BARBRA STREISAND & QUARTET

AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD: ONE NIGHT ONLY

On September 26, 2009, Barbra Streisand took to the stage of New York City's Village Vanguard jazz club 48 years after her last club performance.  This unique setting enabled the star to give a more intimate and up close concert than usual as she is accompanied by only a quartet of musicians.

MSRP: $18.97 (DVD+CD)

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 from Columbia

DARIA: THE COMPLETE ANIMATED SERIES

A must for any true Daria fan, the entire five season spinoff series from MTV's Beavis and Butt-Head is available for the first time on DVD.  What's more, this set includes the two TV-movies, Is it Fall Yet? and Is it College Yet? so this really does appear to be complete as advertised.  Daria's brand of detached, cynical, self-aware humor may be too much for many viewers in large doses, however.  Daria-diehards, on the other hand, will relish about 27 hours worth of dry bon mots.

MSRP: $72.99

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2010 from MTV/Paramount

THE FACTS OF LIFE: THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON

Now being distributed by Shout! Factory, Mrs. Garrett and the girls are back with their fourth season of sitcom hijinks.  This season was pivotal in that it allowed the two older girls, Blair and Jo, to graduate from high school, which set the stage for taking the action out of school beginning in season 5.

MSRP: $39.99

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 from Shout! Factory

INVICTUS

Matt Damon stars in his Oscar-nominated performance as Francois Pienaar, leader of South Africa's rugby team.  Morgan Freeman, also Oscar-nominated, turns in a deft performance as South African president Nelson Mandela who sees the upcoming Rugby World Cup as a step toward healing and reconciliation among South Africa's black and white populations.  Traditional Hollywood feel-good sports movie given weight by the fact that it was based on true events.

MSRP: $28.98

RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2010 from Warner Home Video

IRON MAN: THE COMPLETE 1994 ANIMATED TELEVISION SERIES

Just in time for the release of Iron Man 2, which kicks off this year's blockbuster movie season, comes the complete series of Iron Man that aired for two seasons in the early 1990s.  As with its companion series, Fantastic Four, the second season episodes are better than the first, but there's enough armored action to satisfy any Iron Fan.  All 26 episodes are present and accounted for, but will likely be missing the Stan Lee introductions that preceded the 1990s broadcasts.

MSRP: $29.99

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

IRON MAN ARMORED ADVENTURES: THE COMPLETE SEASON ONE

Also just in time for the release of Iron Man 2 comes the more recent attempt at bringing Iron Man to television.  This was Nickelodeon's CGI-animated series that revamped the backstory and casts Tony Stark as a teenage Iron Man having to fight both crime and zits with equal fervor in these 26 episodes.

MSRP: $29.93

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 by Vivendi Entertainment

M

Pivotal German thriller by famed director Fritz Lang (Metropolis).  Peter Lorre stars as child killer Hans Beckert, who is on the run for his crimes from both the police and the underworld who are indirectly feeling the heat from the authorities.  Establishes many of the hallmarks of the noir psychological suspense thriller.  Criterion's version out this month is a new high definition digital transfer of the 1931 classic with loads of bonus features.  On Blu-Ray for the first time.

MSRP: $39.95 on Blu-Ray

RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2010 from Criterion

MARCUS WELBY, M.D. Season 1

Beloved veteran television actor Robert Young starred in his other long running hit television series (the first being Father Knows Best) as Doctor Marcus Welby who is paired up with young Doctor Steven Kiley (played by the future Mr. Barbra Streisand, James Brolin).  In a TV twist, the elder Welby seems to be the more open-minded of the pair as contrasted to the more by-the-book Kiley.  Exceptional scripts and acting earned this series and both of its stars Emmy awards and made it a fan favorite for its seven seasons on the air.  A must-buy for fans of classic television as this series hasn't really been a syndication staple since it left the network airwaves in the 1970s.

