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Pick of the Week:

For people who miss Gaius Baltar and want to hear him do a cheesy accent: Eureka Season 4

I touched upon Eureka in a recent discussion of another SyFy Channel series, Warehouse 13. Eureka is a perfect example of escapist popcorn television in that it’s formulaic but largely enjoyable, cable’s equivalent of comfort food. Eureka Season 4 focuses upon a sweeping story arc wherein events from the founding of the city of Eureka in 1947 somehow spill over into the present day. All of this is a cheap excuse to introduce James Callis to the cast; he portrays Dr. Trevor Grant, a World War II era scientist working with Albert Einstein himself. Imagine Grant’s surprise when he finds himself suddenly experiencing daily life in the 2000s in Eureka. While a lot of this is just an excuse for Callis to do a Penny Arcade-ish screwball comedy accent, the reality is that season four of Eureka is quite entertaining on the whole.

In addition, an episode entitled The Ex-Files is the show’s high point to date. It marks the (cleverly explained) return of now-dead Nathan Stark, Allison’s ex. Oddly, Stark always had better chemistry with Eureka lead Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), who was the perfect frenemy foil. They reunite here in a spirited hour of television that was one of last summer’s entertainment highlights for me. If you watched the show but quit on it before this episode, it’s well worth tracking down.

To a larger point, this is one of the weakest weeks for new DVD releases in recent memory as Eureka probably wouldn’t have finished in the top three selections any of the past three weeks. Still, since I’m not a huge fan of random bloodshed, it’s the clear choice for pick of the week.

New releases for the week of July 5, 2011:

DVD:

Of Gods and Men (PG-13)
13 Assassins (R)
According to Jim: The Complete Fourth Season (Not Rated)
Alan Berliner Collection (Not Rated)
All That Jazz / Roxie Hart (Not Rated)
America The Story of Us: Boom (Not Rated)
America The Story of Us: Civil War (Not Rated)
America The Story of Us: Millennium (Not Rated)
America The Story of Us: Rebels (Not Rated)
America The Story of Us: Rise of a Superpower (Not Rated)
America The Story of Us: Westward (Not Rated)
American Flyer (Not Rated)
The Anniversary at Shallow Creek (Not Rated)
Bellydance Superstars: Flow Graceful Arms & Hands (Not Rated)
Ben Hur & The Story Of Moses (Not Rated)
Best of Sesame Street Spoofs: Volumes 1 & 2 (Not Rated)
Bloodlust Zombies (Not Rated)
Bloodrayne: The Third Reich (R/Unrated)
Boy Meets World: The Complete Sixth Season (Not Rated)
Camaleones (Not Rated)
The Cape: The Complete Series (Not Rated)
Cats 101 (Not Rated)
The Colors of the Mountain (Not Rated)
Compassion in Emptiness (Not Rated)
Crazy Heart / Walk The Line (Not Rated)
Dogs 101 (Not Rated)
Drive-In Horrorshow (Not Rated)
Dynasty: The Fifth Season
Dynasty: The Fifth Season, Volume 1 (Not Rated)
Dynasty: The Fifth Season, Volume 2 (Not Rated)
Empire of Assassins (R)
Eureka: Season 4.0 (Not Rated)
Ferocious Planet (Not Rated)
Fireman Sam: Brave New Rescues (Not Rated)
The Frankenstein Syndrome (Not Rated)
Frogs & Toads: Max's Magical Journey (G)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / Moulin Rouge (Not Rated)
Georgia's Civil War (Not Rated)
Ghastly Grabs: Volume 10 (Not Rated)
Ghastly Grabs: Volume 11 (Not Rated)
Ghastly Grabs: Volume 9 (Not Rated)
Girl Who Leapt Through Space Volume 2 (Not Rated)
Girls Gone Wild: Best of Extreme Sex (Not Rated)
Girls Gone Wild: Horny Cheerleaders 2 (Not Rated)
Gliding: : For The Active Older Adult (Not Rated)
Guys Gone Wild: Spring Break Young & Hung (Not Rated)
Hello Dolly / Star! (Not Rated)
HIT Favorites: Preschool Fun (Not Rated)
Hobo with a Shotgun
The Hustle (R)
Illegal (Not Rated)
InGREEDients (Not Rated)
James Bryan Triple Feature (Not Rated)
Jill Miller: Quickfix RX Kneehab for Knee Health (Not Rated)
John Wayne Collection (Not Rated)
K-ON! Volume 2 (Not Rated)
Lady in Black: The Story of Darlington Raceway (Not Rated)
Land Girls: Series 2 (Not Rated)
Last Supper & The Miracle Of Jesus (Not Rated)
Lies in Plain Sight (Not Rated)
Love Me Tender / Seven Year Itch (Not Rated)
The Making of the President: The 1960s (Not Rated)
Mannix: The Fifth Season (Not Rated)
Metalocalypse: Season 1-3 (Not Rated)
Millenium Meltdown (Not Rated)
Mindy Mylrea: Gliding Total Body G Double G Workou (Not Rated)
Mobile Suit Gundam OO: Wakening of the Trailblazer (Not Rated)
Mysteries at the Museum: Season 1 (Not Rated)
National Geographic: Witchcraft - Myths & Legends (Not Rated)
Okefenokee (Not Rated)
Once / That Thing You Do (Not Rated)
Orphen Complete Collection 2 (Not Rated)
The Passion Of Darkly Noon (Not Rated)
The PJs: Season 2 (Not Rated)
Rickie Lee Jones: Live in Stockholm (Not Rated)
Riding Tornado (Not Rated)
Romeo & Juliet / (500) Days of Summer (Not Rated)
A Screaming Man (Not Rated)
Squidbillies: Season 1, Volumes 1-4 (Not Rated)
Tales of the Abyss Part 1 (Not Rated)
Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job: Seasons 1-5 (Not Rated)
Tom & Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume 2 (Not Rated)
Trailers from Hell Volume 2 (Not Rated)
Transformers, The Japanese Collection: Headmasters (Not Rated)
UFC 129 (Not Rated)
Venture Bros.: Seasons 1-5 (Not Rated)
Victorious: Season 1, Volume 1 (Not Rated)
Wake Wood (R)
Wisconsin Project X (Not Rated)
Witchmaker: The Legend of Witch Hollow (R)
Witchville (Not Rated)
Without a Father (Not Rated)
Woman's Guide to Adultery (Not Rated)
World of Horses: Season 2 (Not Rated)
Yoga After Pregnancy (Not Rated)

Blu-Ray:

13 Assassins
Be Cool
Bloodrayne: The Third Reich
Crack In The World
The Cutting Edge
Damage
Das Boot
Don't Be A Menace To South Central...
Florida's State Parks
Four Weddings And A Funeral
From Dusk Till Dawn 3
Gods & Generals / Gettysburg
Grand Canyon Serenade
A Guy Thing
Hannie Caulder
Hellraiser: Hellworld
Hobo with a Shotgun
Honeymoon In Vegas
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
K-ON! Volume 2
Mobile Suit Gundam OO: Wakening of the Trailblazer
Of Gods and Men
Overboard
Ratatouille
The Sacrifice
Up
Wake Wood
WALL-E
Wedding Daze

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