(Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$99.92 SRP)

With The Chaplin Collection: Volume 2, the stunningly remastered re-release of Chaplin's feature film output is complete. Loaded with more supplemental materials than you can shake a stick at (most of them rare), the 12 disc set contains The Kid, The Circus, City Lights, Monsieur Verdoux , A Woman of Paris, A King in New York, and The Chaplin Revue. Also included is Richard Schickel's wonderful documentary Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin (which is exclusive to the set). Both this and the original [Chaplin Collection] (containing The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator, and Limelight) are essential editions to any self-respecting film enthusiast's DVD library.

(Touchstone, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP)

While nothing to write home about, Cold Creek Manor is a serviceable thriller that manages to pull a few tricks out of its hat. A New York couple (Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone) decide to seek calmer surroundings outside the city, and are attracted to a dilapidated old mansion that cries out "fixer-upper." They get more than they bargained for when the former owner (Stephen Dorff) shows up and all hell breaks loose as they uncover the house's lurid past. The anamorphic DVD contains an alternate ending, deleted scenes, featurettes, and an audio commentary with director Mike Figgis.

(Miramax, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP)

I'm probably one of the few people out there who actually enjoyed Danny Devito's beautifully obsidian comedy Death to Smoochy, so it's with little shock that you'll discover I mostly enjoyed Duplex. Like a cross between The Money Pit and Throw Momma From the Train, Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore are a young couple who purchase a duplex with an elderly rent-controlled upstairs tenant. They immediately begin making plans for what the space they anticipate becoming available in the near future, but they soon discover that the kindly old woman upstairs isn't nearly as kindly as she appears. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes special and deleted scenes.

(Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$27.95 SRP)

I really don't know what to think about Looney Tunes: Back in Action. On the one hand, it's great to have a new production starring Bugs, Daffy, and the rest of Warners classic cartoon stable. On the other hand, I wish the film was a heck of a lot better than it actually is. Director Joe Dante has his heart in the write place, but the script fails him. There are some nice set pieces and the occasional gag that hits the bullseye, but overall it's a let down. Still this is all the Looney Tunes we've got to hold us over until the release of the next Gold Collection, so get your fix. The anamorphic DVD contains a behind-the-scenes look with Bugs and Daffy, the brand new Road Runner cartoon "Whizzard of Ow," a Looney look at the special effects, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.

(Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

Back whatever horse you want, but for my money, one of the best films released last year was the Jack Black vehicle School of Rock . Like a hard rocking Mr. Holland's Opus, it's the perfect role for Black – as a failed musician whose desperate attempt to find rent money leads him to pose as his roommate, a substitute teacher, when an upscale private elementary school calls looking for a fill-in. As the enthusiastically delusional but completely affable Dewey Finn, Black finally finds a role that fits like a glove. The arc – from his selfish plan to mold his students into a group able to help him win the local battle of the bands, to a teacher who realizes his own limitations while at the same time empowering the students themselves – is handled with enough comedy not to be preachy and enough weight not to be disposable. If only half as many films operated with the same lack of pretense, the world would be a better place. The anamorphic DVD contains an audio commentary with Black and director Richard Linklater, an audio commentary with the kids, a behind-the-scenes featurette, Jack Black's pitch to Led Zeppelin (filmed in order to secure use of one of their songs), a video diary from the Toronto Film Festival, a music video, MTV Diary of Jack Black, and the theatrical trailer.

(MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$69.95 SRP)

Putting most release schedules to shame (save for Paramount's Trek track record), only 2 months after the release of the fifth season fans can enjoy Stargate: Season 6. Also known as the "Shanks-less" season, the 5-disc set features all 22 episodes in anamorphic widescreen, audio commentaries for every episode, and 12 featurettes. Hopefully Season 7 won't be far behind.

(Columbia/Tristar, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP)

There was a part of me – a rather large part, actually – that was embarrassed to be watching the complete first season of Starsky & Hutch. I'm even more embarrassed that there was a part of me, in the deep recesses of my brain,  that kept me watching. My only means of rationalizing such an awkward betrayal of me by myself is to say that the show is a big, schlocky TV trainwreck that cries out for attention. I mean, when you have a major character named Huggy Bear, how can you possibly turn away? The 5 disc set contains 23 episodes, plus original TV spots, new interviews with stars David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser, 3 featurettes, and a behind-the-scenes making-of.

