Adventures of Brer Rabbit | Baby Looney Tunes | Bewitched | The Brady Bunch | The Busby Berkeley Collection | Buster Keaton: 65th Anniversary Collection | Bukowski: Born Into This | Capote | Chicken Little | David and Bathsheba | A History of Violence | Hogan's Heroes: The Complete Third Season | Huff | A League of Ordinary Gentlemen | Loggerheads | Mind of Mencia | Over There | Paul Mooney's Analyzing White America | Remember the Titans | Show Me | South Park | Stalag 17 | The Story of Ruth | The Ten Commandments | The Thing Called Love | Through the Fire: Director's Cut | Townes Van Zandt: Be Here to Love Me | The White Shadow | The Year of the Yao | The Young Riders

	Capote For all the attention and honors the movie has garnered, it might come as a surprise to learn that Capote has only managed to attract roughly $26 million worth of business at the domestic box office. This pitiful showing reflects far less poorly on the achievements of the filmmakers and actors than the unwillingness of American audiences to support intelligent material. Fortunately for the film's backers, its production budget was estimated at $7 million, probably a third of what the distributors spent on prints and publicity. The DVD edition likely will do very good business, if only because a rental is cheaper than the cost of a ticket and adults are far less intimidated by video stores than multiplexes. If not … it is, of course, their loss. Philip Seymour Hoffman is every bit as good as his Oscar for Best Actor would suggest, as is the supporting cast of Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr. and Mark Pellegrino. The DVD adds commentary by director Bennett Miller, Hoffman and cinematographer Adam Kimmel; Unanswered Prayers, a documentary on Capote; and two behind-the-scenes documentaries. It would have been ever better if Sony had paired Capote and Richard Brooks' In Cold Blood in the same package. Both being products of the same company, however, it's likely to be part of a super-duper collector's edition down the road. -- Gary Dretzka MCN Review: Bennett Miller returns with a different kind of statement. There is no sign of a documentarian here. No aggressively aimless handheld camera… no feel of verite' at all. The character scenes are steady and assured. The performances are flawless. And the landscapes are as clean and simple as the work of Ansel Adams and Laura Gilpin. Beautiful. Pride Unprejudiced: Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance captures the strangeness of being Truman Capote, and by extension, of being a writer. Serene and studied, Capote well captures what it means to observe, the discomfort of the observer when he thinks he is not being seen, caught out, dissected.
	History of Violence David Cronenberg's A History of Violence was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2005, but it hardly raised a ripple in the year-end kudofests. This occasionally gory profile of a seemingly unremarkable small-town businessman – a leopard who managed to change his spots, but couldn't wash away the stain of his original sins -- raised many provocative questions … perhaps, too many. No one could have left this movie without asking themselves how they would react if their spouse had suddenly revealed an unsavory past, and an ability to kill a man with a single, well-aimed blow to the nose. While William Hurt's brief appearance was noticed by academy voters, the snubbing of Viggo Mortensen and Maria Bello's powerful performances was inexplicable. Not for the faint of heart, A History of Violence deserves another shot in DVD, especially in light of Cronenberg's commentary and four featurettes expanding on issues raised in the drama. -- Gary Dretzka MCN Review: A History of Violence is the kind of movie that rewards a second or even third look: an intelligent film, perfectly executed, by one of the best directors working in the English language today. It’s also an acrid critique of violence and vengeance that also works as an edge-of-your-seat drama, a dry comedy, and one more Cronenberg movie that casually, forcefully, illuminates the role of power in sexual relationships.
	Keane Schizophrenia is a difficult malady to portray on screen. Typically, the lazy filmmaker will fall back on testimonials from psychiatrists and the same visual-effects wizardry that transformed Mr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde. Writer-director Lodge Kerrigan, who tackled the subject once before, in Clean, Shaven (1994), resorts to neither device. Keane allows the audience to reach its own conclusions and diagnoses. Little-known Brit actor Damian Lewis gives a haunting performance as the father of a girl whose months-long absence may or may not be the result of a kidnapping, or worse. It's only when William takes up with the mother of another young girl that our concern for his general well-being changes into genuine fear for her safety. Damian Lewis' performance was equal to that of any of the five gentlemen nominated for an Oscar this year. This DVD will leave viewers squirming and guessing long after its 100 minutes of tightly harnessed intensity have elapsed. -- Gary Dretzka Digital Nation: In his gripping psychological drama, Keane, Lodge Kerrigan takes a parent’s greatest nightmare, and, by making his audience an accomplice to what may be a crime in progress, ratchets up the fear factor to an almost unimaginable degree.
