DVD Pick of the Week: TIE Briscoe County Jr. and Jack of All Trades

This week features a lot of television related releases, and a few movies. Among those movie releases are a couple that were in theaters earlier this year, a re-issue of a classic, and one that I would be surprised to actually see on the shelves this week.

Now, as you could probably tell from the title of this week's column, there are two picks for this week. Both of them are complete series releases of short lived shows that also both featured Bruce Campbell in the lead roll. The shows are The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. and Jack of All Trades. Both shows were syndicated, and, to be honest, I don't remember exactly when they were on. If you couldn't guess, I have not seen much of either, and it has been a long time since I saw what little I saw.

You may be wondering just why would I choose these shows, in a tie no less, for my Pick of the Week. The answer is simple explanation for this, and comes down to two words, one is Bruce and the other is Campbell. No, he is not the greatest actor, nor is he widely known outside of the geek community, but there is a reason he has developed such a cult-like fandom. Part of his popularity can be attributed to his chin, some more to his fantastic on-screen charisma, but there is something else. That something else is fun, he just seems like a fun guy, and it comes through in his roles. His future was sealed the first time he picked up a chain saw in a little horror film called Evil Dead. Now, I may not know much about these two shows, but knowing that Campbell is the lead makes both of these shows worth my time, and possibly yours.

The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. is a combination western/comedy/action/sci-fi show that has been described as cowboys and aliens. Jack of All Trades has Campbell starring as an American spy sent by Thomas Jefferson to the Caribbean to undermine Napoleon's colonization efforts in a post-Revolutionary time frame. Both sound like a lot of fun to me.

Also coming out this week:

• Amazing Stories: The Complete First Season. Spielberg's classic series of quirky stories, including one of my favorites, "Mummy Daddy."
• ATL. Surprisingly good tale of friends reaching a crossroads.
• The Incredible Hulk: The Complete First Season. Bill Bixby is the scientist, Lou Ferrigno is the green beastie, and then there is the sad piano music. Ahhh, memories of my youth.
• Meet the Feebles. Now, this I will be surprised to see. It has been announced a few times over the years, but never actually made it to shelves. This is Peter Jackson's take on the Muppets on crack, it is truly demented.
• The New Adventures of Flash Gordon: The Complete Series. Don't recall ever seeing this show, but it looks like fun, and has had much in the way of good word.
• Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes. This is the revival that was on SpikeTV a few years back. It is awful stuff. It is nowhere near as good as the old Nickelodeon shows.
• She's the Man. An interpreatation of Shakespeare that isn't that good on that level, but is an entertaining tween comedy.
• Some Like it Hot. This is at least the third reissue of this comedy. It is very funny and well worth adding to your collection. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis.
• Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. I think I recall seeing some version of this years ago, but don't know what versin. I do, however, remember liking it.

What are you getting this week?