Alice in Wonderland

It’s hard to realize how groundbreaking this classic Disney cartoon was when it was released to theaters 60 years ago. After years of pulling at peoples’ heart strings with animated tear-jerkers like Bambi and Dumbo, Walk Disney and his animators decide to just have fun bringing the classic Lewis Carroll story to life. The result was — and is — a delight. Some of the scenes, like the Queen of Hearts playing croquet, have become classics that you will enjoy seeing again. Some of them, like the animated version of the Walrus and the Carpenter, will be a joy to rediscover.

Skin

If this movie had gotten the attention it deserved when it was originally released, then Sophie Okonedo would be busy today picking out a dress to wear on the red carpet for the Oscar ceremony. This heartbreaking tale tells the story of a young girl growing up in South Africa and the trouble she faces because although her parents are White, she ‘looks’ Black. The suggestion (and scientific fact)  that her dark skin and African features are a result of the same Black ancestry that most of White South Africa shares only infuriates the White people of her world. So she flees to the Black community where her sense of belonging is soon challenged in ways that will absolutely appall you.

Garrow's Law

Set in a time before those accused of a crime had any real rights before the court, this fascinating BBC series features some terrific performances, lead by Andrew Buchan (looking like a young Russell Crowe) as the barrister who helped pave the way for the modern legal system. It takes good acting and even better writing to make a courtroom drama work, and the people who created this series do a fantastic job. The dialog in the courts and in the jails crackles with intensity. The romance between Garrow and the wife of a young MP is less effective, but at least the wife, as played by Lyndsey Marshall, has some good scenes of her own to make her stand out as more than the barrister’s plaything.

Blue Murder: The Complete Collection

Janine Lewis (Caroline Quentin) has a lot on her plate. Already the mother of three, she’s pregnant again and officially separated from her cheating husband. The fact that her day job is being a Chief Inspector for the Manchester Police Force is, on  bad day, the least of her worries. Over the course of 19 episodes, the series does a good job of balancing Lewis’ personal and professional lives. Sure, there are times you feel frustrated when the Chief Inspector’s investigation gets put on hold so she can sort out the kids, but there are also times you feel that way when a domestic problem in the Lewis home gets shelved so mom can go out and catch a killer. Luckily, Quentin holds it together with a tremendous performance.

Hatchet II

Directed by Adam Green, Hatchet 2 caused a bit of a fury when it was release in theaters because it was yanked out of circulation only a few days later, probably because some over-reactive mom caught her kids sneaking in to see it. So if horror movies aren’t your thing, stay away. But if you enjoy movies that don’t shy away from splattering the screen with fake blood, then Hatchet 2 is bound to become one of your favorites. Watching a band of yokels go back into the Louisiana swamps to find — and hopefully kill — the monster known as Victor Crowley is a hell of a lot of fun.

The Abbott and Costello Show: Who’s on First

Anyone who is not already a fan of this legendary comedy team should add this disc to their collection immediately. And so should those who can repeat the immortal “Who’s on First” routine by heart if they don’t already own it. The disc highlights a half-dozen of the best episodes from The Abbott and Costello TV show from the early 1950s, and while some of the material may be a bit dated, the polished delivery of these two master comedians makes even jokes you’ve heard a dozen times shine like they were new.

Man in a Suitcase: Set 1

As ‘Mac’ McGill, an American ex-spy trying to live an undetected life in swinging 60′s London, Ricard Bradford set a new level of cool for TV when this series was first broadcast in 1968. It’s a high water mark that few have even come close to since. The cases he gets involved in – always reluctantly — are intriguing, especially when you forgive them for the Cold War angles that just haven’t aged very well. The sets are retro-chic cool and the acting is, for the most part, excellent. Its Bradford’s performance, however, that makes the series so addictive.