MSRP: $49.97

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 from Shout! Factory

NINE

Directed by Rob Marshall, who previously made the hit broadway musical, Chicago, into a hit film, Nine is a noticeably lesser effort all the way around as it attempts to bring Broadway's Nine to film.  Both the film and the theater production are based on Federico Fellini's classic film, 8 1/2.  The movie version of Nine is filled with gung-ho performances and frantic visual style, but it works better on the stage with a professional Broadway cast.  However, this wasn't the disaster that many critics claimed it to be.  Fans of musicals should give it a buy, and for the curious civilians, a rental will do.

MSRP: $28.95

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 from Sony Pictures

SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS: 1980s vol. 1

After the relatively disappointing sales on the 1960s collections, Warner Home Video has jumped ahead to the 1980s for a 2-disc set of more recent offerings.  Included are sample epsiodes from The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley (based on Martin Short's sketch character), Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos, Mister T, Dragon's Lair, Galtar and the Golden Lance, Thundarr the Barbarian, The Kwicky Koala Show (the last series Tex Avery created), The Flintstone Kids, The Biskitts, and The Monchhichis.

MSRP: $26.98

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 from Warner Home Video

TOOTH FAIRY

Much like Schwarzengger's Kindergarten Cop and other such comedies that got its laughs from taking a tough guy out of his element and showing his softer side, Tooth Fairy stars former pro wrestler, Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock") as a hockey player who is turned into a tooth fairy for two weeks after he tells his daughter that such beings do not exist.  Comedic tomfoolery follows as he proves to be not a very good fairy.  Does he learn his lesson?  What do you think?  Johnson makes this film watchable as he displays natural screen charisma.

MSRP: $29.99

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 from 20th Century Fox

TRUE BLOOD: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON

Second season of the fan favorite HBO series created by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) featuring all 12 episodes.  Return to the southern town of Bon Temps, Louisiana for more mystery, secrets, and teeth.  Based upon the Southern Vampire Mysteries (aka Sookie Stackhouse series) vampire novels by author Charlaine Harris.  Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer star as interspecies lovers (telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse and vampire Bill Compton, respectively) in this black (and red!) comedy/drama/horror mix.

MSRP: $59.99

RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2010 from HBO Home Video

VALENTINE'S DAY

All-Star cast featuring Julia Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, Patrick Dempsey, Anne Hathaway, Shirley Maclaine, and tons of others.  Directed by Garry Marshall, Valentine's Day follows its large cast in vignettes that often intersect as the film's couples cope with the state of their relationships as Valentine's Day approaches.

MSRP: $28.98

RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2010 from New Line Cinema

THE VIRGINIAN: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Restored and remastered version of the classic western that ran on NBC for 9 seasons (1962-1971).  Each episode is 90 minutes long and follows the lives of the residents of the fictional town of Medicine Bow, Wyoming in the Old West.  Actor James Drury heads the cast in the title role.  The Virginian was filmed in color from this very first year, and is the only western lasting more than one season to air 90-minute episodes throughout its entire run.  Superb scripts made this series one of the longest running westerns on television.  This set, along with Timeless Media's recent release of Wagon Train Season 1 are must haves for any fan of classic TV westerns.

MSRP: $79.98

RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2010 from Timeless Media Group

WAITING FOR GOD: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION         

If you're a fan of Britcoms, the upcoming release of the full series Waiting for God, which had previously been released in separate season sets, is for you.  Graham Crowden and Stephanie Cole star as residents of the Bayview Retirement Community in Bournemouth, England who constantly, and hilariously, bedevil Bayview's inept manager, Harvey Baines, played by Daniel Hill.  Along the five seasons, the relationship between the two leads blossoms from friendship to love.

MSRP: $119.98

RELEASE DATE: May 25, 2010 from BBC Warner

X-MEN vol. 5

Volume 5 contains the final 14 episodes of this long running 1990s animated series on 2 discs.  Plotlines are resolved and secrets are revealed as everything comes to a satisfying conclusion.  Rated by fans as one of the best animated series featuring the Marvel Comics stable of superheroes, this set contains episodes featuring the X-Men's friends and foes including the Phalanx, Mr. Sinister, Omega Red, Longshot, Captain America, Arkon, Fabian Cortez, Cannonball, and, of course, Magneto.

MSRP: $23.99

RELEASE DATE: May 4, 2010 by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment