TV shows on DVD this week are led by newly released episodes of MST3K and a Swan Princess sequel.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXXVIII (Shout!, 1994-99, color and b/w, four discs, four episodes, featurettes, trailers, four mini-posters.) Mike Nelson introduces these episodes as the crew mocks the cheapjack movies Invasion USA (1952, b/w), with communists invading America; Colossus and the Headhunters (1960), featuring the Hercules-like Maciste battling a tribe of savages; High School Big Shot (1959, b/w), about a teenage loser who plots a robbery; and Track of the Moon Beast (1976), in which a meteor turns a mineralogist into a lizard monster. (The first 1,500 fans that order this set from shoutfactory.com will receive a bonus fifth disc.)
The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover (Sony, 2017, G, featurette). Princess Alise, Lucas and their friends become spies in an effort to see who in the kingdom is trustworthy. This cartoon franchise by Mormon animation writer/director Richard Rich began with a 1994 theatrical feature, with six sequels that have all gone straight to video.
Monster High: Electrified (Universal, 2017, not rated). This is the latest straight-to-video cartoon in this franchise (based on a Mattel toyline informed by the Universal monsters). Here, Clawdeen tries to open a salon but Moanica throws out some stumbling blocks.
Jack Taylor: Set 3 (Acorn, 2016, three discs, three episodes, photo galleries). Iain Glen stars as the title character in this Irish series about a self-destructive cop-turned-private eye who takes cases rejected by the cops. Here, he investigates a murder by crucifixion, the kidnapping of a former nemesis and the theft of data from a software company.
The Creeping Garden (Arrow, 2014, audio commentary, featurettes, trailer, photo gallery, four short films, booklet, bonus CD of the electronic soundtrack). This is an inventive British documentary about slime mold, focusing on studies by fringe scientists, mycologists and artists as they explore biological-inspired design, emergence theory, unconventional computing and robot engineering, as well as connections to science fiction (including such films as The Blob and Invasion of the Body Snatchers).
Frontline: President Trump (PBS, 2017). Filmmaker Michael Kirk looks at how businessman Donald Trump went from real-estate mogul to U.S. president in this hourlong Frontline episode.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: XXXVIII (Shout!, 1994-99, color and b/w, four discs, four episodes, featurettes, trailers, four mini-posters.) Mike Nelson introduces these episodes as the crew mocks the cheapjack movies Invasion USA (1952, b/w), with communists invading America; Colossus and the Headhunters (1960), featuring the Hercules-like Maciste battling a tribe of savages; High School Big Shot (1959, b/w), about a teenage loser who plots a robbery; and Track of the Moon Beast (1976), in which a meteor turns a mineralogist into a lizard monster. (The first 1,500 fans that order this set from shoutfactory.com will receive a bonus fifth disc.)
The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover (Sony, 2017, G, featurette). Princess Alise, Lucas and their friends become spies in an effort to see who in the kingdom is trustworthy. This cartoon franchise by Mormon animation writer/director Richard Rich began with a 1994 theatrical feature, with six sequels that have all gone straight to video.
Monster High: Electrified (Universal, 2017, not rated). This is the latest straight-to-video cartoon in this franchise (based on a Mattel toyline informed by the Universal monsters). Here, Clawdeen tries to open a salon but Moanica throws out some stumbling blocks.
Jack Taylor: Set 3 (Acorn, 2016, three discs, three episodes, photo galleries). Iain Glen stars as the title character in this Irish series about a self-destructive cop-turned-private eye who takes cases rejected by the cops. Here, he investigates a murder by crucifixion, the kidnapping of a former nemesis and the theft of data from a software company.
The Creeping Garden (Arrow, 2014, audio commentary, featurettes, trailer, photo gallery, four short films, booklet, bonus CD of the electronic soundtrack). This is an inventive British documentary about slime mold, focusing on studies by fringe scientists, mycologists and artists as they explore biological-inspired design, emergence theory, unconventional computing and robot engineering, as well as connections to science fiction (including such films as The Blob and Invasion of the Body Snatchers).
Frontline: President Trump (PBS, 2017). Filmmaker Michael Kirk looks at how businessman Donald Trump went from real-estate mogul to U.S. president in this hourlong Frontline episode.
