This week on DVD and Blu-ray - July 8th 2008

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TIE-IN ALERT! Being the superhero nerd I am, I'm leading with one half of the dynamic duo. (The dearth of any other quality releases has nothing at all to do with my decision, mind you.) "Batman Begins" makes its way to Blu-Ray following the HD-DVD release from 2006 in two flavors: regular and Super Special Limited Gift Set (SD version also available).

Now you're all asking the same question. Super Special Limited Gift Set? What's included? Movie cash for the new movie, "The Dark Knight" prologue book (?), 16-page comic, a perpindicular pentagram...er, lenticular sonogram...um...you know what I'm talking about (all credit to Wade Major for the joke!) and some postcards. The non-gift set edition is going for $17.95 over on Amazon. Click the link, get a really excellent movie and support us. Easy, right?

Not to be outdone, Warner Animation gives us "Batman: Gotham Knight," six interconnecting anime adventures of the Caped Crusader. How many permutations there? I shall answer. Regular DVD single disc, two disc Special Edition and a Blu-Ray iteration.

And there we are, all the worthwhile releases for the week.

What's that? You want more?

Oy. Alright, lemme see what else I can dig up.

Another spoof of last year's "300" called...hardy-har-har "305." Born out of a couple minute viral video, the film sports characters named Shazaam, Demetrius the Blind and...wait for it...Testicles. Everyone beware. "Jet Li's Fearless" features three different versions of the film, including a 103-minute theatrical version, 104-minute unrated edition and 140-minute director's cut. Great, just what we all need: two plus hours of martial arts something or other.

TIE-IN ALERT! Brendan Fraser stars in "Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D" this weekend. RHI Entertainment and Genius Products bring us the Rick Shroeder/Victoria Pratt/Peter Fonda remake of a remake of a remake of...a...oh, never mind. You all know there's been a few million "imaginings," right?

TIE-IN ALERT! To cash in on the August 1st debut of "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" (otherwise known as "The Mummy: Universal's Only Potential Franchise"), we have "The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns" 2-Disc Deluxe Editions right alongside the Universal Legacy Series version of the original "Mummy." This would go on the shelf beside the "Frankenstein" and "Dracula" Legacy Series sets. No Blu-Ray copies of these this week: the entire series comes July 22 with both of the Brendan Fraser flicks and its spinoff, "The Scorpion King."

TIE-IN ALERT! Cross-promoting only, possibly, the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq is "Stop-Loss." It occurs to me Paramount could have held off on this one for a year and used it to push Channing Tatum in next summer's "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra." (Sidenote: there must be something in the Hollywood water, considering the absolute rubbish subtitles given to a lot of these movies. "The X Files: I Want to Believe," "Rise of Cobra," "Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"...why not just "G.I. Joe: All Because You Guys Went to See Transformers!" Now there's truth in advertising!)

(Yeah, there's a Collector's Edition of 2004's god-awful "Van Helsing," but I'm choosing to erase that memory from my mind.)

Chris highly recommends "Chop Shop," John wasn't enthusiastic about the Blu-Ray edition of "The Ruins" (also available in theatrical and unrated standard def versions) and let's not forget our television set breathern. "Psych," "Stargate: Atlantis," "Soul Food," "Monk" and the one we've all been waiting for. The complete series box set of "Fastlane." Yup, quality entertainment there.

Last week I mentioned "The X-Files: Revelations" set with eight episodes key to the series was being released on July 1. My information was wrong. The set actually streets this week. Apologies to anyone who went to the story on my word only to get laughed at, mocked or otherwise dismissed, rejected and publically humiliated. I'd ask if you wanted some beer, but Disney might have a problem with copyright infringement...

Onto that other regular feature, Movie Names From the Mind of Pre-Pubescent Boys: "Bone Eater" (um, no comment), "Little Girls" (part of the Grindhouse Sexploitation Collection), "Pleasure Factory" (kinky!), "Strap On Motel" (I couldn't make this stuff up) and "For the Love of Dolly" (not a title, per se, just a mental image). Oh, one more: "Dungeon Girl," just because I can.

Be forewarned. There are exactly two good releases next week. "Jack" and "Crap." Please, please someone get that joke.

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