	Reel Paradise When indie-film pioneers John and Janet Pierson decided to move to a tropical island for a year, and run the local uniplex, they probably hoped that their experience wouldn't provide the grist for a documentary on how unlike paradise Fiji could be for non-natives. But, in addition to the joy they found in presenting classic films to under-screened Tavenui, they also were confronted with the facts of life in the Third World. Steve James' camera was there to document the sparks that flew between the Piersons and their teenage children, as well as the aftermath of a frightening home burglary and resistance from the local Catholic Church and censors. Anyone who sees the islanders' reaction to the Three Stooges will never again doubt the therapeutic power of film. -- Gary Dretzka Digital Nation:Like Peter Bogdanovich’s deeply evocative coming-of-age drama, Steve James’ bittersweet documentary, Reel Paradise, could have ended with a lonely farewell to an iconic institution in the middle of nowhere. Instead of Red River, the title on the fading marquee might have been … well, Jackass.
	Chicken Little The Adventures of Brer Rabbit Disney's Chicken Little updates the time-honored sky-is-falling fable, by providing Chicken Little (voiced by Zach Braff) with an opportunity to redeem himself in the eyes of his neighbors and friends in Oakley Oaks. It arrives in the form of alien spacecraft that, indeed, had fallen from the sky and landed in a nearby lake. This time, the world's most famous alarmist is joined by pals Ugly Duckling (Joan Cusack), Runt of the Litter (Steve Zahn) and Fish Out of Water. The CGI feature isn't up to usual Disney standards, but younger children should find it enjoyable, as will the interactive bonus features. The young'uns are likely to find something to like, as well, in Universal's The Adventures of Brer Rabbit. The straight-to-video animated feature doesn't add much to the Uncle Remus tales of Joel Chandler Harris, but it will have to do until Disney works up the gumption to re-release Song of the South (which should happen at approximately the same time as the similarly un-PC Amos ‘n' Andy arrives in DVD). It does offer several original songs and such voicing talent as Wayne Brady, Nick Cannon, Danny Glover, D.L. Hughley and Wanda Sykes.-- Gary Dretzka
The Ten Commandments: 50th Anniversary Collection The Story of Ruth David and Bathsheba It's that time of the year, again, when children around the world contemplate the miracles and mysteries described in the bible, and turn to Charlton Heston and the Easter bunny for answers to their many questions about God. Hollywood epics don't come much bigger than Cecil B. DeMille's two versions – one silent, the other not – of The Ten Commandents, and that's most of the fun here. If it were to be re-made a third time, the budget probably would top $300 million and Moses would be played by an Aramaic-speaking Vin Diesel. But, why bother? Paramount has remounted the classic in a terrific new set, which, besides re-mastering, includes both the 1956 and 1923 versions; hand-tinted footage of the Exodus and Red Sea-parting sequence from the 1923 version; commentary by film historian Katherine Orrison; a six-part making-of documentary, featuring interviews with Heston and composer Elmer Bernstein; newsreel footage of the New York premiere; and trailers. Fox also has just re-released Bible epics from its archives. The Story of Ruth and David and Bathsheba are memorable mostly for their portrayals of Old Testament temptresses and studly Israelis. For my money, Susan Hayward (Bathsheba) could part the Red Sea simply by blowing a kiss toward its waves, and Elana Eden's (Ruth) could make the Sphinx blush with a veiled smile. In the waning days of the Production Code some of the medium's sultriest material could be found in biblical epics. -- Gary Dretzka
A League of Ordinary Gentlemen Throughout most of the '60s, '70s and '80s, bowling had the distinction of being both the most maligned and popular of televised sports. In the visual vocabulary of Hollywood, nothing said blue-collar more succinctly than a bowling shirt and multicolor shoes. It could be made to look like great fun – especially in first-date situations -- but the subliminal message being delivered more often was one of condescension. The Big Lebowski and Kingpin played off these stereotypes in hilarious fashion, but many beer-leaguers simply saw them as slumming. With the arrival of competition from cable television – especially ESPN and other all-sports networks – ratings for tour events took a nosedive. This prompted ABC to cut its ties to the PBA, whose tournaments were a Saturday-afternoon staple for decades. A League of Ordinary Gentlemen documents newly installed CEO Steve Miller's attempts to breathe new life into the PBA and the careers of the its stars, who had almost given up hope of ever seeing their names in lights, again. Among the well-known players who gave the PBA another shot were Pete Weber, Walter Ray Williams Jr., Chris Barnes and Wayne Webb. Christopher Browne's appropriately straightforward documentary follows the bowlers from one dingy factory town to another, and peeks into their cut-rate motel rooms and mobile homes. It's an extremely unglamorous life, made even less appealing by Miller's profane rants and undisguised money lust. Even so, these once-idolized blue-collar heroes understand that without their new boss' drive and support they might as well be take a job at the local pro shop drilling holes in bowling balls. Absent the financial support of the TV networks, athletes in all professional sports would find themselves in the same predicament. Because of this, Browne's documentary can be seen as a modern-day parable, from which many important lessons about fleeting fame can be learned.-- Gary Dretzka
