VOL. 106
BRIEF REMEMBRANCES OF THE RECENTLY RELEASED
LOONEY TUNES COLLECTOR'S VAULT VOLUME 2 (1935-1963) - ANNE RICE'S TALAMASCA: THE SECRET ORDER - SEASON 1 (2025) - COBRA KAI: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2018-2025) - SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF: THE COMPLETE LIMITED SERIES (2023) - MEL BROOKS' SPACE BALLS: THE ANIMATED SERIES (2008) - THE CLOSER: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2005-2012)
LOONEY TUNES COLLECTOR'S VAULT VOLUME 2 (1935-1963) 2-Disc Blu-ray Set
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 356 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles 441
Video: 1080p HD Fullscreeen (1.33:1)
Directors: Robert McKimson, Friz Freleng, Arthur Davis, Chuck Jones, Norman McCabe, Phil Monroe, Richard Thompsor, Frank Tashlin, Bob Clampett
Cast: Mel Blanc, June Foray, Jim Backus, Sara Berner
Get yourself a second helping of classic Looney Tunes vault rarities with volume two of the series, offering 51 classic Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes animated theatrical shorts cartoons featuring the beloved Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Sylvester and Tweety, Coyote and Road Runner, Foghorn Leghorn, and some lesser known but no-less wonderful character like Conrad Cat, Spike and Chester, the Goofy Gophers, Henry Hawk, and Ralph and Sam. Every one of these is making their restored Blu-ray debuts, with disc one actually being loaded with new to disc restorations, starting off with the long awaited debut of "A-Lad-in His Lamp" featuring the voice talents of Jim Backus (the voice of Mr. Magoo), who does the near impossible. stealing the show from Mel Blanc and Bugs Bunny! These have all been restored and look terrific, some more so than others, but I was never disappointed, having these on disc is such an animated blessing for fans of vintage toon comedy. We even get a couple of non-PC gems like "The Daffy Duckaroo", "Wagon Heels" and "Wise Quackers" on this set, uncut and uncensored, which is something that has not aired uncut on TV for many years. A couple of the have their Blue Ribbon title cards as the original title sequences have long been lost, but the 50's toons at least are not cropped on the top and bottom as they were on previous DVD sets. It' a truly terrific set, and this time around we actually get a smattering of archival audio commentaries that are ported over from past DVD releases, which I hope they continue to do. Some of my favorite shorts include Little "Blabbermouse" wherein a child mouse finds himself at odd with a fun caricature of W.C. Fields, and I have a real soft spot for the Goofy Gophers stiff, and anything with a horror/sci-fi bent to it like "Claws For Alarm" (1954) which is a tasty remake of remake Scaredy Cat(1948), Friz Freleng's Bugs Bunny/Dr. Jekyll classic "Hyde and Hare" (1955), and "Jumpin’ Jupiter" (1955), an alien abduction short with Porky and Sylvester, and the Alfred Hitchcock Presents... parody "The Last Hungry Cat" (1961). Those are just my favorites, but this set is a nostalgic time machine of childhood wonder, and Warner Archive continue to stun with their animated short restorations, truly a treasure trove of vintage toons, a must-own.
Shorts:
Disc 1
1. Looney Tunes "A-Lad-In His Lamp" (1948, 7:17)
2. Looney Tunes "Ain't That Ducky" (1945, 7:00)
3. Merrie Melodies "The Bird Came C.O.D." (1942, 7:39)
4. Merrie Melodies "Bone Sweet Bone" (1948, 7:08)
5. Looney Tunes "Boston Quackie" (1957, 6:59)
6. Merrie Melodies "Boulevardier from the Bronx" (1936, 7:54)
7. Merrie Melodies "Country Boy" (1935, 6:47)
8. Looney Tunes "The Daffy Duckaroo" (1942, 7:43) - B&W "lost" scene restored)
9. Looney Tunes "Dr. Jerkyl's Hide" (1954, 6:43)
10. Merrie Melodies "The EGGcited Rooster" (1952, 6:49)
11. Looney Tunes "Fastest with the Mostest" (1960, 7:21)
12. Merrie Melodies "Fowl Weather" (1953, 6:50)
13. Merrie Melodies "I Taw a Putty Tat" (1948, 6:32)
14. Merrie Melodies "I Gopher You" (1954,6:55)
15. Merrie Melodies "I Was a Teenage Thumb" (1963, 6:54)
17. Merrie Melodies "Little Blabbermouse" (1940, 8:13)
17. Merrie Melodies "Mother Was a Rooster" (1962, 5:56)
18. Merrie Melodies "Pests for Guests" (1954, 6:46)
19. Looney Tunes "The Rattled Rooster" (1948, 7:26) - original titles restored
