This Week on DVD and Blu-ray - August 26, 2008

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This is the only thing you´ll hear me say about the presidential elections: Barack Obama should have picked Mickey Mouse as his vice presidential candidate. Seriously. There isn´t a man, woman or child who doesn´t love Minnie´s paramour. Maybe John McCain has Mickey on the short list. Probably not, though. Grandpa Munster needs Herman as his sidekick.

Now then, it´s refreshing not to stretch the definition of "noteworthy" or "important" this week. A glut of releases hit the shelf, most of which have a redeeming quality or two to them. Let´s start with some Universal high def, shall we? NBC´s "hit" (the definition of "hit" on that network is being examined…) "Heroes" throws the first and second season onto Blu-ray, along with the second season on DVD. Despite being a sci-fi/fantasy show, I never warmed to it. Honestly, I tried, having sampled the first four or five episode of Season One, three from the end of the freshman year and a handful from the beginning of Season Two. Just not my thing.

Also from Uni are "U-571," "Miami Vice" and "End of Days," all of which were released on the other HD format. Elsewhere on the BD schedule are "Dude, Where´s My Car?" (terribly unfunny, IMHO), "Pale Rider," "Redbelt" (BD and DVD versions), 2002´s "Rollerball," "What Happens in Vegas" (DVD, 2 Disc with Digital Copy, Hideously Overpriced BD), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (previously on HD DVD) and perennial holiday favorite "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (2 Disc Collector´s edition with Digital Copy and BD with Digital Copy). It should be noted the status of the Ultimate Collector´s Edition with all sorts of extra goodies is listed as unavailable over at Amazon right now.

For the kiddies, Disney unveils "The Little Mermaid 3: Ariel´s Beginning" on DVD and in a Vanity Gift Set. Being out east for a week, it is absolutely amazing how many billboards, posters and other publicity we saw for this thing. If it wasn´t Ariel staring at me while sitting in New York City traffic, it was Ryan Seacrest or the intolerable Geico gecko. All things considered, I´ll take the mermaid, thank you very much.

The first handful of fall television shows premiere this week, so there is no better time for every studio to pimp the last season of their programs. This week we have "Everyone Hates Chris" Season 3, "Entourage" Season 4, "NCIS" Season Five, "One Tree Hill" Season Five and "The Shield" Season 6. Frankly, outside of "Smallville" Season Seven on September 9 (BD, baby!), TV on high def can go jump off a cliff until "Lost" Season Four December 9. "Torchwood," "Robin Hood" and "Supernatural" have me mildly interested but not at $100 a pop (the first two) or a third season ("Supernatural").

Just to prove I´m not only about the popcorn flicks, Jean-Pierre Juenet´s "Delicatessen" gets the Special Edition treatment today, too. This is the man, you´ll remember, who directed "Alien Resurrection," the best movie featuring the creature in the last 11 years. Of course, that´s not saying much…

A couple years ago, people got into a tizzy over "Brotherhood of the Wolf." I can´t say I´ve ever seen it or have a desire to see it, but a two disc SE should be on the shelf for your buying pleasure. Or not. Whichever floats your boat.

And now we get to the part of our weekly chat I like the most: Suggestive Names, or Jason´s mind in the gutter. "The Games Girls Play," "Nude for Satan" and "Virgin Territory." The latter features Hayden Christensen, Mischa Barton, Tim Roth and Matthew Rhys. (I had more fun names, but most of those got bumped back a week…)

Blu-ray recap: "The Adventures of Robin Hood," "Dude, Where´s My Car?" "End of Days," "Heroes" Season One, "Heroes" Season Two, "Miami Vice," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Pale Rider," "Redbelt," "Rollerball" (2002), "U-571," "What Happens in Vegas."

DVD recap: "Brotherhood of the Wolf," "Delicatessen," "Entourage" Season Four, "Everyone Hates Chris" Season Three, "The Games Girls Play," "Heroes" Season Two, "The Little Mermaid: Ariel´s Beginning," "NCIS" Season Five, "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Nude for Satan," "One Tree Hill" Season Five, "Redbelt," "The Shield" Season Six, "Virgin Territory," "What Happens in Vegas."

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