Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo

Every year for the past 70 years, officials at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary have allowed a select group of inmates to take part in the world’s only behind-the-wall rodeo. In 2007, they decided to let female inmates compete for the first time, an historic moment that director Bradley Beesley brilliantly captures in this fascinating documentary. While a big part of the film is taken up with the women preparing for and competing in the actual event, it is the intimate portraits that Beesley captures of the inmates that give the film its true power. It’s one thing hear the statistics – about how many young women are facing spending large chunks of their lives in prison because they did something stupid – but listening to these individuals talk about their families, their life inside prison and their dreams of what life will be like for them when – or if – they ever get out will haunt you.

Despicable Me

An evil genius named Gru finds his world turned upside down when he adopts a trio of little girls to help him in his plans to defeat his arch enemy, Vector. Stripped of its big screen 3D effects, the film is still a delight to look at, but what it may lack in big screen effects it more than makes up with in terms of character, particularly in the relationship that develops between Gru (voiced by Steve Carrel) and the girls. And the Twinkie-like minions are still hilarious comic relief.

The Horde

You have to give directors Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher credit for the relentless energy they have put into this zombie movie about a street gang and a band of cops who have to work together to survive being trapped in a condemned high rise apartment as hordes of the undead try to eat them. Even in the few quiet moments in the film, when the cops and robbers try to sneak down darkened hallways without attracting any zombie attention, are cranked up to 11 on the tension scale. That’s the good news. The band news is that the directors show little restraint when it comes to the gory action scenes. There’s nothing wrong with blood, but there’s something boring about watching live people empty their guns into a walking corpse and never even hitting them in the head.

An Ultimate Gulliver Collection

Legendary animated film maker Max Fleisher almost made film history with his full-length cartoon of Gulliver’s Travels. Released in 1939, it just missed being the first full-length animated feature to be released in theaters, a feat Walt Disney achieved when he released Snow White. Still, the charm of Fleisher’s work is well worth seeing, as are the seven spin-off cartoons made with Gabby, the pint-sized comic relief of his Gulliver’s Travels. The 1902 film by George Melies added to the disc is a curiosity, but at just 4 minutes running time hardly worth the effort. The 1965 anime of Gulliver’s Travels Beyond the Moon is fun, but probably for anime fans only.

Gene Simmons Family Jewels: The Complete Seasons 4 & 5

Dad’s an egomaniac rock star. Mom is a former centerfold (who is still pretty damn hot). The kids are spoiled brats. Yet despite all the negatives, there is something oddly compelling and almost endearing about watching the blood-spitting, fire-breathing bassist for KISS act like a parent. Whether he’s out on the road rocking to hundreds of thousands of fans or doing some menial chore around his palatial home, you just can’t help but like the guy. The insight you get into the mind of a rock star who is also one of the world’s great businessmen is a bonus.

Bastard Swordsman

A lowly servant in the home of a powerful clan turns out to be the bastard offspring of the clan leader. No wonder the leader spent so many late nights in disguise training his illegitimate son the art of kung fu. When the leader is killed, it’s up to the son to rise from the bottom of the social ladder and defeat his clan’s enemies. As complicated as it may sound, the plot to this classic movie, directed by Chang Cheh (Five Deadly Venoms) is little more than an excuse for 90 minutes of high flying martial arts action. The wire work is impressive, but it’s the other-worldly effects of the lethal Silkworm Technique that make the movie unforgettable.

Groucho Marx TV Classics

The actual games are unimportant unless you are a fan of trivia from the 1950s. The real reason to watch these classic shows is to watch the mind of Julius Henry “Groucho” Marx at work as he interviews the contestants. With one of the world’s greatest straight men, George Fenneman, at his side, Groucho lets his rapier wit slice away at the laughing guests. Not all of the jokes work, but with Groucho there is another, and probably, funnier one on the way so just stay tuned. The extras, especially the stag reel of jokes the censors wouldn’t approve back in the 1950s, are a real treat.