Fear Itself: The Complete First Season (2008) A series so unremittingly dull that, after its hiatus for the Olympics, it never returned (a horror show, in summer, how could that fail?). Created by Mick Garris, as a major network version of Masters of Horror, the series boasted some great directors, including Brad Anderson (Session 7), Ronny Yu (Bride with the White Hair) and John Landis (An American Werewolf in London) doing some of their worst work. Of those that aired, only Stuart Gordon's "Eater", and Larry Fessenden's "Skin and Bones" leave a lingering memory, though apparently John Dahl's "Chances" is worth a look. Several episodes are available online from Fearnet, so do yourself a favor and watch "Eater" (which stars Elizabeth Moss from "Mad Men") here, and use the 22 bucks to buy Grace or Deadgirl. (DVD)
Doctor Who: The Next Doctor (2008 Christmas Special) Highly entertaining one-off, and a high-point in the already staggeringly successful re-boot of the franchise, this adds David Morrissey (Basic Instinct 2) as a Victorian chap who thinks that he is the Doctor, and develops into a delicious steam-punk confection, with a female villain as despicable as any the Timelord has faced. The lone extra is "Doctor Who at the Proms" a concert of music from the Albert Hall in London. (DVD)
One Step Beyond: The Official First Season (1959) Released by CBS Entertainment after years in the public domain, this should restore some luster to the series' reputation, tarnished by all those scratchy 16mm transfers. Director/presenter John Newland was a former Emmy-nominated actor, who later directed episodes of "Star Trek", "The Man from UNCLE", "Night Gallery", "Wonder Woman" and "Fantasy Island". Extras include an extended version of the pilot "The Bride Possessed"; a Promo spot; the opening spot from sponsors Alcoa; main title sequence (1990s version); and an archival audio interview with writer Don M Mankiewicz. (DVD)
Primeval, Vol. 2 (Series 3) (2009) Unfortunately axed amid ITV's recent financial woes, "Primeval" was enjoyable, if not essential, viewing. This series adds Jason Flemyng (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) to the dinosaur-battling team of scientists. Extras include a 20-minute interview with actor Doug Henshall, and a "Genesis of a Creature" featurette. (DVD)
Sanctuary: The Complete First Season (2008) Created by Damian Kindler ("Stargate SG-1"), this SyFy Channel series began as a series of eight webisodes in 2007, and broke new ground (for TV at least) by shooting almost entirely against a green screen on the high-definition RED camera (used to lesser effect on the My Bloody Valentine remake). Starring Amanda Tapping ("Stargate SG-1"), Robin Dunne (Species III), and Emilie Ullerup, the series tells the story of Dr Helen Magnus (Tapping) and her group, as they track down, study, and provide a haven for the monsters that secretly live among us. Extras include cast and crew commentaries for all 13 episodes; three featurettes: "Welcome to Sanctuary", "Sanctuary Residents", and "Sanctuary Visual Effects"; "Sanctuary: The Original Webisodes"; bloopers; photo gallery, and a Season Two sneak peek. (DVD)
X-Men, Volume Three (1994) and Volume Four (1995). Regarded as one of the finest TV comic book adaptations, and one of the best animated TV series (multimedia review site ign.com recently voted it the 13th greatest animated show of all time, in their Top 100, just behind "The Ren and Stimpy Show"). Volumes One and Two were released back in April. (DVD)
Astro Boy, Vols. 1–5 (2003–04) Let the Astro-hype begin! Prior to the October 23rd release of the new movie version (trailer here), this is a timely release, but unfortunately not of the original TV series (available here) from the godfather of manga, Osamu Tezuka. The original was the first anime to be seen outside Japan, but this is a 2003 remake in 50 episodes (10 per disc), which premiered in Japan on April 7th, 2003, the birthday of the original character. Previously released as a box set, the discs are now available separately. (DVD)
Dark Shadows: The Vampire Curse (1966–71) Dan Curtis's "Dark Shadows" debuted in 1966, a unique proposition: a horror-themed daytime soap, it struggled to find an audience until the introduction of Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid), the vampire with a conscience. This selection of episodes from MPI, follows the Barnabas story arc. Bonus features include a recent interview with 81-year-old Jonathan Frid, and introductions by actress Kathryn Leigh Scott. With rumors flying that Johnny Depp is closing in on the remake rights, now's the time to acquaint yourself, if you haven't already. (DVD)
