo pack really “packs” in the gentle humor in a warmhearted program that is Dove Family Approved. The title is also available on single DVD.
Other titles
We all love Jim Nabors around here, especially for his years of service while singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” before the Indianapolis 500. Now, you can have all-Nabors, all the time with “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.: The Complete Series” (Paramount). Gomer leaves Mayberry for a life of causing headaches for a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant. Bonus features includes a Nabors commentary, an appearance on “The David Frost Show” and more.
Didn’t “The Breakfast Club” buddies stay in Saturday detention so long that it should be called “The Brunch Club”? At any rate, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment presents “The Breakfast Club 30th Anniversary Edition” on Blu-ray Disc, including an all-new movie trivia track as well as other bonus features.
“The Red Tent” (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) is the Lifetime network’s adaptation of the New York Times bestseller, which has been translated into 28 languages. The epic love story, starring Minnie Driver, re-imagines the Old Testament tale of Jacob and Joseph, told through the eyes of women that intersect their lives.
“The Red Road: The Complete First Season” (Anchor Bay Entertainment) encapsulates the thrill-a-minute series’ first season on two discs. The series revolves around a local sheriff who polices two communities: a small town and the neighboring mountains that are home to a federally unrecognized Native American tribe. Meanwhile, he struggles to keep his family together.
“CHiPs: The Complete Third Season” (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment) contains all 24 episodes on five DVDs. Now, for the uninitiated, it’s important to get the capitalization correct, as C is for California, Hi is for Highway, and P is for Patrol. Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox portray two of these motorcycle officers as the chase down criminals on the menacing Los Angeles freeways. This set of the 1979-1980 season even contains two episodes about roller disco.
Ugh, the New England Patriots won last month’s Super Bowl. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it was a game of the ages, and it’s all magically captured on “Super Bowl XLIX Champions: New England Patriots” (Cinedigm). NFL Films captures regular-season, playoff and Super Bowl highlights of the team, as well as behind-the-scene footage. Bonus features are bountiful, especially on the Blu-ray version, which contains five extras not found among the DVD bonus features.