Loggerheads Given the birthing ritual of the loggerhead turtle, it should come as no surprise to learn that Tim Kirkman's intriguing indie drama focuses on the shared impulse to glide through life on the fickle currents of fate, only to return home when nature and/or duty calls. The central character of the story is a young drifter, Mark (Kip Pardue), who, one year, decides to take up residence on a North Carolina beach to protect the eggs of the endangered turtles. His story overlaps with those of an uptight preacher and his strait-laced wife, who rejected their adopted son after learning he was gay, and a middle-aged woman newly curious about the son she gave up for adoption two decades before we meet her. Apart from the overt symbolism of the title – and some occasionally clunky melodrama – Kirkman is successful in connecting all the dots, which are spaced several hundred miles and three years apart from each other. Patient viewers will be rewarded by the film's sincerity and compassion, as well as the superb performances of Pardue, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Kelly, Tess Harper and Chris Sarandon. -- Gary Dretzka
Buster Keaton: 65th Anniversary Collection The shorts anthologized in this collection hardly represent the Great Stone Face's best work. By 1939, when Keaton joined Columbia Pictures, talkies were the preferred medium for dramatists and comedians, and Keaton was struggling to keep up with the pack. Once celebrated as a director, as well as an actor, he now was taking orders from guys who made their reputations churning out Three Stooges shorts. On the plus side, though, most of these titles haven't been seen for a while, and they'll certainly be of interest to Keaton fans and comedy buffs. The films include Pest from the West, General Nuisance, She's Oil Mine, His Ex Marks the Spot, Pardon My Berth Marks, Mooching Through Georgia, Nothing But Pleasure, The Spook Speaks, The Taming of the Snood and So You Won't Squawk. -- Gary Dretzka
Paul Mooney's Analyzing White America Paul Mooney, a comedian whose face is far more recognizable than his name, has served as a muse for such formidable talents as Dave Chappelle, Richard Pryor, any number of Wayans brothers, Robert Townsend and Sandra Bernhard. Among other accomplishments, he created Homey the Clown and Negrodamus. He also worked on Sanford and Son, Good Times, The Richard Pryor Show, In Living Color and Saturday Night Live. As such, Mooney has become something of an icon among those aspiring to success as a standup comedian. The performance recorded here suffers from poor production values, and an audio track that actually makes the audience's reactions sound like a sitcom laugh track. Neither is Mooney shy about using the N-word to punctuate his observations about white folks and racism. Tim Reid's interview with the comic is definitely a plus. - Gary Dretzka
The Thing Called Love Peter Bogdanovich directed this often delightful ditty about an attractive group of aspiring singer-songwriters, at a time when his career was still recovering from repercussions of girlfriend Dorothy Stratten's horrific death a decade earlier. The maker of such critical successes as The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon had won back friends with Mask and Texasville, but he was still struggling to regain any sort of consistent momentum. Set in Nashville, The Thing Called Love starred Samantha Mathis, Sandra Bullock, Dermot Mulroney and River Phoenix, whose drug-induced death nearly coincided with the release of the movie. Even though Bogdanovich had next to nothing to do with Phoenix's personal problems, distribution of the film was tentative and limited because of its notoriety. It's a shame, because the musicians' struggles mirrored those of many well known country-music stars. Among the real-life artists who appeared, as well, are K.T. Oslin (as the owner of the Bluebell, which, like the actual Bluebird Café, was a mecca for artists looking for a break), Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Katy Moffatt, Jo-El Sonnier, Pam Tillis, Kevin Welch and Trisha Yearwood. The extras include commentary by Bogdanovich; the featurettes, The Thing Called Love: A Look Back, The Look of the Film and Our Friend River.-- Gary Dretzka