Dark Shadows: The Haunting of Collinwood (1966–71) MPI's second "Dark Shadows" disc of the week follows the story of the werewolf Quentin Collins (David Selby), and includes a new interview with Selby and introductions by Kathryn Leigh Scott. These two discs present a great opportunity to explore the most compelling areas of the "Dark Shadows" universe — "Shadows" is the only daytime soap to have all its episodes released on video, and that collection weighs in at a whopping 32 (mainly four-disc) sets, which will set you back about $2,000. (DVD)
Dragon Ball: Season One/Doragon Bōru (1986) The 31 episodes that started Toei Animation's "Dragon Ball" adaptations. Based on one of the most popular manga series, that continues in popularity despite the poor reception and box office for this year's Dragonball Evolution (DVD)
Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku Movie (aka Doragon Bōru Zetto Tatta Hitori no Saishū Kessen~Furīza ni Idonda Zetto Senshi Son Gokū no Chichi/Dragon Ball Z: A Lonesome, Final Battle - The Father of the Z Warrior Son Goku, who Challenged Freeza) (1990). The first Dragon Ball Z TV special, previously released on Blu-ray on a double bill with "Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks" (1993), and here available in its remastered form on a single feature, standard DVD. (DVD)
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (aka Doragon Bōru Zetto Zetsubō e no Hankō!! Nokosareta Chō-Senshi. Gohan to Torankusu) (1993) TV Special that explores an alternate future for the Dragon Ball Z universe. Previously released on Blu-ray on a Double bill with "Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku Movie" (1990), and here available in its remastered form on a single feature, standard DVD. (DVD)
Ghost Hunt: The Complete Series Box Set/Gōsuto Hanto (2006) Anime TV series from the JC Staff animation studio, tells the story of the disparate group that comprise the Shibuya Psychic Research team. The delightfully named Bamboo Dong at animenewsnetwork.com says: "Ghost Hunt is genuinely scary. Maybe it's because I generally tend to watch my anime late at night… but the show gives me the chills." (DVD)
Ghost Slayers Ayashi, Part 3 (Tenpō Ibun Ayakashi Ayashi) (2006) Written by Shō Aikawa and animated by studio Bones, (who together created the "Fullmetal Alchemist" series), an attack by ghouls, known as the Youi, causes chaos in 19th Century Japan, and the key to their defeat lies in the written word. (DVD)
Gigantor: The Collection Vol. 2 (1963) Second set of US adaptations of the Fuji TV series "Tetsujin 28-gō" ("Ironman 28") by producer Fred Ladd (who also brought "Astro Boy" to the US). Once described by those arbiters of taste Variety as a "loud, violent, tasteless and cheerless cartoon… strictly in the retarded babysitter class", but a huge hit with mid-60s kids who knew the theme tune by heart — it was later covered by The Dickies, and Helmet. (DVD)
Knights of Bloodsteel (2009) Dreadful SyFy Channel tosh from director Philip Spink (Kung Fu Killer), and Producer Robert Halmi Jr (where do I even start, okay The Curse of King Tut's Tomb), full of characters with names like Lord Splayven, Ber-Lak and Perfidia. Worse still, it's a two-part miniseries and therefore goes on, and on, and on. (DVD)
Legends of the Dark Kings: A Fist of the North Star Story/Ten no Haō - Hokuto no Ken Raō Gaiden (2008) 13-episode anime series, a prequel to the Fist of the North Star, directed by Masahi Abe. (DVD)
Monster Force, Vol. 1 (1994) The first seven episodes of Universal's cartoon series, set in 2020, when Dr Reed Crawley and his team (which includes Luke Talbot, a descendant of Larry; and the Frankenstein Monster) battle Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Im-Ho-Tep the Mummy, Bela the Werewolf, and the Bride of Frankenstein. (DVD)
Transformers: Season Two, Volume 1, 25th Anniversary Edition (1985) Four-disc, 28 episode set from Shout! Factory, that includes several fan-favorites such as "Dinobot Island" and "Megatron's Master Plan". (DVD)
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