MASH: The Complete Series, a DVD set which houses the entire sitcom which made a huge impact on American television from 1972 – 1983, is now available at an irresistibly discounted price of $79.99 (that’s 76% off the list price of $329.98!) from Amazon, a deal that’s good for today only.

Also included in this great collection is the 1970 Robert Altman directed film which the television series was adapted from. Both showcase the hijinks of the 4077, the Medical Army Surgical Unit (hence the acronym “MASH”) during the Korean War of the 1950s, whose steely-eyed approach in operating on the massive amounts of wounded soldiers who are brought to them are counterparted with comedic moments which alleviates the unit’s stress and tension from having such a pressure-filled job.

Marvel Knights: Wolverine Origin
DVD
Based on the comic written by Paul Jenkins
Screenplay adapted by Joe Quesada, Paul Jenkins and Bill Jemas
Original Art by Andy Kubert and Richard Isanove
Directed by Carl Upsdell
Shout! Factory
Rated R | 66 Minutes
Release Date: July 9, 2013

Many of you may not of heard of this new comic format. It’s referred to as a motion comic. Essentially it’s a comic or graphic novel that is adapted to film by basically dissecting each panel and moving pieces of it to create the illusion of action. It is probably pretty painstaking work since we don’t see too much of it. Marvel Knights: Wolverine Origin is the first of these I have seen from Marvel, though I do own one from another comic company.

Being referred to as “the greatest story never told” is a tough bill, but ever since being introduced in 1975, Wolverine has been one of the most enigmatic comic characters around. Whereas other heroes had their backstories filled in fairly well, poor Logan’s has long remained a mystery. Until Paul Jenkins wrote the graphic novel Wolverine Origin and revealed the past for all to see, that is. I must admit, I remember reading the story back in 2009 and pretty much liking it. There were still some obvious gaps that I figured were there to create places to add in new stories later. Remembering all of this I went into the viewing of this motion comic with a pretty open mind.

Revenge For Jolly!
DVD | Amazon Instant
Directed by Chadd Harbold
Starring Brian Petsos, Mia, Oscar Isaac, Elijah Wood, Ryan Phillippe, Kristen Wiig, Gillian Jacobs, David Rasche
Sony Pictures
Theatrical Release: April 21, 2012
DVD Release: May 7, 2013

Never harm another man’s dog.

Revenge For Jolly is a shambolic (though darkly amusing) journey through a day in the life of Harry (Brian Petsos). The hunt is on for a thug by the name of Bachmeier (Ryan Phillippe) who is responsible for the death of the fine mini pinscher whose name appears in the title of the film. The eccentric movie has a lot of ups-and-downs throughout, mixing dry comedy with dark comedy – Revenge For Jolly is a flick that has all the flavor of Smokin’ Aces, but lacks the punchiness. Instead, it’s a cross-breed of Superbad meets Pulp Fiction meets Cheech And Chong punctuated with gratuitous and gory violence.

Dead Souls
DVD | Blu-ray
Director: Colin Theys
Screenwriter: John Doolan
Cast: Jesse James, Bill Moseley, Magda Apanowicz, Noah Fleiss, Jaiden Kaine
Scream! Factory
Unrated | 92 Minutes
Release Date: June 25, 2013

Directed by Colin Theys (Remains) and written by John Doolan (Assault of the Sasquatch), Dead Souls is based upon the novel of the same name by Michael Laimo.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a baby is the sole survivor of a horrific family massacre. The infant is adopted by a crazy person who keeps the child’s history a deep, dark secret. On his 18th birthday, the kid gets a phone call out of nowhere letting him know that he’s inherited a large estate aka a ramshackle farmhouse and barn in the woods.

He ventures to Maine where he meets an attorney anxious to get the estate dealt with as soon as possible. The kid, against the advice of some off-kilter locals who tell him to turn back and go back where he came from, decides to stay at what is revealed to be site of said horrific family massacre.

Oz: The Great and Powerful
Blu-ray/DVD/Digital l Blu-ray/Digital l Blu-ray 3D/Digital l DVD/Digital
DIRECTOR: Sam Raimi
WRITERS: Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire
STARRING: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Zach Braff, Joey King, Bill Cobbs, Tony Cox, Bruce Campbell
Walt Disney Home Entertainment
RELEASE DATE: June 11, 2013

When we first heard back in 2010 that a new movie based on the fantastical tale The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum titled Oz the Great and Powerful was on the way with American Beauty and Skyfall director Sam Mendes and Robert Downey Jr. possibly attached, there was certainly intrigue, but there was also a whole lot of question as to the sanity of Disney. 1939’s The Wizard of Oz is a timeless classic, beloved by millions, and despite it being a remake in its own right (see older versions here) the thought of someone even trying to do anything set in the land of Oz seemed absurd. But as I said over three years ago, Baum’s world and characters are eternally ripe for reinterpretation.

Eventually The Evil Dead and Spider-Man director Sam Raimi became attached, then stepped away from the planned World of Warcraft movie to take on Oz. Some complications arose, as is always expected. Downey Jr. was replaced by Johnny Depp for the lead, then James Franco was eventually cast to replace Depp. Obviously things settled down eventually and the movie got made, but does it recapture the same magic that the ’39 classic had, or does it swing and miss?