DVD Pick of the Week: Veronica Mars - Season One

There are a number of good choices this week that could have taken this choice spot. I decided to go with Veronica Mars: Season One. One of the best new shows that some of you are watching, and many of you aren't. Those who aren't, should. It is a wonderful show and a bright spot on the television dial, on UPN no less. There are also those who discovered it during the summer rerun of season one, and now it stands at number 2 on his TV Top Ten.

The show has been described as Buffy sans the vampires or a new Nancy Drew. It also won Salon.com's Buffy award for the most underappreciated show on television. All of us faithful were glad to see it get renewed for a second season, which recently started.

The show is about teenage sleuth Veronica Mars of the title, played wonderfully by Kristen Bell. She helps students with their problems, as well as the season long arc involving the murder of her best friend. It doesn't hurt that he father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), is a private detective, and the disgraced former chief of police. The show has a great multilayered story, colorful characters, good performances, and deserves to be seen.

Also out this week:

• Arrested Development: Season Two. Another wonderful, yet underrated show. The exploits of the Bluth family are those of legends.
• Dark Universe. This is only here to warn you. Stay away from this cheese infested steaming pile.
• Gantz Vol. 8: Deathwatch. Looking forward to another edition of this post life video game.
• Hammerhead. Here lies another piece of cheese, but it features Jeffrey Combs, so it isn't all bad.
• High Tension. Starts out as gritty throwback horror, ends in an impossible way. Still, this was a near pick.
• Izo. Another slice of film from the prolific Takashi Miike. Don't know much about it, but I am sure it is worth seeing at least once.
• Kicking & Screaming. Will Ferrell makes this a pretty funny film, although it seems like a lot of others.
• Kingdom of Heaven. Ridley Scott returns to the medieval epic in glorious fashion. Very good film, better than the other recent epic attempts.
• Machine Head: Elegies. Machine Head's first concert DVD. I have seen them live, and they are good.
• Undead. Horror from down under, with a dash of comedy and aliens. Not to mention the triple shotgun!
• Unleashed. One of Jet Li's finest acting jobs. This was a very good film, good fights, and even better drama.

That's it for this week.