20. Merrie Melodies "A Sheep in the Deep" (1962, 6:14)
21. Looney Tunes "Sock a Doodle Do" (1954, 7:18)
22. Looney Tunes "A Street Cat Named Sylvester" (1953, 6:36) )
23. Merrie Melodies "To Itch His Own" (1958, 6:06)
24. Looney Tunes "A Waggily Tale" (1958, 6:33)
25. Merrie Melodies "Woolen Under Where" (1963, 6:21)
26. Merrie Melodies "Zoom at the Top" (1962, 6:32)
Disc 2
1. Merrie Melodies "Awful Orphan" (1949, 7:25)
2. Looney Tunes "A Bird in a Guilty Cage" (1952, 7:00)
3. Merrie Melodies "Bowery Bugs" (1949, 7:31)
4. Merrie Melodies "Claws for Alarm" (1954, 6:49)
5. Looney Tunes "Crowing Pains" (1947, 6:48)
6. Merrie Melodies "Frigid Hare" (1949, 7:34)
7. Merrie Melodies "Hare Remover" (1946, 7:28)
8. Merrie Melodies "The Heckling Hare" (1941, 7:24)
9. Looney Tunes "Hop and Go" (1943, 7:14) B&W
10. Looney Tunes "Hyde and Hare" (1955, 7:03)
11. Merrie Melodies "Jumpin' Jupiter" (1955, 7:00p)
12. Merrie Melodies "The Last Hungry Cat" (1961, 7:04)
13. Looney Tunes "Mexican Boarders" (1962, 6:52)
14. Looney Tunes "Mouse Menace" (1946, 7:01)
15. Looney Tunes "Odor of the Day" (1948, 7:12)
17. Merrie Melodies "Often an Orphan (1949, 7:31)
18. Looney Tunes "The Pest That Came to Dinner" (1948, 7:16)
19. Looney Tunes "Ready.. Set.. Zoom!" (1955, 6:57)
20. Looney Tunes "Scent-imental Over You" (1947, 7:19)
21. Merrie Melodies "Stop! Look! And Hasten!" (1954, 7:03)
22. Merrie Melodies "To Beep or Not to Beep" (1963, 6:39)
23. Merrie Melodies "Wagon Heels" (1945, 7:10)
24. Merrie Melodies "Whoa, Be-Gone!" (1958, 6:12)
25. Looney Tunes "Wise Quackers" (1949, 7:12)
25.Merrie Melodies "You Were Never Duckier" (1948, 7:58) )
Special Features:
- "Bowery Bugs" Audio Commentary with animation historian Michael Barrier
"The Heckling Hare" Audio Commentary with Greg Ford
- "Mexican Boarders" Audio Commentary with Greg Ford
- "Stop! Look! And Hasten" Audio Commentary with Greg Ford
- "You Were Never Duckier" Audio Commentary with animator and director (Pocahontas) Eric Golberg
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ANNE RICE'S TALAMASCA: THE SECRET ORDER (2025) 2-Disc Blu-ray Set
Label: Acorn Media International
Region Code: A,B
Rating: Cert. 15
Duration: 180 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.00:1)
Cast: Elizabeth McGovern, William Fichtner, Maisie Richardson-Sellers, Celine Buckens, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Bogosian, Justin Kirk
AMC continues to expand the Anne Rice' Immortsal Universe with Talamasca; The Secret Order, based on the novels “The Vampire Chronicles” and “The Lives of the Mayfair Witches”, and set in the same universe as the AMC series of the Interview with the Vampire and 2023’s Mayfair Witches. I have not watched Mayfair witches but the Interview with a Vampire series was quite a treat, so I may be coming into this at a slight disadvantage. The series has a real spy-thriller set-up, we have law school graduate follows Guy Anatole (Nicholas Denton, Dangerous Liaisons) who is recruited by the Talamasca, a secretive organization that monitors the supernatural world to maintain balance with the mortal world. He's recruited by the mysterious Helen (Elizabeth McGovern, Ordinary People) because of his psychic abilities to track down a woman named Doris (Celine Buckens, Shelter). He's set-up at the Talamasca's London Motherhouse, where he enters a world of the unknown, assigned a handler by way of Olive (Maisie Richardson-Sellers, DC's Legends of Tomorrow) to keep an eye on him, but he finds himself deep into a world he's unfamiliar with, he ends up investigating a vampire named Jasper (William Fichtner, The Dark Knight) who has infiltrated the London motherhouse, and has grown an army of vicious attack vampires that are rather frightening in their ferocity. This first season is only six episodes and I found it rather engaging, the hybrid supernatural spy-craft series has a charismatic lead by way of Nicholas Denton, and Fichtner is an equally charismatic and terrifying villain. As of this review the series has not yet been announced for renewal, but they've laid the groundwork for what could be a fascinating and gripping supernatural series, so fingered we get a second season announced soon, I would hate for the tantalizing cliffhanger to leave us hangin' without a proper conclusion.
