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DVD Day: August 9th, 2011


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?? M.A.S.K.: The Complete Series
Shout Factory was kind enough to send me a copy of this set for review, and I first want to say this thing looks great. The colors are crisp and clean and Shout did a hell of a job remastering it it. It’s a shame that there aren’t any extras beyond a couple of retrospective featurettes, but 1) I’m sure Shout tried to get everything that was reasonably available and 2) I’m always of the mindset that Shout is doing the nerd lord’s work, so god bless them for putting out the best M.A.S.K. DVD collection they can when other companies would just crap one out, if they bothered to release it at all.

As for the cartoon itself… well, it’s no G.I. Joe or Transformers, but that’s because Hasbro had clearly used their A-animation teams to make those shows, and M.A.S.K. was a distinct second priority. The show’s animation is still good, but the show is hilariously… consistent, shall I say? I watched more than a dozen episodes, and almost all of them were about Miles Mayhem trying to get his hands on some magical ancient artifact for some nefarious but undisclosed reason, Matt Tracker’s kid Scott being an idiot and getting in mortal danger, Matt Tracker never sounding worried or concerned about his child once, and then M.A.S.K. saving the day. Every. Single. Time. It’s not bad, it’s actually kind of fun to watch these guys mark off their checklist each episode. And I had forgotten that M.A.S.K.‘s masks had absolutely nothing to do with their transforming vehicles — their masks all had random powers, like levitation, but then everybody also had cars that turned into boats and shit. Really, the masks were quite secondary to the vehicles, and I have no idea why the toyline bothered with the masks at all. Anyways, it’s a lot of fun, and at $60 for all 65 episodes, it’s a solid deal, too.

? Paul
Simon Pegg and Nick Frost meet Seth Rogen in little gray alien form during an American nerd road trip. It’s no Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz, but it’s pretty fun.

? Your Highness
Man, I’m torn about this stoner fantasy comedy. The all ages previews made it look terrible. The redband trailers made it look hilarious, and also showed off Natalie Portman’s ass (or at least a cunning stunt double’s ass). Still, I think I’m going to have to give it a watch, just to see (the movie, not Natalie Portman’s fake ass).

? Super
The guy who wrote and directed Slither takes on real-life superheroes. I’ve heard mixed reviews, but everyone says it’s very dark, but it also contains this, so… yeah.

? Mars Needs Moms
This CG movie got terrible reviews, but it’s based on a children’s book by Bloom County‘s Berke Breathed, who I worship, so fuck everybody.

? Dead Man
Admittedly, this Jim Jarmusch western isn’t particularly nerdy, but it’s one of my favorite flicks and is totally fucked up, so I just thought I let you lovers of fine films know that it’s available on Blu-ray.

? Doctor Who: The Sun Makers and Paradise Towers
Stories 95 and 149, respectively.