Top movie choice this time around is Immortals, a tale of war and oppression in the time of the Greek Gods. In fact, it would pretty much be the only movie choice if it wasn’t for the direct to DVD release of Tooth Fairy 2 starring Larry the Cable Guy. And no, it doesn’t have its own home page that I could find, or I would have linked it.
A made-for-TV movie sits right on the border between the two video forms: My Future Boyfriend is a rather silly story without much substance, but kind of sweet. If I did food comparisons, cotton candy would definitely come to mind. If you prefer your stories with a bit of meat on their bones and noticeably more adult, Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season is the way to go. George R. R. Martin is still writing the books, hopefully he will be able to keep ahead of the filming schedule as they convert one book a year into video footage. He has been releasing the books a bit slower than that, and now that his other main project, Wild Cards, has been picked up by the new Universal/SyFy Channel production house he may have less time for writing than ever.
For western animation there isn’t anything new as such, but they are releasing Robot Chicken: Seasons 1-5, giving you the opportunity to grab everything currently available at once, and for a bit of a discount. Season 6 is currently airing and should be available soon.
Anime shows a single new release in the form of the House of Five Leaves – Complete Series, a historical drama involving a shy Ronin and the gang of kidnappers he falls in with. The animation looks interesting, and there is promise of personal growth in the evolution of the protagonist.
There are several re-releases worth mentioning, starting with Grave of the Fireflies – Remastered Edition. This semi-true story about orphaned children in wartime Japan has been digitally remastered to rip your heart out with improved video resolution and audio quality. If you haven’t seen this masterpiece trust me when I say it is right up there with Barefoot Gen as an object lesson in the human condition during war, especially as it applies to children.
On a much lighter note, Sands of Destruction – The Complete Series is being released in a S.A.V.E. (Super Amazing Value Edition) package, which means you can pick up the whole thing for around $15. Also being released in a single box set, Hetalia: Axis Powers – The Complete Series also brings the price down for those who have been waiting, but not by anywhere near as much.