M*A*S*H: Season Eleven Collector’s Edition – By this, the eleventh and final season of the long-running sitcom to be released on DVD, one hopes that there are no remaining consumers who truly believe there’s anything even remotely collectable about these sets. They remain consistently devoid of special features. (There is, however, the new all-encompassing “Martinis and Medicine” collection, which is chock full of extras.) Frankly, there’s one reason why you should own Season 11: “Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen,” the final episode of the series. Sure, it went on a little long…much like the series itself, truth be told…but if you didn’t cry before it was all said and done, you’re a cold-hearted bastard.
Reba: The Complete Fourth Season – Say, I hear the Detroit Free Press calls “Reba” “a darn-tootin’ hoot!” Well, that explains why Fox keeps sending them the full-season sets of the show…but I’m mystified why we keep getting them. In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that I watched only one episode of this 3-disc set…actually, only half of it…and the only reason I endured those 10 minutes or so was because it guest-starred Dolly Parton. But, y’know, I said it about Season 3 and I’ll say it about Season 4: it’s not that “Reba” is awful, it’s just that it’s a rather pedestrian family sitcom…and as cute as a button as Reba McEntire may be, her show just doesn’t do a thing for me.
Forever Knight: The Trilogy, Part 3 (1995 – 1996) – Y’know, I remember the original TV movie that starred Rick Springfield as a cop who’s also a vampire, and I vaguely remember hearing something about it having been turned into a regular series, but, wow, it ran for three years? I had no idea. Geraint Wyn Davies is Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire who’s working as a Toronto policeman in a quest for redemption and to regain his mortality. Sounds rather suspiciously like “Angel” to me…except that the original “Nick Knight” TV movie premiered seven years before Angel first showed up on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Also, “Angel” is a hell of a lot better. Maybe I’d appreciate this set more if I’d seen the first two parts of the trilogy…but I’m thinking probably not.
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Volume 10 – Given that Rhino’s now on their 10th 4-disc collection of the best “MST3K” episodes, how much do we really need to say about this? Well, here’s a brief summation, at least. The four films this time around are “Godzilla vs. Megalon,” “Swamp Diamonds” (plus the short, “What To Do on a Date”), “Teen-Age Strangler” (plus the short, “Is This Love?”), and “The Giant Spider Invasion.” It’s split down the middle as half Joel Hodgson, half Mike Nelson, so there’s something for everybody. Special features include a “video jukebox” that includes several original songs from throughout the run of the show, as well as a collection of outtakes. As long as Rhino keeps putting these sets out, we’ll keep recommending them.