(MGM/UA, Rated PG, DVD-$14.95 SRP)

Spoofing Sherlock Holmes has traditionally been a sticky wicket, often producing films that failed both as parody and simply a decent film. One that managed to mostly work was Without a Clue, which portrays Watson (Ben Kingsley) as the real brains behind his faux Holmes (Michael Caine) – a drunken, out-of-work actor who Watson has hired in order to aid his chronicling of the mysteries he solves. It's a fun, funny romp that still plays very well. Sadly, MGM has chosen to present this in only pan & scan. Come on, people!

(Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP)

It's like pulling teeth (whither Simpsons: Season 4?), but we finally get the 3^rd season of Futurama on DVD here in the US. This penultimate set of Matt Groening's sci-fi animated series has been available in the UK for over a year – in fact, they've had Season 4 for over 6 months. Either way, now Region 1ers can enjoy the 22 episodes spread across 4 discs, plus the equally hilarious audio commentaries on every episode (truly, the best commentaries out there), deleted scenes, storyboards, and easter eggs.

(Columbia/Tristar, Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.95 SRP)

Mona Lisa Smile is one of those films that you feel should contain a diabetic warning before the opening titles. So feel-good and saccharine sweet that you know someone, somewhere, is going into shock as they watch it unspool. Julia Roberts is a feminine cross between Mr. Holland and Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society as a teacher who inspires her desperate-to-break-free private school girls about the world outside their door, while they teach her about… you guessed it!… love. The anamorphic DVD contains featurettes and an Elton John music video.

(Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP)

As a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 from way back in ye olden days, I'm a bit conflicted on Rhino's release of the fifth volume their MST300 Collection. First of, let me say that any release of MST is a welcome release, and their move to packaging them in a 4-episode collection is much appreciated. However, the last two sets have focused entirely on the Sci-Fi Channel years. Personally, I want to see as many of the Comedy Central episodes released before moving on to the later years. Heck, even if you mixed them it would be better. So here's hoping that the old episodes haven't been forsaken for the easier clearance issues of the Sci-Fi era. Similar to the last volume, the set features episode introductions by Mike Nelson (thankfully not as brief) and a brand new interview with Mike and Kevin Murphy.

(Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP)

The Raquel Welch Collection is one of those box sets containing a mixture of "classics" and imminently watchable bombs for such a decent price that you can't help but pick up the whole lot. The 5 films in the set – all starring Ms. Welch, in case you were confused by the title - are One Million Years B.C., Myra Breckinridge, Bandolero!, Fathom, and the awkwardly titled Mother, Jugs & Speed (co-starring Bill Cosby and Harvey Keitel). All of the discs are bare bones save for the truly odd cult classic Myra Breckinridge, which features audio commentaries with director Michael Sarne and Welch, the AMC Backstory episode on the film, and trailers.

(Universal, Rated R, DVD-$26.98 SRP)

As film's go, Schindler's List is a powerful masterpiece that has lost none of its power since its release over a decade ago. As a DVD, it's a bit of a disappointment. The presentation of the film is wonderful – beautiful picture and sound, divided over 2 sides of a flipper disc. The presentation falls on its face when it comes to supplements, which amount to two brief documentaries that deal with the subject matter in the film, but not on the film itself. At least some insight into the production process would have been welcome, but at least we finally got a release of the film.

(Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.95 SRP)

I'm sorry, but I never get tired of Spongebob Squarepants. It's for Spongebob and Jimmy Neutron that Nick has yet to be stricken from the obelisk. Spongebob Goes Prehistoric is the latest 9 episode compilation, which contains the double-length prehistoric adventure "Spongebob BC."

(Paramount, Rated G, DVD-$19.99 SRP)

I'm not a big fan of biblical epics (for various reasons), but there's a wonderfully epic kitsch value to Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments . Just watching Heston's hammy Moses tossing down the tablets is worth it, but when you add Edward G. Robinson's straight-outta-Brooklyn acting to the mix, you've got gold. The lush DeMillian visuals look even more striking in this new anamorphic print, and there's even a slew of bonus materials to keep you glued to your set – including an audio commentary film historian Katherine Orrison, a massive documentary, trailers, and newsreel footage from the New York premiere.

(BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP)

After 5 series of Absolutely Fabulous, one would think the debauched antics of Patsy and Edina would begin to wear thin, but all credit must go to writer/producer Jennifer Saunders for finding a way to make these familiar, over-the-top characters seem fresh. All these years later, Edina is trying to run her business out of her home, Patsy is working at an upscale clothing store, and Saffie is off in Iraq. Patsy and Edina have been living it up in Saffie's absence, but the prodigal daughter soon returns – pregnant. The 2-disc set contains all 7 fifth series episodes, plus the recent holiday special. Bonus features are limited to a gag reel (sadly, no commentaries).

(Fox, Rated R, DVD-$26.98 SRP)

I have literally been waiting years for Fox to finally give Alan Parker's The Commitments a readdressal on DVD, and it's finally here as a 2-disc collector's edition. Not only do we get an anamorphic print of the film, but bonus features include an audio commentary with Parker, a retrospective documentary, featurettes, a music video, TV & radio spots, and the original theatrical trailer.

(Columbia/Tristar, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP)

It was during Married With Children's second season that the rough edges were sanded off and the show really hit its comedic stride. Gone was the tentative quality of the abbreviated 1^st season – here, all the cylinders are firing. The 3-disc set contains 22 episodes, interviews with the cast, and 13 hidden easter eggs.

(Artisan, Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP)

It's frightening how much of the "science fiction" culture depicted in The Running Man is eerily similar to the kinds of social and political changes we can see in the world of today, 17 years later. Really, how far are our reality shows from the Richard Dawson (as the slimy Damon Killian) hosted blood and action-fest? This 2-disc special edition contains an audio commentary with producer Tim Zinnemann and director Paul Michael Glaser, an audio commentary with executive producer Rob Cohen, a featurette on the film's political and social similarities to today's current global climate, a look at reality programming, and a dossier on the film's foes.

(Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

Every bit of scuttlebutt you've heard about this Angelina Jolie vehicle being a boring, monotonous, unwatchable mess are completely true. I can understand Jolie's desire to tackle the project, which deals with serious humanitarian issues as her gentile Englishwoman character travels to an impoverished refugee camp and finds her life made topsy turvy. There's also a love story tacked in there somewhere. Like most abysmal movies, the special features are extensive, including an audio commentary with director Martin Campbell and producer Lloyd Phillips, two making-of documentaries, an interview with the screenwriter (sadly, no flogging), and a featurette on Jolie.

(Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP)

Even all these years later, the criminals of Cops are still an entertaining lot. I never once considered Fox's perennial guilty pleasure to be a DVD candidate, but here we are with three collections – Bad Girls, Shots Fired , and Caught in the Act. Give the gift of white trash…

(Image, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP)

It was not until watching the 3-disc Richard Pryor Show box set that I realized just what a tremendous debt of gratitude Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show owes to Pryor's short-lived NBC series. Lasting only 4 episodes (cut down from 10 at Pryor's request, who saw the writing on the wall as NBC's censors gave him no end of grief over content), it's exactly the type of edgy, often race-related humor that people are hailing Dave Chappelle's show for – but Pryor did it over 25 years ago, and on network TV. His sketch of a southern depression-era trial of a black defendant could play with equal power today, likewise a sketch that takes place one of the Titanic's lifeboats. If you can believe it, the show's cast members included Sandra Bernhard, Marsha Warfield, and a young Robin Williams. The box set contains all 4 episodes, plus an additional disc with the original special that launched the series (guest-starring John Belushi and Maya Angelou). Bonus features include cut sketches, the original show opening nixed by NBC, outtakes, improvs, a vintage Q&A segment with Pryor, a 37-minute monologue from Pryor's "Mudbone" character, and the unedited footage of the roast featured in the final episode. This is a classic bit of comedy, and I hope you show it the love and attention it deserves.

(Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

While not as satisfying as the original longform BBC miniseries it's based on, the feature film adaptation of Dennis Potter's surreal noir flick The Singing Detective is worth seeing for Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal of the afflicted protagonist alone. Mel Gibson's turn as his frumpy psychiatrist almost erases The Passion from my mind. Almost. The anamorphic DVD contains an audio commentary with director Keith Gordon.

(Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP)

Who could have predicted that there would be a "Golden Age of Horror," and it would be the 1970's and early 80's? That period brought us The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street and more, so I guess that's the case. The golden age is examined in The American Nightmare, a documentary that features clips from those seminal films, plus interviews with the architects of the horror renaissance, including Wes Craven, John Carpenter, and George Romero.

(Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

I didn't want to dislike Disney's (seemingly) penultimate 2-D animated feature, Brother Bear. I really didn't. Granted, I was completely turned off by ever trailer, commercial, and preview I had seen to the point where I skipped it in theaters. Popping in the DVD, I resolved to have an open mind and take what I saw at face value. And I was disappointed. I was disappointed because I could see a few different great movies in there – an epic tale of faith and love, a hilarious slapstick critter comedy, and an adventure. Unfortunately, the filmmakers couldn't decide what they should run with, and instead opted to do all these things at once, leaving the viewer to try and make sense of a stylistically schizophrenic flick. It doesn't help matters that the character designs and animation play with second-rate Bluth cuteness. The 2-disc "special edition" (remember when that meant something, albeit briefly, from Disney?) contains an audio commentary with Rutt & Tuke (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas's Moose, arguably the only high points of the film), outtakes, deleted scenes, a new Phil Collins song (woo. hoo.), and a series of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

(Paramount, Not Rated, $79.95 SRP)

There's still a part of me that's stunned to think that CSI has made it 4 seasons. Honestly, I thought I'd grow sick of dead bodies after the first half-dozen episodes (along with the rest of the country), and this idiosyncratic little show would slink out of sight. Imagine my shock when it proved to be a latter-day Law & Order, spawning spin-offs into the blue ether. The third season fires on all cylinders across its 23 episodes. The six-disc set contains 3 featurettes, interviews with the show's writers, and audio commentaries on 6 episodes ("Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold," "The Accused is Entitled," "Fight Night," "Snuff," "Random Acts of Violence," and "Lady heather's Box").

(A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$99.95 SRP)

Homicide: Life on the Street is one of those shows that I still miss. Law & Order may still be running, but Homicide was always the more intense, thinking-man's show (and no, that's not a slam against the L&O franchise, which could outlast the Energizer Bunny). Homicide: The Complete Season 4 collects the 22 4^th season episodes in the running order intended by the producers, plus an audio commentary on "The Hat," interviews, and a song listing. If you missed this show in its initial run, check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

(A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

Watching the animated Mr. Bean is odd. Without Rowan Atkinson's hilarious physicality in portraying the petulant 45-going-on-5 year old Bean, there's an element missing from the mix. Despite that missing X factor, the animate episodes manage to crank up the writing so that these Bean adventures are funny independent of their live action progenitor. The second set of two volumes is now available, with bonus features including Atkinson acting out the role of Mr. Bean, trailers, and a photo gallery.

(New Line, Rated R, DVD-$26.95 SRP)

John Malkovich steps into the shoes of the older yet still deadly Tom Ripley in Ripley's Game, which finds the talented Mr. Ripley hiring a man to commit a murder for money. Taut and impeccably shot, it's sad that it didn't get wider notice. Please rectify that by picking it up and giving it a spin…

(Columbia/Tristar, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

Though the series began to wear thin in it's final years, the fourth season of Sanford and Son was still kicking – even if its final episode was a Trojan pilot for the soon-to-fail Grady spin-off. The 3-disc set contains the 24 episodes comprising Season 4 (including the first appearance of Fred's elaborate hangover cure).

(New Line, Rated R, DVD-$39.95 SRP)

The Michael Bay produced remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is not a thinking man's horror film. No, it's a no-holds-barred slasher… er… shredder flick which hews pretty close to the structure of the original. And it looks *beautiful*. That must be Bay's influence. Otherwise, it's pretty much what you expect, and in this day and age of diminishing returns, sometimes that's a good thing. The 2-disc special edition contains three audio commentaries (focusing on the production, story, and technical aspects of the film), an alternate opening and ending, a deleted scenes documentary (which places the cuts in context), a making-of documentary, a documentary on serial killer Ed Gein (the inspiration for the film), screen tests, galleries, TV spots, and music video, and the theatrical trailer.