As I've said many times before, I do so love Tuesdays. Because this is the day that new DVDs hit store shelves. It used to be that I did a massive re-cap here in the blog about the new DVDs out today, but you know, life has been getting in the way, and I don't do that as much anymore. But there's a bunch of new ones out today that I feel I need to highlight.
In the realm of the home theatre enthusiast, there's no greater crime than double-dipping. This is when a movie studio releases one of your favourite films in a newer, more-special edition, with all new bonus features, forcing you to buy it again! Horrible, simply horrible.
This week, New Line Cinema is guilty of double-dipping for it's release of The Lord of the Rings: Limited Editions. Yup, Frodo and the Fellowship are released. Disc one contains both the theatric version and the extended edtions. Disc 2 contains a brand-new, feature length documentary about the making of that chapter in the trilogy.
And of course, these versions are discount bin priced, so if you've been holding off on buying the trilogy, now's probably the best time to do so. If you already own the trilogy, don't bother.
Another double-dip that I don't mind is the brand new, 2-disc special edition of the anime classic, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro.
Most of the anime geeks I know absolutly adore the works of Hayao Miyazaki. He's the man who brought us such classics as My Neighbour Totoro, Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. Miyazaki cut his teeth on TV animation throughout the sixties and seventies, with the peak being his work on the late-70s incarnation of that much beloved anime franchise, Lupin III.
Of course, at the peaf of Lupin III's popularity in the late-70s, a feature film version was commisioned, and the end result was Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro. The first feature film from Hayao Miyazaki. There's an urban legend in anime circles that Steven Spielberg declared Castle of Cagliostro to be the greatest action film ever made.
The plot: Arsene Lupin III, that gentleman their and adventurer, heads off to the country of Cagliostro for his latest caper. Before long, he meets a princess who's about to forced into marriage, runs afoul of the Count of Cagliostro, and mayhem ensues.
This new special edition is meant to mimic Disney's dubs of Miyazaki's films. (Miyazaki made it before he founded Studio Ghibli, so Studio Ghibli doesn't own it.) As with the Disney dubs, you get the entire animatic for the film, and the original Japanese language tracks.
Worth a look-see.
And, at long last, the big blue bug of justice is here!
One of the most requested cartoons finally comes out on DVD. It's The Tick vs. Season One. The classic superhero spoof created by Ben Edlund. It's not the complete first season, because some legal thing kept one episode from season one (The Tick vs. the Mole Men) from being added.
The set is completely devoid of bonus features, but it's finally out on DVD!
And, for those who were raised on the Disney afternoon, you may want to check out Disney's new releases of TaleSpin: Volume One and Darkwing Duck: Volume One. Each 3-disc set contains the first 26 episodes of their respective series.
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