THE BIG BANG THEORY: The Complete Third Season (2009-10)Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar DVD: $44.98, Blu-ray: $54.97. Extras: Featurettes, gag reel. (Warner).
From Emmy nominees Chuck Lorre (Two and a Half Men, Dharma & Greg, Cybill, Grace Under Fire) & Bill Prady (Dharma & Greg) comes The Big Bang Theory. Leonard (Galecki) and Sheldon (Parsons) are brilliant physicists, the kind of “beautiful minds” that understand how the universe works. But none of that genius helps them interact with people – especially women. All this changes when a free-spirited beauty named Penny (Cuoco) moves in next door. Sheldon, Leonard’s roommate, is quite content spending his nights playing Klingon Boggle with their socially dysfunctional friends, fellow Caltech scientists Howard Wolowitz (Helberg) and Rajesh Koothrappali (Nayyar). Leonard, however, sees in Penny a whole new universe of possibilities … including love.
BORED TO DEATH: The Complete First Season (2009-10) Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, DVD: $39.98, Blua-ray: $49.99. Extras: Behind-the-scenes featurette. (HBO Home Video).
Meet Jonathan Ames: writer, romantic, unlicensed private detective. Moonlighting from his job as a novelist and writer for a New York magazine, Jonathan is looking to jettison some heavy emotional baggage (his girlfriend just dumped him, okay?) through an unusual second careerof cracking cases of missing persons, espionage and infidelity in the Big Apple.
FRINGE: The Complete Second Season (2009-10) Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble DVD: $59.98, Blu-ray: $69.97 . Extras: “The Mythology of Fringe,” “Fringe: Analyzing the Scene” sidebars on six key episodes, “In the Lab with John Noble and Prop Master Rob Smith,” commentary, “Unusual Side Effects” gag reel, “Dissected Files” unaired scenes. (Warner).
From J.J. Abrams (Lost), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci – the team behind Star Trek and Alias – and executive producers Jeff Pinkner, J.H. Wyman and Bryan Burk, Fringe returns for a second thrilling season and continues to explore the unexplained phenomena and terrifying occurrences linked throughout the world – known simply as “The Pattern“ – in pursuit of a larger, more shocking truth. Set in Boston, the FBI’s Fringe Division formed when Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) enlisted the help of institutionalized “fringe” scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), to save her partner and lover from a mind-bending death. Through unconventional and unorthodox methods, the Fringe team imagines and tests the impossibilities while investigating unbelievable events, macabre crimes and mystifying cases involving teleportation, reanimation, genetic mutation, precognition, artificial intelligence and other fantastical theories. When the unimaginable happens, it’s their job to stop it.
GLEE: The Complete First Season (2009-10)Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Jane Lynch, Cory Monteith, Chris Colfer $69.99. Extras: Extended episodes, a sing-along karaoke, a behind-the-scenes look at “The Power of Madonna” episode, “Glee” makeovers, never-before-seen “Sue’s Corners,” dance tutorial: “Staying in Step with Glee.” (Fox).
Join the club and bring home the fun with Glee Karaoke and Glee Jukebox— available only on DVD! A talented group of high school misfits transforms into a performing sensation with the help of a dedicated teacher. Through laughter, tears, irreverent humor and unforgettable music, they learn to follow their hearts and chase their dreams.
THE GOOD WIFE: Season one (2009-10) Julianna Margulies, Matt Czuchry, Archie Panjabi, Josh Charles, Christine Baranski $64.99. Extras: Commentary: Robert King/ Charles McDougall, Commentary: Robert King, Michelle King, David Zucker and Brooke Kennedy, Commentary: Christine Baranski/ Josh Charles/ Robert King/ Michelle King, Deleted Scenes, “The Education of Alicia Florrick: Making Season One” featurette, “Aftermath: Real Life Events” featurette. (CBS/Paramount).
The Good Wife is a female-driven drama about a politician’s wife who pursues her own career as a defense attorney after her husband is sent to jail on charges of political corruption. Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) will not only have to deal with her career but also with keeping her family together by providing a stable home for her two children.
IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADElPHIA Season Five (2009)DVD: $39.98, Blu-ray: $49.99 Extras: “Archer” Season 1 pilot episode, blooper reel, “Kitten Mittens” Endless Loop “Phindin’ Love in Philly” featurette, extended/uncensored scenes and alternate takes, Season 5 dream sequence. Blu-ray adds The Gang’s dating profile, Schwep dream sequence. (Fox).
The series follows the exploits of “the gang,” a group of self-centered friends who run Paddy’s Pub, a relatively unsuccessful Irish bar in South Philadelphia.
THE LEAGUE Complete First Season (2009)Katie Aselton, Mark Duplass, Nick Kroll, Stephen Rannazzisi, Paul Scheer DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $34.99 Extras: Blooper reel, deleted scenes, “Alt Nation,” “Three Penis” wine infomerical, “Vaginal Hubris” extended, “Birthday Song,” “Legalize Kevin’s Pubic Smoke,” “Mr. McGibblets Fun House and Dojo,” “Andre: Dress with Style, Win with Style.” (Fox).
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST: 35th Anniversary Ultimate Collector’s Edition(1975) Director: Milos Forman. Stars Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Christopher Lloyd, Vincent Schiavelli, Danny DeVito, Brad Dourif, Scatman Crothers. DVD: , Blu-ray: Extras: “Completely Cuckoo,” a feature-length documentary about the making of the film, commentary by director Milos Forman and producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz, new interview with producer Michael Douglas, Deleted Scenes, Original Trailer, collectibles including playing cards, posters, character cards, pre-production correspondence and movie trivia. (Warner).
With an insane asylum standing in for everyday society, Milos Forman’s 1975 film adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel is a comically sharp indictment of the Establishment urge to conform. Playing crazy to avoid prison work detail, manic free spirit Randle P. McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is sent to the state mental hospital for evaluation. There he encounters a motley crew of mostly voluntary inmates, including cowed mama’s boy Billy (Brad Dourif) and silent Native American Chief Bromden (Will Sampson), presided over by the icy Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher). Ratched and McMurphy recognize that each is the other’s worst enemy: an authority figure who equates sanity with correct behavior, and a misfit who is charismatic enough to dismantle the system simply by living as he pleases. McMurphy proceeds to instigate group insurrections large and small, ranging from a restorative basketball game to an unfettered afternoon boat trip and a tragic after-hours party with hookers and booze. Nurse Ratched, however, has the machinery of power on her side to ensure that McMurphy will not defeat her. Still, McMurphy’s message to live free or die is ultimately not lost on one inmate, revealing that escape is still possible even from the most oppressive conditions.
SE7EN (Blu-ray)Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman $34.99 Extras: 4 Commentaries Featuring Director David Fincher, Actors Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman and Other Collaborators on the Film,Additional/Extended Scenes, Alternate Endings, Exploration of the Opening Title Sequence from Multiple Video Angles with Various Audio Mixes and 2 Commentary Tracks, Production Design and Still Photographs with Commentaries, The Notebooks: Full MotionVideo Details “John Doe’s” Writings, Theatrical Trailer(Warner)
Gluttony. Greed. Sloth. Wrath. Pride. Lust. Envy. Two cops (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) track a brilliant and elusive killer who orchestrates a string of horrific murders, each kill targeting a practitioner of one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Gwyneth Paltrow also stars in this acclaimed thriller set in a dour, drizzly city sick with pain and blight. David Fincher (Fight Club, Zodiac, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) guides the action – physical, mental and spiritual – with a sure understanding of what terrifies us, right up to a stunning denouement that will rip the scar tissue off the most hardened soul.