Special Features:
- Show Me More
- Episode Insider
Label: Sony
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 589 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Cast: Ralph Macchio, William Zabka, Courtney Henggeler, Xolo Mariduena, Tanner Buchanan
Cobra Kai is the rather genius continuation of the origil Karate Kid trilogy timeline, with characters Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio, My Cousin Vinny) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka, Just One of the Guys), decades after the trilogy. As the name might indicate our entry point here is Johnny who has fallen on hard times, a functional alcoholic working menial labor jobs in Reseda, California, living in the shadow his sworn enemy Daniel who has gone on to become quite an entrepreneur with a wildly successful car dealership franchise with a beautiful wife Amanda (Courtney Henggeler, TV's The Big Bang Theory), teenage daughter Samantha (Mary Mouser, TV's Body of Proof), and younger son Anthony (Griffin Santopietro). Meanwhile Johnny is a divorced dad with an estranged son Robby (Tanner Buchanan), who much he was is a troubled teen. it's after an encounter with Daniel that Johnny comes upon the idea of re-opening the Cobra Kai dojo, his first student bullied neighbor kid Miguel Diaz (Xolo Maridueña, Blue Beetle), whom he takes on and school's in the "No Mercy" manner of his former master John Kreese (Martin Kove, TV's Cagney & Lacey), who actually pops up in the series, as does some other familiar faces from the original trilogy. The series explores the traumas that both Johnny and Daniel have endured and are dealing with, each with a gripping arc that makes for one heck of a fun show. The episodes are roughly a half hour long and fly by, some of the episodes, especially the first season feature flashbacks featuring footage and alternate takes from the original films of the pairs rivalry, and interactions with their former masters, including the the late Pat Morita as the beloved Mr. Miyagi. The six season series nostalgic, thoughtful and packed with both tasty character driven drama, and of course the martial arts action you would expect, all of which I have found highly satisfying. The 16-disc set arrives with each season housed in it's own keepcase with unique artwork on each of the wraps, each of the wraps also featuring an episode guide with a brief synopsis and list of the disc extras. The seasons relegated to 2-disc each with the exception f the sixth and final season which is a 3-disc-er, with all of the keepcase slipping comfortable into a sideloading slipcase, which is pretty thing cardboard stock, but it does the job.
Special Features:
- Pilot Episode and Series Finale Audio Commentaries
- Deleted & Extended Scenes
- Cast Chemistry Reads
- Exploring the Musical Identities of Cobra Kai & Miyagi-Do with Composers
- Musical Performances at the Whiskey A Go Go with Guest William Zabka
- Blooper Reels
- Gag Reels
- Easter Eggs
- Fists & Fury: Fight Choreography
- Into the Dojo: The Characters
- Karate Dad Featurette
- Making faces & Stingray Reels
- Series Finale Commentary with Show Creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
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SCOTT PILGRIM TAKES OFF: THE COMPLETE LIMITED SERIES (2023) Blu-ray
Label: Universal Pictures
Region Code: A
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 217 Minutes
Audio: English or Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 Surround, English 2.0 Dolby Digital with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Directors: Abel Góngora, Tomohisa Shimoyama, Moko-chan, Akitoshi Yokoyama, Rushio Moriyama, Takakazu Nagatomo, Kenji Maeba, Takuya Fujikura & Takakazu Nagatomo
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Chris Evans, Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Brie Larson, Aubrey Plaza, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, Kevin McDonald, Stephen Root,
Special Features:
Based on the cult classic live-action comic adaptation Scott Pilgrim vs. The Word, Scott Pilgrim is an 8-part animated series that aired on Netflix in 2023. Interestingly nearly all the the original film cast reprise their roles from the film, including Michael Cera (Super Bad) as indie-rock bassist Scott Pilgrim for the band Sex Bob-omb, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane) as his love interest Ramona Flowers. The anime-style animated series follows the events of the graphic novel and film loosely, offering an alternate version of Scott meeting the girl of his literal dreams, Ramona Flowers, but then having to defeat her seven evil exes in order to date her. The exes are lead by Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman, Rushmore), who is the head of group of Ramona's ex-partners called the League of Evil Exes, and things take an interesting turn when Scott is seemingly killed by the first ex he battles, and then it gets quite interesting with a film being made about Scott's life and some time-travel elements. I love that they have jiggered the story here, so you are not getting a repeat of the graphics novel nor the film, it's a standalone series that that brings somethings new and wonderful to the franchise, and at just eight episodes it's quite bingeable! The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase, the wrap features the episodes and extras listed on the inner-sleeve, and each of the episodes gets an audio commentary.
