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

In 1963, producer Jay Ward (of Rocky & Bullwinkle fame), launched a series called Fractured Flickers. Aided by his trusty writers, the series took old silent short subjects and newsreel footage and replaced the audio – to hilarious results. Long before What's Up Tiger, Lily?, Fractured Flickers was creating re-dubbed gems, all 26 episodes of which are collected in this 3-disc DVD set. Huzzah!

(Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP)

I'm a sucker for G.I. Joe. Much like the Transformers, it was one of those shows that helped define my pop culture saturated childhood. Maybe that's why the G.I. Joe: Season 2 Part 1 set went to the top of my viewing list, as I rewatched the arrival of Serpentor in the 5-part "Arise Serpentor Arise!" and the classic "Cobrathon" episode. The 3-disc set contains 15 episodes, plus an interview with voice actor Hank Garrett (Dialtone) and producer/storyboard artist Larry Houston.

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

I don't know why, but after years of holding the home video license for Mystery Science Theater 3000, Rhino decided in the last year or so to really kick their release schedule into over drive… Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I love their 4-film Collection box sets, and I'm also happy they finally got around to releasing a true MST classic in their Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Essentials 2-disc set. While the set contains the previously released (but still classic) Manos: The Hands of Fate, the real draw is the new-to-disc release of Joel & the Bots taking on Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. I'm positively giddy. The set contains the bonus short Hired: Part II (Part 1 runs before Manos) and the original MST3K blooper reel. Did I mention how giddy I am?

(Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$69.99 SRP)

It was during the third season of Alias that all of the severe mindf**** began to occur, leaving our heroine with a two-year memory gap, unaware of who trust and what exactly happened. While not as good as the previous seasons (one can take only so many twists before burnout sets in), it's still better than most of the dreck on TV (that means you, Enterprise). The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes in anamorphic widescreen, plus an animated segment filling in some of Sydney's 2-year gap, a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, bloopers, commentaries, the Monday Night Football teaser, and a presentation from the Museum of Television & Radio about creating characters.

(Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$89.95 SRP)

The strongest part of the period primetime soap opera American Dreams – which looks at the changing social and political landscape inhabited by a mid-sized northeastern family in the early 60's – are the recreations of classic music performances from Dick Clark's American Bandstand (a venue integral to the plot). The complete first season set features extended versions of the musical sets, which find stars like Usher, Michelle Branch, Ashanti, and Kelly Rowland portraying some of the legends of that era. The 7-disc set features audio commentaries, classic Bandstand clips, and a Brian Williams-hosted episode of Timeline about the 1963-64 period of time the show's first season takes place in.

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

In some ways, the fourth season of Joss Whedon's Angel was both its strongest and weakest outing. I enjoyed the year-long attempt at a heavy continuity, but was disappointed that it came at the expense of completely destroying the character of Cordelia Chase. That they also squandered the potential of Angel's son, Connor, was just criminal. You can decide for yourself by jumping into the 6-disc set, containing all 22 episodes plus audio commentaries, featurettes, and outtakes.

(Miramax, Rated R, DVD-$34.95 SRP)

I first heard about Clerks from my cousin during a visit while I was attending NYU. She raved up and down about this black & white flick that looked like crap, but was really, really funny. Oh – and it had lots of cussing. A true cinephile, my cousin. During that visit, she popped the tape in, and within about 15 minutes I fell asleep. Sound asleep. Despite my reaction, my cousin kept on watching. It took me another few years to try viewing Kevin Smith's debut again, and by this time I had seen and enjoyed Chasing Amy, and was a bit intrigued by the film that had so turned me off. The second time around, I both stayed awake and got a kick out of the linear misadventures of Dante & Randall, enthralled by the rough-around-the-edges charm of the whole affair. Well, imagine my shock when I learned that the film was celebrating its 10^th anniversary with a 3-disc special edition, Clerks: X. All of the bonus materials from the original release are duplicated, while new goodies include the original cut of the film (with a brand-new commentary allowing an angle switchover to video recorded during the commentary session), the Tonight Show "Flying Car" short, restoration featurettes, a massive documentary on the making of the film, a 10^th anniversary Q&A with the cast and crew, articles and reviews, and more. And I didn't sleep through a bit of it.

(Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP)

It's always a treat when a show that you remember liking a great deal still holds the same charm and quality when you experience it on DVD sometimes years later. Such is the case with Columbo: The Complete First Season. Even if the writing wasn't there to support it, Peter Falk's shuffling, unkempt detective would still have been memorable, as the 7 films (plus the two original movies) in this 5-disc set attest. Trivia buffs should also keep in mind that the third TV movie was directed by a young Steven Spielberg.