The Year of the Yao Through the Fire: Director's Cut: Extended and Uncensored Remember the Titans: Director's Cut The White Shadow: The Complete Second Season There is no more venerable genre in the cinematic universe than the one that turns athletes into heroes worthy of adoration and imitation. Apart from the occasional North Dallas 40, Semi-Tough and Bull Durham, there have been precious view sports movies that have treated athletes as they really are … overgrown children, whose God-given talents have provided them with a free pass in high school, college and in the adult world of corporate endorsements. For the most part, athletes play for the sake of the game itself. If they weren't wearing a jock – or, increasingly, a sports bra – they wouldn't know what to do with themselves. Most would end up slinging burgers at McDonald's or selling turtlenecks at the Gap. Nevertheless, the playing field is the easiest place to gather inspirational stories, if only because the outside world tends to want to see their heroes portrayed in black and white, not in shades of gray. The Year of the Yao falls under the category of uplifting underdog stories, even though the focus here is on a 7-foot-6 mountain of a man from the planet's most populous country. In 2002, 22-year-old Yao Ming was made the first overall choice in the NBA draft, as well as the league's first Chinese player of any consequence. Even though foreign players had already demonstrated that they could play alongside any American star, Yao was expected by many to become the exception that proved the rule. He succeeded, and this is story of tumultuous freshman season. In what could have turned into a pre-cautionary tale, Through the Fire uses the foundation laid by Hoop Dreams to chronicle Sebastian Telfair's final year in high school, when he was called upon to make decisions over which most adults would struggle. That, and play exemplary basketball and not flunk out of school. An ESPN Original, Through the Fire was targeted directly at an audience that came to it with a working appreciation of the temptations of turning pro early and selling one's soul to a shoe company. Telfair chose the NBA's Portland Trailblazers over the NCAA's Louisville Cardinals, and currently is averaging 9.1 points per game as a pro. Four years from now, let's see if he made the right choice. Disney has also re-released its highly inspirational story of how one determined coach helped an integrated team of black and white football players stand up to bigots and de facto segregation in a Virginia school, circa 1971. Denzel Washington gave a taut, moving performance of the beleaguered coach, and Jerry Bruckheimer's production expertise gave Remember the Titans a sheen not normally associated with these David-vs.-Goliath pictures. This edition adds several bonus featurettes, as well as deleted scenes. Two decades before Remember the Titans, Ken Howard played a white NBA veteran working as a coach and teacher at an inner-city high school in L.A. In true television style, hard lessons would be learned each week on and off the hardwood floor. In the second season, Coach Reeves didn't have to endure the white-men-can't-jump attitude of his players, and most of the shows involved their growth as young men. Much of the credit for the series' credibility must go to the late executive producer Bruce Paltrow – father of Gwyneth, and husband of Blythe Danner – who rarely allowed his characters to drown in the melodramatic waters of network TV.-- Gary Dretzka
Stalag 17: Special Collector's Edition Hogan's Heroes: The Complete Third Season No matter how many times one watches Stalag 17 -- Billy Wilder's darkly comic study of men who suddenly find themselves trapped in a cage – it's impossible not to come away from it without a precise sense of time and place. It probably couldn't have been set anywhere but a German POW camp, during World War II, even knowing that other nearby camps weren't all that hospitable. Perhaps, it's because the average German soldier wasn't all that different than the average GI, physically or mentally. POWs in Korea, Vietnam and Iraq didn't have the luxury of thinking they could blend into the woodwork, if they were fortunate enough to escape. If hope didn't arrive by helicopter, it didn't come at all. Released only eight years after the liberation of Europe, Stalag 17 dared add pinches of humor and cynicism to a genre still best suited to memorializing the heroics of allied soldiers, and, when necessary, embellishing the truth. William Holden played an entirely new type of hero, one whose jaded point of view ran counter to that of the generally accepted gung-ho attitude of Hollywood's fighting men. This DVD edition, which is only available in full-screen aspect, is noteworthy for bonus features that include commentary by actors Richard Erdman and Gil Stratton, and by Donald Bevan, who co-wrote the play on which Stalag 17 was based; the featurettes, Stalag 17: From Reality to Screen and The Real Heroes of Stalag XVIIB; and a photo gallery. Coincidentally, one hopes, the complete third season of Hogan's Heroes has arrived in a DVD boxed set, as well. Apples and oranges? Not really. If audiences didn't buy the conceit behind Stalag 17 – and carry its memory with them – Hogan's Heroes probably wouldn't have seen the light of day. (Funny Nazis, what a concept …). Was it funny? Only if viewers could compartmentalize the horrors of the war, and delude themselves into thinking that bozos like Col. Wilhelm Klink and Sgt. Hans Schultz would be in charge of the camps in which their sons would wait out the conflict. Many did. The show was a huge hit. I only wish that the producers of this boxed set had included a sample of Bob Crane's porno tapes with the bonus features. -- Gary Dretzka
Bukowski: Born Into This With the possible exception of Allen Ginsberg, no American poet of the last century was more widely read than the German-born boozer, brawler, horseplayer and misanthrope, Charles Bukowski. And, yet, throughout most of his life, the Bard of L.A. went largely unrecognized by academics and intellectuals. It was only through the scabrous Notes of a Dirty Old Man, published weekly in an underground magazine, that Bukowski's work found its way into the hearts and minds of the shaggier members of '60s hipster society. John Dullaghan's extremely generous DVD paints a comprehensive – if inelegant – portrait of a man who wrote to be read and toasted, not revered and anthologized. Besides interviews with Bukowski and performance footage, there are guest appearances by Bono, Sean Penn, Harry Dean Stanton, Taylor Hackford, Barbet Schroeder and Tom Waits. -- Gary Dretzka
Townes Van Zandt: Be Here to Love Me In several heart-breaking ways, country troubadours Townes Van Zandt, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams led sadly similar lives. In addition to being idolized by their fans and fellow musicians, they took to illegal substances like ducks to water. Each often felt more comfortable on the road than at home and was haunted by ghosts from childhood. Cash finally was able to outdistance most of his personal demons, but Van Zandt and Williams succumbed to their's on New Year's Days, four decades apart from each other. Tens of millions of people bought tickets to see Joaquin Phoenix's snarling portrayal of Cash in Walk the Line, while only a few thousand caught Margaret Brown's deeply moving documentary, Be Here to Love Me. Anyone who's found themselves mesmerized by such haunting songs as "Pancho and Lefty," Tecumseh Valley and "If I Needed You" is advised to rush out and pick up a copy of this terrific DVD, which is loaded with fresh interviews, music and background information. His personal history, much of which went undocumented until the release of this doc, is almost too bizarre to be believed. That he was able to channel his tragedies into such remarkable songs borders on the miraculous.-- Gary Dretzka
Show Me Like most other thrillers produced in English-speaking Canada, much of the activity in Show Me takes place in a cabin on a remote lake bordered by tall pines. Thrillers from Quebec might very well also borrow this conceit, but it's hard to imagine the Frenchies being comfortable so far away from the local croissant vender. Show Me follows the traditional script, in so much as its protagonists – two street urchins, and the well-off yuppie woman they've kidnapped – take their victim to a secluded cabin, where even the nearest neighborhood is incapable of hearing the occasional scream, gunshot and overwrought confession. That at least two members of this trio are gay adds a bit of psycho-drama, not usually present in such genre fare. Writer-director Cassandra Nicolaou doesn't bang viewers over the head with the gay subplot, but this added ingredient adds spice to what might otherwise have been a bland thriller from the Great White North.-- Gary Dretzka
The Busby Berkeley Collection Mention dance and Hollywood in same breath and the name, Busby Berkeley, will begin flashing in minds of 99 percent of all filmgoers born before the emergence of Madonna and Paula Abdul. In the course of a dozen years, the legendary choreographer went from coordinating parade formations for the army, to directing dance numbers for Florence Ziegfeld and inventing the wondrously geometric and intricately synchronized production numbers at the heart of dozens of unforgettable movie musicals. In addition to Footlight Parade, Gold Diggers of 1933, Dames, Gold Diggers of 1935 and 42nd Street, this essential collection offers five documentary featurettes, 13 vintage shorts, 9 period cartoons, radio promotions and trailers. A bonus disc also features 21 segments from 9 other musicals from the '30s. It really is something special. - Gary Dretzka
Spike Lee Joint Collection The common thread in this collection of Spike Lee films is their connection to MCA/Universal, which distributed Clockers, Jungle Fever, Do the Right Thing, Mo` Better Blues and Crooklyn. Not so coincidentally, Universal also is sending out Lee's latest, Inside Man, to which a free ticket is enclosed as part of the package. One doesn't want to give too much credit to the distributor of movies, but there's no question that these films were among Lee's most popular and memorable. (The earlier, School Daze and She's Gotta Have It, were low-budget indies and, while excellent, represent a different aspect of Lee's repertoire.) Besides the free ticket, though, there isn't much here in the way of extras.
