Lower Decks

This is a good week for fans of genre television. The ABC series Pushing Daisies arrives with its first season on both DVD and Blu-ray. Likewise the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood arrives in both formats as well: Blue-ray for the previously available on DVD first series and the region one DVD debut for the second series. The first season of the NBC comedy/action series Chuck also hits stores and those who wish to recall their youth may be interested in a trio of Goosebumps stories. The big treat for Star Trek fans is the Alternate Realities Fan Collective, which compiles twenty episodes spanning the five live action series, all built around the theme of alternate realities. The Mirror Universe stuff is included as well as some one-shots from various series that fit the theme. The five-disc set includes these episodes:

TOS: The Alternative Factor
TOS: Mirror, Mirror
TOS: The Enemy Within
TOS: Turnabout Intruder
TNG: Yesterday’s Enterprise
TNG: The Inner Light
TNG: Frame of Mind
TNG: Parallels
DS9: Crossover
DS9: Through The Looking Glass
DS9: The Visitor
DS9: Shattered Mirror
VOY: Before & After
VOY: Timeless
VOY: Course: Oblivion
VOY: Shattered
ENT: Twilight
ENT: E²
ENT: In a Mirror, Darkly, Part 1
ENT: In a Mirror, Darkly, Part 2

Film fans have a few treats to choose from as well. Fans of Asian horror have Death Note and They Wait. Beyond The Door, a cheap, sleazy Italian rip-off of The Exorcist finally arrives on DVD. Those wishing to reminisce can do so with new edition of 80’s classics Beetlejuice and Weird Science. Those who wish to recall earlier days, notably the cheap films that played in grindhouse theaters in the 70’s can do so with two new double features from BCI, both under the Exploitation Cinema imprint. Finally, the live action Speed Racer film which bombed so spectacularly earlier this year arrives on home video in both DVD and Blu-ray editions (available in both full screen and wide screen transfers in the former format).

Note: this is not a comprehensive list of all DVD release for September 16th, 2008. Rather, it reflects titles that may be more of interest to genre fans.

Animation
Alvin & the Chipmunks – The Alvinnn!!! Edition
Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Complete Book 3 Collection
Duckman – Seasons 1 & 2

TV
Chuck – The Complete 1st Season
Criminal Minds – The Complete 3rd Season
Goosebumps – A Night in Terror Tower
Goosebumps – Monster Blood
Goosebumps – One Day at Horrorland
Pushing Daisies – The Complete 1st Season
Pushing Daisies – The Complete 1st Season (Blu-ray)
Star Trek: Alternate Realities Fan Collective
Torchwood – The Complete 1st Series (Blu-ray)
Torchwood – The Complete 2nd Series

Film
The Babysitters
Beetlejuice (20th Anniversary Edition)
Beyond The Door
The Breed
The Charlie Chan Collection volume 5
Class of 1999
Death Note
Exploitation Cinema: Cemetery Girls/Vampire Hookers
Exploitation Cinema: Terror/Satan’s Slave
The Legend of Bloody Mary
Monster Movie
Speed Racer
They Wait
Weird Science (Flashback Edition)