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Taking a look ahead at the week's DVD releases is always dicey for your wallet. Nearly every week, there's a disc that would fit nicely into any size collection. When it comes time to decide what to buy, there are really two determining factors: how much you love the content and the quality of the extra features on the disc. The unreleased studio (film and television) back-catalogue means that every week there's likely something for you.

For your mortal enemy: Bloodrayne

You have been waiting patiently for weeks, months, maybe even years. You know that some day, that rat bastard will drop his guard and when he does, you will be ready for him. But why wait? Why give your enemy a chance to experience several moments of happiness? Why not go ahead and put his destruction in progress right now through a process so painful even O.J. Simpson would shudder in disgust? Dr. Uwe Boll has made this avenue available to you. Why not embrace the darkness and take this opportunity to dole out malice in its purest form? Send him a copy of Bloodrayne, figure out a way to make him watch it and then get ready to capitalize upon his deterioration. From Bloodrayne, there may be no recovery. After this act of unforgivable horror, you may devour that soul at your leisure.

For math majors: The 4400 - The Complete Second Season

As I mentioned about a year ago in this very space, I missed season one during its original airing. I planned to catch up on it during the summer months, and proceeded to do so. What I found was a moderately entertaining program with occasional moments of greatness. Particularly noteworthy is a season two episode entitled Life Interrupted. This story mirrors an old Star Trek: The Next Generation episode wherein Picard lives the span of a lifetime in a single moment of time. The 4400's take upon the idea is inventive enough that it at least matches, if not exceeds, one of the best Trek episodes in the storied franchise's history. Season two is over three times as long as season one, offering 18 episodes. While I can't say the show is always excellent, I do feel that the season two finale, Mommy's Bosses, is one of the best cliffhangers of the 2005 television campaign. Whether the soon-to-begin season three continues that momentum remains to be seen, but I do consider this box set worthy of consideration for purchase. At the very least, you should throw it in your Netflix queue.



For people who use lots and lots of coupons: Cheaper by the Dozen 2

Steve Martin sure does seem to fall down a lot these days, doesn't he? It is almost as if he is suffering from theatrical vertigo (note: not the Jimmy Stewart kind) but is afraid to tell anyone lest he be offered fewer parts. My polite but firm advice to one of my cinema heroes would be that not being offered The Pink Panther/Cheaper by the Dozen roles would be okay. Of course, his factually accurate reply would be that all three movies in this genre earned at least $82 million while my beloved Shopgirl managed but $10 million. And all he has to do in order to pick up bigger checks is fall down a lot. It's tough to argue against that logic, though it's the same precept that got Chevy Chase addicted to painkillers.



For people who enjoy self-explanatory titles and for anyone who is anxiously awaiting puberty: High School Musical

In case you have been living in a cave or simply do not know anyone under the age of 18, High School Musical is the Grease of our era. No, really. I am sure you had probably ceded this title to Moulin Rouge! or maybe Chicago, but are wrong here.

On January 20th, The Disney Channel aired the musical for the first time. The CD soundtrack had been released the previous week, but had failed to make a ripple on the music charts. To the surprise of pretty much everyone, High School Musical was the most popular program in the channel's history. Its 4.5 rating was the highest on cable for the week. Even more surprisingly, the buzz grew from there. The *second* showing the following night was the second highest rated cable program of the week.

In the months that have followed, High School Musical has aired ten more times, drawing over 39 million viewers. Given current NATO movie ticket average, this is the equivalent of a $250 million movie. Equally impressive is the fact that the previously unheralded CD shot up to #1, making it the first television soundtrack to hit number one since Miami Vice in 1985. iTunes made the production the first movie they ever listed, but eventually raised its price from an initial offering of $2.99 to $9.99. That's how large a phenomenon we are discussing here.

High School Musical started out as free, shot up to $2.99 then $9.99, and now if you want to keep your kids happy, you will pay $19.99 for it. If this business model looks familiar, it should. "Get 'em hooked then jack up the prices" is Drug Pusher 101. Since your kid is almost certainly a junkie, though, you have no choice but to pay.



For fans of the eccentric and overblown: Kingdom of Heaven Four-Disc Director's Cut

A 2005 film with domestic box office short of $50 million and frosty critical reception (finishing at 39% at Rotten Tomatoes) gets a four-disc box set. That's it. Now I have seen everything.



For both fans of The Boondock Saints: Unrated Special Edition

Wait, I spoke too soon. The Boondock Saints is currently at 15% at Rotten Tomatoes and earned all of $25K at the box office. Why, then, is it getting a single day re-release in theaters this month and a new DVD release? It's a bigger mystery than Stonehenge.



For Sports Night fans still wincing over what might have been: Transamerica

Les Winan is on sabbatical through the summer as he optimizes his political aspirations. As I stand in for him, I think back to how the first couple of years of his column always referenced the unfortunate cancellation of Felicity Huffman's hallmark show, Sports Night. She has found ridiculous success with Desperate Housewives and I am ecstatic for her. The role does not, however, allow her to break out her magnificent acting chops often enough. With Transamerica, she relished the opportunity to portray a transsexual dealing with the emotional ramifications of her biological decision. She was edged out as Best Actress at the Academy Awards, but she offered the best performance in the category in 2005 in my opinion. Transamerica is similar to Ray in that it is a wonderful performance in a mediocre movie. It also has the side issue of being uncomfortable subject matter for some. Despite this, fans of Huffman and great acting in general should definitely check it out.







For Trekkies seeking to fill the void of that homoerotic Spock/Kirk dynamic: Boston Legal - Season 1

I have been a David Kelley fan since L.A. Law, though I didn't know it until Picket Fences. After I fell in love with that show, I backtracked to discover he had been the driving force behind several of my favorite Law episodes. Since then, I have sampled almost all of Kelley's work, generally finding the same formula. Kelley's writing is generally brilliant at the start of each program before going way too far, thus becoming a shell of its former self. Ally McBeal is the most storied example, though I found The Practice to be a better blueprint.

The Practice's first season was a magnificent exploration of the world of bottom-feeder attorneys. Later, it devolved into a weekly exploit into who was sleeping with whom. I stopped watching long before the final season, apparently to my detriment. When The Practice finally started making headlines again, it was for all the wrong reasons. Several members of the cast were fired in order to get under the salary cap enough to hire James Spader. The move smacked of desperation to me, so I kept on not watching.

I regret this now.

The character of Alan Shore has proven to be the best of Kelley's career. Demented and devoid of ethics on the surface, Shore has slowly revealed what lies beneath the façade of charming charlatan. A complicated, troubled man is unable to open up to most but with Denny Crane, as portrayed by William Shatner, he has found a kindred spirit and father figure. The duo have shared plenty of misadventures together, all the while crystallizing my opinion that television has not seen a finer comedy machine since Cheers went off the air. They are the Ambiguously Straight Couple whose exploits have raised the bar for network television. Boston Legal is my favorite non-cable drama, and the release of season one on DVD is an obvious selection for DVD release of the week. At least it would be if not for....



For potty-mouths seeking to witness the usage of casual swears raised to an art form even David Mamet has never matched: Deadwood - The Complete Second Season

I am conflicted about which title should be DVD of the week. I find Boston Legal more enjoyable, but Deadwood is the higher art form. Season one's praises have been sung previously in this space. Season two is not, however, more of the same. A decision is made at the start of the year to settle the largest remaining feud right at the start. An eruption of violence occurs that leaves both Sheriff Seth Bullock and reigning town entrepreneur Al Swearengen clinging to life. What follows is a precise display of character development that slowly draws hero and anti-hero together as allies. Outside forces seek to capitalize on the growing popularity of the Deadwood establishment, so former enemies begin to share mutual goals.

Deadwood Season Two offers any number of impeccable story arcs, the finest of which is the empowerment of a truly evil land baron-in-training. The introduction of the malevolent Francis Wolcott combined with the growing darkness of Cy Tolliver somehow turns Swearengen into what passes for heroic in this rough frontier town. Simultaneously, Ian McShane is offered the opportunity to shine as he faces his own mortality and more than a touch of developing madness.

The highlight of season two is a Shakespearean soliloquy wherein Swearengen addresses the contents of a box as if it were his conversational equal. The fact that the viewer knows the box contains a disembodied head only adds to the surreal, West End theatrical feel of the sequence. I can honestly say I have never seen the likes of it previously on television.

Deadwood Season Two on DVD features the usual exceptional packaging consumers have come to expect from HBO. The downside here is that it also features the same hefty price tag we have come to expect from their titles. Deadwood sells for around $65, making it a bit pricey by our standards here at BOP. If you want a cheaper series that is equally entertaining in an entirely different way, choose Boston Legal. If you have the extra capital and want to see the finest in premium cable programming, Deadwood Season Two is a no-brainer. If money isn't much of an object, choose both. The time between now and the start of the fall season will fly by with such quality programming available to peruse at your leisure. I have checked the schedule for the next three months, and we will not see a one-two punch like this during the summer season.



DVD Releases for the week of May 23, 2006:

The 4400: The Complete Second Season (4-DVD Set) (2005)
BloodRayne (R-Rated Theatrical Cut) (2006)
BloodRayne (Unrated Director's Cut) (2006)
The Blue Butterfly (2004)
The Boondock Saints (Unrated Special Edition) (1999)
The Booth (2005)
Boston Legal: Season One (5-DVD Set) (2004)
Cannibal (2004)
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005)
Compulsion (1959)
Deadwood: The Complete Second Season (6-DVD Set) (2005)
The Devil's Miner (2006)
The Dirty Dozen (Special Edition) (1967)
Gemini (1999)
God's Waiting List (2006)
Hallowed (2005)
Harlan County, USA (Criterion Collection) (1976)
High School Musical (2006)
Hollow Man 2 (2006)
It Waits (2005)
Julie Johnson (2001)
Kingdom of Heaven (4-Disc Director's Cut) (2005)
London (2006)
M*A*S*H: Season Ten (3-DVD Set) (1981)
Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005)
Motor Home Massacre (2005)
One Last Thing... (2005)
Patton (Cinema Classics Edition) (1970)
The Seven-Ups (1973)
St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
Sybil (Anniversary Edition) (1976)
Tora! Tora! Tora! (Cinema Classics Edition) (1970)
Transamerica (2005)
Viridiana (Criterion Collection) (1961)
Winx Club: Stolen Dragon Fire (2004)