Huff: The Complete First Season Over There: Season 1 Mind of Mencia: Uncensored Season 1 Baby Looney Tunes, Vols. 1-2 The Young Riders: The Complete First Season Bewitched: The Complete Third Season The Brady Bunch: The Complete Final (Fifth) Season Three's Company: Season 6 South Park: The Complete Seventh Season The avalanche of new TV-to-DVD packages continues unabated, with a trio of cable originals topping the list. Showtime scored a direct hit with the addictive eccentric-family dramedy, Huff. Hank Azaria, Paget Brewster, Anton Yelchin, Andy Comeau and Blythe Danner formed the nucleus of this family of extremely smart and hopelessly neurotic suburbanites. Not a particularly novel premise, but the acting was at an extremely level high. Azaria was convincing as a deeply conflicted shrink, but, for my money, it was the weekly appearances Huff's wildly hedonistic lawyer – Oliver Platt, who played essentially the same character in The Ice Harvest – who made Huff a weekly must-see. If TV series can ever be said to be courageous, FX's Over There easily qualified for the distinction. By employing a faux-documentary approach to the material, the series allowed viewers to experience the current war in Iraq as an embedded reporter might. Exec-produced by Steven Bochco, the series attempted to play the situation – both abroad, and at home – pretty much right down the middle … survival being the ultimate goal for any combatant, or spouse back home, for that matter. If the war itself wasn't always portrayed as being a singularly heroic endeavor, neither did the show ignore the courage of the men and women in uniform. Over There was often quite riveting, but watching a fictional account of war unfold in real time could be a tough sell. The actors were believable, though, and their dedication to their roles was palpable. Comedy Central appeared to be positioning Carlos Mencia as a Hispanic Dave Chappelle. Both comics are equal-opportunity offenders, and no sacred cows are spared their barbed attacks. Naturally, Mencia's show was more barrio than ghetto, but he always found ways to skewer prominent political and cultural figures, along with the eccentricities of his home boys. Mencia's show was pretty ragged around the edges, but his comedy often hit the mark, and, on DVD, minus the bleeps. Warner Bros. was able to extend its Looney Tunes franchise into yet another cable incarnation with the introduction of junior versions of some of its most venerable characters, in Baby Looney Tunes. Younger viewers will enjoy watching the antics of Baby Bugs, Baby Daffy, Baby Tweety, Baby Sylvester and Baby Taz, and, as WB likely hopes, they will go on to love the same characters as they simultaneously reach puberty. There was hardly a historically correct moment in the totality of The Young Riders, but, with cowboys this hot, who in the target demographic really cared. Most of the activity centered on a Pony Express way-station in Sweetwater, Kansas, which the riders used for R&R. Among the mailmen were the future "Buffalo Bill" Cody and James Butler ("Wild Bill") Hickok. In the third season of Bewitched – the first shot entirely in color – much of the cameras' attention was focused on the witchy antics of Baby Tabitha. Also prominent were Uncle Arthur and Aunt Clara, wonderfully played by the great character actors Paul Lynde and Marion Lorne. All good things must come to end – mediocre things, too, except at a slower pace – and the fifth season marked the end of The Brady Bunch, which, in turn, led to an endless spiral of reunion specials, parodies, off-Broadway shows and Playboy layouts. With the recent passing of Don Knotts still fresh in the minds of Three's Company fans, it's worth noting that episodes from the sitcom's sixth season now are available. The season marked the arrival of Priscilla (Patricia Barnes) as a new roommate. South Park has always stretched the boundaries of good taste, but, this year, it appears to have met its match in the synergistic muscle of Tom Cruise. The diminutive superstar has been able to leverage his clout within Paramount to shelve the hilariously rude episode, "Trapped in a Closet." Meanwhile, his Scientologist brethren may also have convinced big, bad Isaac Hayes to take a powder from the show. (Where was his indignation when he read the script to Bloody Mary, which pushed the buttons of the Catholic Church?) No matter. The Seventh Season box is free of controversy – by the standards set by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, anyway – but welcome, nonetheless. We'll have to wait a while to see if Cruise and his sci-fi co-religionists are able to keep "Trapped in a Closet" out of the Ninth Season box. In these episodes, Cartman plots the execution of Kyle; Jimmy and Timmy join the Crips; and the boys go metrosexual. - Gary Dretzka