New Geek DVD Day - 05/05/09

 

The Good:  Crusoe - The Complete Series

 

Why It's Good:  Crusoe was NBC's big budget mini-series adaptation of the classic novel Robinson Crusoe.  If you've never read the book, Robinson Crusoe is about a man in the mid 17th century who becomes shipwrecked on a deserted tropical island where he spends the next few years getting involved in adventures with pirates, slavers, cannibal natives and mutineers.

 

The NBC series was a fun swashbuckling adventure series that features gorgeous exotic locales.  The show starred newcomer Philip Winchester in the title role, but also featured a stellar cast of supporting actors including Sean Bean (Boromir from Lord of the Rings) and Sam Neill.  If you liked the Pirates of the Caribbean films, you'll enjoy Crusoe.  It's a great summer TV series filled with palm trees and pretty beaches and a handsome, well tanned hero who swordfights and runs around a lot with his shirt off.

 



 

The Badass:  Gigantor - The Collection Volume 1

 

Why It's Badass:  It's the classic tale of a young boy and the giant robot he controls to fight criminals.  Created in Japan back in the 1960's, Gigantor is the predecessor of a good portion of modern japanese animation.  Shows like Robotech or Neon Genesis: Evangelion or even the Transformers owe a lot to Gigantor for paving the way and for creating the love people have for watching giant robots fighting and destroying stuff.  This show, along with other shows like Astro Boy, helped found what would become the Anime scene in Japan.  It is the forefather of a lot that we love today, and should be given the proper respect because of this.

 



 

The Awesome:  Dog Soldiers (on Blu-ray)

 

Why It's Awesome:  Dog Soldiers if one of my favorite horror films of all time.  It's a great small budget werefolf film that is far more entertaining than most big budget hollywood horror films.  The plot revolves around a small band of soldiers that are out on training games in a forest in the Scottish wilderness.  One night during their training they are attacked by a family of werewolves.  The soldiers make a run for it and are forced to hole up in an abandoned farmhouse where they must fight off the werewolves and try to stay alive until dawn.

 

Brilliantly written, the film has a great mix of engaging and witty dialogue with amazing horror film elements such suspense and gore.  Yes, the gore.  Let's not forget that.  There's plenty of it for you in this film, trust me.  The film is now available on Blu-ray for the first time ever, and while I'm not sure if this is necessarily a film that needs to be seen in high def, it certainly can't hurt to add to the appeal of the film.  If you've been feeling the need for a good and entertaining horror film lately, Dog Soldiers is definitely a good call.