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

I'm not going to eviscerate Kevin Smith's first non-Askewniverse flick, Jersey Girl. That's mostly because I don't want to discourage him from trying to branch out again, instead of crawling back to Jay & Silent Bob (which, sadly, he's already announced). Honestly, the real problem with this outing is the decided lack of confidence by which Smith executes his rather heartfelt tale of a widowed single father (Ben Affleck) who begins to put his life back together with a new love (Liv Tyler) and the support of his eccentric father (George Carlin). You can do it, Kev! Bonus features include an audio commentary with Smith and Affleck, a second commentary (with Smith, producer Scott Mosier, and Jason Mewes), a conversation with Affleck and Smith, the Tonight Show "Roadside Attractions" segments, and a behind-the-scenes special.

(MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP)

Few people remember that William Shatner had quite a powerful role in the original Judgement at Nuremberg. Pathetic geek that I am, I did know that, and it was one of the main hooks that originally got me to watch this remarkable tale of a post-WWII war crimes tribunal, headed by an American judge (Spencer Tracy) forced to make a difficult decision.

(Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP)

It's still hard to accept, but while watching the first season of Magnum: P.I., I could see why Lucas & Spielberg wanted Tom Selleck to play their adventuring archeologist, Indiana Jones. Selleck is affable and roguish, but it was his contractual obligation to Magnum that allowed Harrison Ford to step into the fabled fedora. The first season holds up well… But personally, I was always a Higgins fan.

(Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP)

I don't care what people say – I love The Man With One Red Shoe. It was made in a time before Tom Hanks got an lodged firmly up his… career… and it co-starred Carrie Fisher and the great Charles Durning. I love anything with Charles Durning in it. He's my Kryptonite.

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

Before it lost its energy, Mork & Mindy was – and I say this honestly – one of the funniest shows on television. Of course, I was a kid when I first saw it (and yes, I owned a Mork doll and a pair of rainbow suspenders, but that's besides the point). But if you doubt my assertion, check out the Complete First Season and see what I'm talking about. There was a time when Robin Williams was funny and not just annoying… Seriously…

(Lion's Gate, Rated, DVD-$27.95 SRP)

I honestly think that The Punisher – along with Hulk and Daredevil – should be required viewing for anyone even attempting an adaptation of a classic comic character. Let that triumvirate of crap be a cautionary tale to all those seeking to follow the same path of half-a**ed execution. Avi – why don't you go form a production company with Berman & Braga in a deep, dark hole somewhere. The anamorphic DVD contains an audio commentary with director Jonathan Hensleigh, a making-of featurette, an interview with comic writer Garth Ennis, and more.

(MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP)

I guess they were trying to make an urban version of Airplane!, but maybe the makers of Soul Plane should have tried for funny instead. The DVD contains outtakes, deleted scenes, an audio commentary, a making-of featurette, survivor safety video, photo gallery, trailer, and a spotlight on the director.

(Lion's Gate, Not Rated, DVD-$44.95 SRP)

Even though the third season of Will & Grace provided the first glimpses of the stunt-casting gone awry that would envelope the show in later seasons, the ensemble was still firing on all cylinders – and they really are one of the most pitch-perfect comedy troupes on TV today. As far as bonus materials go, ignore the lame "themed featurettes" (basically just clips set to music) and go for the blooper reels from the first three seasons – there's the gold.

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

The HBO miniseries adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America is a vivid, heartbreaking, and beautiful piece of work. It handles its subject matter – the scourge of AIDS in the 80's and the lives it affects – with a force and emotion not often seen on the small screen, and it pulls no punches in its presentation of the social and political machinations at work during that period.

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

I have a power over you. If I were to even type the first line of a certain theme song, it's a pretty safe bet that you would instantly be compelled to finish the entire tune… That's the horrible power that pop culture holds over my generation. Here… Let's try… "Oh the world don't move to the beat of just one drum…" You finished it, didn't you? You'll probably also want to pick up the complete first season of Diff'rent Strokes. You know – the season with Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae), before she left for The Facts of Life ("You take the good, you take the bad…"). Bonus materials include a pair of featurettes featuring all the principals save for Gary Coleman (yes, Conrad Bain still lives), and audio commentaries with writer Fred Rubin.

(HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP)

When people aren't clamoring for Seinfeld to get its DVD release, they've been demanding Ray Romano's Everybody Loves Raymond. Well, they can feel happy on both counts, but the complete first season of Raymond is the first to make it out of the gate with a 5-disc set featuring all 22 episodes. Bonus features include 2 audio commentaries (with Romano and series creator Phil Rosenthal), three behind-the-scenes featurettes, and Romano's Letterman appearance that led to the idea for the show.

