Blu-ray Today: Cowboys vs. Ninjas
Cowboy Bebop: The Complete Series – Whether or not you’re an anime fan this is a must-have. Cowboy Bebop is the quintessential sci-fi action series of all-time. Seriously, Firefly wishes it was this good. Go ahead, fight me.
If you’re unfamiliar with Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein then leave your house, right now, and go to Best Buy. If there ever was a series that transcends its genre, this is it. The opening theme and animation is rivaled only by ThunderCats, but this is no kids series. If you’re looking for something with outstanding storytelling, action, style, and music that you can sit back and soak in over and over, with a glass of Johnny Blue or a rich glass of 2008 Barone Ricasoli then watch the series that challenged every convention of its time.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – I’m obliged to include this because it exists. But you’d be better off with pretty much any version of the animated series, the films from the ’90s or the 2007 CG TMNT.
Maze Runner – The smash hit YA series comes to the screen starring MTV’s Teen Wolf‘s Dylan O’Brien to mixed reviews. Fans of the books seem to almost universally love the film, and O’Brien is good in everything he’s in, so if you’re looking for a teenage sci-fi love story, this is one of them. I think. I haven’t seen it.
Batman: The Complete Series – There are many ways we like our Batman but none so much as bright and campy! As amazing as TAS, Gotham, Batman 1989, and The Dark Knight all are, none hold up to a pot-bellied Adam West and the greatest portrayals of his rouge’s gallery ever put on screen. The only miss here is that the set doesn’t come in a Shakespeare bust or red Bat Phone.
Lord Of Illusions (Collector’s Edition) – One of the best of Clive Barker’s string of ’90s supernatural/horror films, stars Scott Bakula and is notable as Famke Janssen’s first big screen appearance.
The Love Bug – Included here because it was my first film in a theater. And it’s awesome. And I’m dating myself.