Special Features:
- Episode Commentaries with Creators and Executive Producers Bryan Lee and BenDavid Grabinski
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MEL BROOKS' SPACE BALLS: THE ANIMATED SERIES (2008)
2-DVD Set
Label: MVD Rewind Collection
Region Code:
Rating:
Duration: 329 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Optional English Subtitles
Video: SD Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Directors: Jay Surridge, Blake Liebel, David Dulac, Chad Hammes, Michael Montaine, Jason Raines, Rainer Soehnlein
Cast: Mel Brooks, Daphne Zuniga, Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise, Tito Insana, Rino Romano
Okay, what the heck, how is it I've never even heard of this 2008 animated version of Mel Brooks' Spaceballs!?!? Well, after watching it, i might forget it all over again. The animated series is based on Mel Brooks' 1987 comedy Spaceballs and features the further adventures of Yogurt (Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles), President Skroob (Brooks, again), Lone Starr (Rina Romero, Spider-Man Unlimited), Barf (Tino Insana, Neighbors), Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga, The Dorm That Dripped Blood), Dot Matrix (Joan Rivers, The Swimmer) and the dorky darksider Dark Helmet (Dee Bradley Baker, American Dad). It's cool to see Mel Brooks, Daphna Zuniga and Joan Rivers respiring their roles here, as well as the last role from the late Dom DeLuise as Pizza the Hutt, but I was turned off by the rudimentary flash animated style of it, it is very dated, as is the crude and lazy humor which is just a send-up of various pop-culture properties, , including Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, The Terminator, and even Spider-Man. None of the episodes are actually written by Brooks, and that's readily apparent, though he supervised the writing, so he bares some blame, but its just not as sharp as one would hope. That's not to say some of the humor here's still some fun to be had here if you can get past the lackluster flash animation and cheap comedy gags, I did laugh, just not as often as I would have hope. The biggest beefs I have about the series is that there are no many weird and inexplicable ret-cons that defy explanation, and there is no through-line to the episodes, each episode it it's own self-contained non-sequitur sketch that parodies other films set in the Spaceballs universe, it's a headscratcher that they went this way with this series. because the film has terrific characters and an interesting lore, they could have gone so many ways with this, and they went the wrong way. Regardless, with Spaceballs 2 finally coming in 2027 this one-season curio is at least a befuddling snack in anticipation of something (hopefully) far superior. The 2-disc DVD release arrives in a clear, dual-hubbed Blu-ray keepcase, don't be fooled, it's SD DVD, the reverse side of the wrap features an episode guide with credits. We also get Collectible Mini-Poster and a Limited Edition Slipcover, with the first-pressing.
Special Features:
- Spaceballs (1987) Original Theatrical Trailer
- Spaceballs 2 (2027) Teaser Trailer
- Collectible Mini-Poster
- Limited Edition Slipcover (First Pressing Only)
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THE CLOSER: THE COMPLETE SERIES (2005-2012)
28-Disc DVD Set
Label: Warner Bros.
Region Code: 1
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 80 Hours and 48 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Season 1), 5.1 Surround (Seasons 2-7) with Optional English Subtitles
Video: SD Widescreen (1.78:1)
Cast: Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons, Jon Tenney, G.W. Bailey, and Mary McDonnell
Fan of the television crime drama The Closer should be finally gets a complete collection DVD set bringing all 109 episodes of the seven seasons together on one set for the first time. Honestly I was never a fan, crime dramas are not my particular bag, having burned myself out Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU years ago. My wife loves it though,
the series follows Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick), a detective who puts Los Angeles’ most brutal killers behind bars, the show had an all-star ensemble including J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man), Corey Reynolds (Resident Alien), Jon Tenney (The Closer spin-off Major Crimes), G.W. Bailey (Police Academy), and Mary McDonnell (Donnie Darko). The 28-disc set arrives in a pair of high capacity keepcases - yep, loose discs galore when it arrived, that slip into a side-loading slipcase. The wraps feature episode guides and a list of extras, the discs are color-coded per season
Special Features:
- Police Files: Unaired Scenes
- Gag Reels
- Featurettes
- Music Videos
- And more!
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