Yup...way behind again. Welcome to my life. TOO many things to watch/play/read/etc. So, here's some of the titles from the past month I missed commenting on...

BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD: MIKE JUDGE'S MOST WANTED (DVD)

In honor of the new Beavis & Butthead show (I know, I have trouble believing it myself), creator Mike Judge's reportedly 'favorite' 20 episodes of the two juvenile delinquents are collected here on one dvd. All of course previously released in "The Mike Judge Collection", but who needs to be that complete? Unless you actually want the music videos they were satirizing, which was the main reason to watch MTV's show in the first place. Because those...those aren't here. Personally, I wish Judge had put his efforts into an "Office Space" sequel, but as Leon pointed out to me, that's kind of what "Extract" was originally conceived of, so I guess I should just be quiet. 

--CLICK HERE TO BUY Beavis & Butthead: Mike Judge's Most Wanted

LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL (Blu-Ray)

Before you ask, no, writer/director/star Roberto Benigni's immortal Oscar night happy dance is NOT included in the bonus features for this HD upgrade of the 1997 multiple Oscar winning film. Shame, really. Seems like a no-brainer, but mainly what you get here, aside from a short TV doc about it, is just the film itself, featuring Roberto as Guido, a happy Italian Jew who spends the first half of the film building a family, and the second half, keeping his son's spirits up while they're both imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp. Yeah, I know. But trust me, this ain't that obnoxious and similarly themed Robin Williams film. "Life is Beautiful" is indeed, as the title trumpets, a "Modern Masterpiece" and deserves a watch.

--CLICK HERE TO BUY Life is Beautiful [Blu-ray]

THE LION KING (Blu-Ray)

Yes, I DO suck for not bringing this one up immediately upon release. There's a reason it's the highest grossing hand-drawn film in history...it still rules. Regardless of Disney's hyper-aggressive over-marketing of all things Lion King (and jeez...quit it already, you've made literally almost a BILLION dollars from it), this original 1994 feature about a young lion prince learning what it means to be king while his diabolical uncle plots against his forthcoming rule, is a masterpiece. And I'm not just saying that because it's about cats. Okay, a LITTLE of why I'm saying that is because it's about cats, but that's neither here nor there. This new and long awaited Blu-Ray release (and in 3D for those who dig such things) doesn't fuck around...a perfect upgrade and packed with new bonus features, you should get this one while it's hot.

--CLICK HERE TO BUY The Lion King (Two-Disc Diamond Edition Blu-ray / DVD Combo in Blu-...

PLANET EARTH (Blu-Ray)

The quality of BBC's 2006 eleven episode nature documentary series has yet to be surpassed by later (although also awesome) series, in terms of either quality of the material or in just how goddamn gorgeous it looks on a big-ass HD screen. Stoners the world over still turn to "Planet Earth" in times of chillaxing need. But what's up with this new special edition? Why double dip? First off, the new edition is slightly better (with some controversy in tech circles) HD quality in video and sound than the previous release. Secondly, how does 13+ hours (counting some commentaries) of bonus features sound? Oh yeah, and FOUR new episodes? Nature doc dorks like me should be SQUEEing about now.

--CLICK HERE TO BUY Planet Earth: Special Edition [Blu-ray]

PROHIBITION (Blu-Ray and DVD)

What with all the recent stirring up of the marijuana legalization controversy yet again, now seems like a good time to not be doomed to repeat history, by learning something about it. Who does that better than Ken Burns, famed documentarian, who has taken on with his PBS series subjects like The Civil War, Baseball, and Jazz? Sure enough, this three part series that takes a close look at the 13 years of alcohol being illegal in the United States, is as edifying as you'd expect. The road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions, as the well-meaning teetotalers of the era in attempting to help the women and children defend themselves against the evils brought out in some men by their drinking (and boy, did they know how to put it away back then), unintentionally created organized crime. That's important to remember when you hear about the violence associated with the drug trade being an argument for the 'evils' of any given inebriant; it's draconian laws that create financial opportunities that lead to the violence, not the drugs themselves. Rant over.

--CLICK HERE TO BUY Ken Burns: Prohibition [Blu-ray]