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

Okay, so it signaled the death knell for Disney and traditional animation, but is Home on the Range all that bad? Sadly, yes. Those groan-inducing trailers full of poor bovine jokes weren't lying, folks. There's plenty of beautiful animation to behold – the technical aspects of recent Disney films have been top-notch – but the story is just a mess. Well, that's what happens when executives stick their empty heads into the script process. The anamorphic DVD contains deleted scenes with filmmaker intros, a making-of featurette, a bonus short, and a wretched music video (Disney, please stop this).

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

While it in no way approaches of the genius of the Alec Guinness original, I did enjoy the Coen Brothers's offbeat southern gothic remake of The Ladykillers. Filling Guinness's shoes as the oily ringleader seeking to take advantage of the proximity of a kindly old woman's home to a nearby casino, Tom Hanks acquits himself admirably. If you didn't catch this in theaters, I suggest you give it a shot. Bonus features include outtakes, deleted music scenes, and a featurette on guitar-maker Danny Ferrington.

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

I don't know what it is, but a certain "something" was lost when the various TV series that had begun their run in the 1960's made their transition to color. The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan's Island, Bewitched… There's just some kind of intangible quality missing. Another show that went through that transition is Lost in Space, and you can see the differences for yourself in the previously available black & white first season and the first volume of Season 2, which contains the first half of the inaugural color season. There are no bonus features to speak of – just 16 episodes filled with the mincing creepiness of Dr. Smith and the lovable robotic cries of "Danger, Will Robinson!"

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

While it's a bit too hyperkinetic for my tastes, there are worse ways to kill a weekend than watching Denzel Washington rampage across the screen as a washed-up CIA operative who's begun to rebuild his life while guarding a young girl (played by creepy Dakota Fanning) - who gets kidnapped on his watch. Hence the rampaging. Man on Fire is like Michael Bay on acid, and I'm not sure yet if that's a good thing… Right now, it's just profoundly headache-inducing. The DVD contains audio commentaries with director Tony Scott, Fanning, producer Lucas Foster, and screenwriter Brian Helgeland.

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

Let this in no way be construed as an endorsement, but the second Scooby-Doo film, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, *is* better than the first live action outing. Of course, considering how abysmal that first film was, it really doesn't take much to be better. Both Linda Cardellini (as Velma) and Matthew Lillard (as Shaggy) are standouts, and there are plenty of nods to old school Scooby fans as the Mystery, Inc. crew take on supernatural manifestations of some of their classic villains. Tar monster, anyone? Bonus materials include additional scenes, 2 music videos, a featurette on how they made Scooby dance, the True Ghoul Hollywood Story, and a look at the moviemaking process.

(Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP)

While we deal with the interminable wait between seasonal sets, Simpsons fans can get a quick, cheap fix from another of Fox's single disc, 4-episode smorgasbord releases. The Simpsons Gone Wild features "Homer's Night Out," "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday," "The Mansion Family," and "Homer the Moe."

(Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP)

I was able to pull myself away from the jaws of the Survivor beast after the end of their second outing (the Outback) and never looked back. Sadly, my curiosity got the better of me and I got sucked into watching Survivor: All-Stars. It's like the best and worse things you can imagine about, say, your average family reunions – there are only a few people you care to see, the rest are annoying, and you can't help but laugh at how dysfunctional it all is. All-Stars delivers this in spades. The 7-disc complete seasons features the 2 reunion specials, bonus footage, audio commentary by various castmembers, and a half-dozen featurettes.

(Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$26.99 SRP)

If anyone wants to backtrack to the moment when George Lucas became an embittered Hollywood outsider, they need look no further than the harsh treatment his avant garde (and, truth be told, tedious) first film received at the hand of both Tinsletown execs and the viewing public. If Stanley Kubrick had decided to make an adaptation of both Star Wars and 1984 as a single film, it probably would have looked and felt like THX 1138, Lucas's stark tale of a man (Robert Duvall) whose mind and body are controlled by the government. It's also probably the most honest Lucas has been about his own cold, clinical emotional style as a filmmaker (later films would be humanized via collaborators or in the case of the Star Wars prequels, not at all). The 2-disc special edition DVD is worth picking up for its stunning presentation (both remastered sound and video), plus a solid assortment of bonus materials including an audio commentary (with Lucas and co-writer/sound designer Walter Murch), an isolated music and effects track with branching video segments, a documentary examining the early years of Coppola's American Zoetrope filmmaking experiment, a making-of documentary, Lucas's original student film version of THX 1138, a vintage production featurette, and trailers.

(MGM/UA, Rated R, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

A series of short story vignettes with an edge (aided and abetted by the stark black & white presentation), Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes is a brilliant little experiment in the art of conversation. Loaded with combinations both brilliant (Bill Murray with rappers RZA & GZA) and engrossingly baffling (Tom Waits and Iggy Pop), every vignette is told over – you guessed it – coffee and cigarettes. The DVD contains a Billy Murray outtake, Taylor Mead interview, "Tabletops," and the theatrical trailer.

(Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP)

There's nothing so gut-level funny as a good old-fashioned crank call. Add puppets into the mix and you get two things – surreal delirium and Crank Yankers: Season 1. This 2-disc collection of all 10 episodes is presented uncensored, meaning no bleeps to be found. Bonus features include two unaired calls and the "Dial 'T' for Torment" documentary on the creation of the show (and here's a shout-out to my buddy BJ Guyer… Just because...).

(Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP)

So Keri Russell's hair was still short and the ratings were still limping along, but the third season of Felicity was still a fun little ride (although not nearly as fun as the completely bizarre final season, replete with alternate realities). Th 5-disc set contains a season retrospective featurette and an audio commentaries on select episodes. Best of all, the set also includes the MadTV parody of the show. Brilliant addition.

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

Every generation needs a Heathers… You know, a subversive, darkly comic look at the psychological warzone that is high school. The closest we've come in the 21^st century is Tina Fey's biting look at the female clique, Mean Girls. Home-schooled in the African Bush by her zoologist parents, 15 year-old Cady gets thrown into the social deep end of public high school, encountering a group of socia-nistas out to destroy all those who land in their path. I loved it. I also love Tina Fey… But don't tell her I said that. Special features include an audio commentary (with Fey, producer Lorne Michaels, and director Mark Waters), featurettes, bloopers, deleted scenes (with optional commentary), interstitials, and the theatrical trailer.

(HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP)

In the pantheon of truly great (and consistent) comedy on TV, the list is short – you've got Monty Python, SCTV, The Kids in the Hall, and Mr. Show. When it comes to the often surreal nature of Pythonesque comedy, the closest successor in spirit of the list I just gave you is, without a doubt, Mr. Show. Anchored by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, it was unafraid to go anywhere, launching into often fearless (and sometimes baffling) directions that left the viewer thrilled for having leapt off the cliff with them. With the release of The Complete Fourth Season, the entire series is now on DVD and ready to be rediscovered. The fourth season set contains audio commentaries on all 10 episodes, a blooper reel, "The Naked Improv" 1998 Comic Relief appearance, "The Grand Reunion" featurette, and songs from the series.

(Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP)

If you were to make a more mainstream version of the classic Freaks & Geeks, it would probably be Popular – which revolves around the eternal struggle between the popular and unpopular at the fictional Kennedy High School. Like F&G, the show attempted to blend humor and drama which – while mostly successful – never reached the levels of the former. Still, it's a quirky bit of fun that made its contemporaries (like channel-mate Dawson's Creek) look all the more stilted. The 5-disc set contains all 22 first season episodes, plus audio commentaries on select shows.

(HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.95 SRP)

I know a lot of friends and colleagues who are positively enamored with HBO's drug scene drama The Wire. Personally, it's always left me a bit cold, although I can see where the multiple perspective look at the Baltimore inner-city drug trade – from both sides of the law – can suck in those looking for a quality piece of television. Decide for yourself with the Complete First Season, which also features audio commentaries on select episodes.

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

When 227 first hit the airwaves, I was living not too terribly far away from Washington, DC, where the show was set. At that point in my childhood, even this most tenuous connection to my realm of experience elevated even the most mediocre of programs. That the post- Jeffersons Marla Gibbs vehicle, about the goings-on in building 227, was actually a pretty funny show was definitely a plus – and you can see if I'm completely off my rocker by checking out the Complete First Season for yourself. The 3-disc set also contains a trio of featurettes. Should I mention that the show also blew my young mind by having a main castmember in Alaina Reed – Olivia from Sesame Street?

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

The real story of The Alamo is in the political machinations that led to its fall and the interpersonal backstories of the participants – not in the actual battle. The Alamo tries to capture a bit of that tale, but instead comes off as a turgid – and conflicted -  popcorn flick. You can tell filmmaker John Lee Hancock wanted to take a comprehensive look at the story, but… well, let's just say that commerce won out, and the loser is the audience. I'd be fascinated to know if there's an alternate cut of the film out there. Bonus materials include featurettes, a making-of, and deleted scenes.

(Columbia/Tristar, Rated R, DVD-$19.95 SRP)

Now that the adaptation of Stephen King's Christine has made it to DVD – as a special edition, no less – I think we've finally got all of the major John Carpenter flicks accounted for. It's by no means his best (I think that honor lies in a 3-way tie between Big Trouble, They Live, and The Thing), but it's still a enjoyable piece of schlock… I mean, it's about a killer car, for cripes sake. The disc contains an audio commentary with Carpenter and Keith Gordon, 3 featurettes, and 20 deleted and alternate scenes.