We have a few great releases to cover today that have recently hit stores and wanted to give you guys a glance them. We'll have a second TV DVD Roundup later in the week so watch out for that.
This time, we're going to focus on two network dramas with strange happenings and two cable comedies with well...strange happenings.
The good news? All four of them are great examples of fine television. The bad news? Well, can you afford to buy them all?
Click the Rawr! for our thoughts on Fringe Season One, Supernatural Season Four, Flight of the Conchords Season Two and Important Things with Demetri Martin Season One! 
Fringe: The Complete First Season
Starring: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick, Kirk Acevedo, Blair Brown, Jasika Niciole with Mark Valley and John Noble.
First up is Fox's new supernatural drama from J.J. Abrams, Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, Fringe. The story centers around a female FBI Agent (Anna Torv) who finds herself investigating strange occurrences with the help of a brilliant scientist who's spent 17 years in a mental institution (John Noble) and his son (Joshua Jackson). As they investigate, it becomes clearer and clearer that someone is using the world as their own private lab and as they track "The Pattern" it leads them to a global corporation, Massive Dynamic.
Fans of The X-Files will be on familiar ground here. Fringe is more science based but the show is in the same vein. The cast is pitch perfect, with the exception of Mark Valley who, admittedly, I've never really liked that much.
The show is clever, extremely well written, and at times is completely crazy. It's a great watch. J.J. Abrams has a history of making great TV and Fringe is no exception.
The DVD set features a lot of special features including featurettes on the casting, the science behind the show, and the special effects. Deleted scenes, a gag reel, production diary, and more.
There's plenty for everyone with Fringe, even those hesitant to latch onto a genre show like this will find themselves pleased.
Season Two begins on September 17 so you should get watching so you can catch up in time.
Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season
Starring: Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles
Next up is the The CW's occult hit, Supernatural. The series's fourth season finds the Brothers Winchester in some rather interesting biblical situations, not to mention continuing their road trip creepy monster battling ways. This time vampires, teddy bears, and the Devil are on the menu, among other things.
Now, I resisted this show for years. I really didn't think it was anything more than bait for tweeners. I can honestly say that I was wrong. Supernatural is a helluva fun show and has been consistently good through it's four seasons. There may be rough patch or two but for the most part it's a good show to get behind.
Season Four keeps that up well. This year delving more into the war between heaven and hell that our heroes are smack in the middle of. Granted, I had my doubts when I read what the season was going to be about, but I really enjoyed it.
That is directly related to the smart writing and fantastic performances from the leads. They carry this show and make it as good as it is.
The Season Four set features deleted and extended scenes, a gag reel, featurettes on the themes of the season and commentaries.
For those of you who write off Supernatural as a lame teen show not worth your time, let me assure you that is wrong. The show is really fun and is still running strong in it's fourth year.
Pick up Season Four so you can get through it in time for the premiere of the shows fifth season on well, it was last week but you can still catch up in time for episode two!
Flight of the Conchords
Starring: Jermaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby, Kristen Schaal, and Arj Barker
Our favorite folk duo from New Zealand are back in the hilarious second season of HBO's Flight of the Conchords.
The laughs keep coming as the guys continue to try to break into the American music scene. I cannot get enough of this show. It's extremely funny and clever and even touching at times. Bret and Jermaine are fantastic characters that you can't help but get caught up with.
Some of the songs featured this season aren't as good as those from Season One but that does nothing to take away from the show. The real star here is the band themselves. Jermaine Clement is up for an Emmy this year for his work on this season. As good as he is, I didn't expect that to happen. I just didn't think this show would even be on Emmy's radar in terms of acting. Writing for sure as it's near brilliant at times but it was a complete shock for an acting nod!
The season two set features a documentary feature, commercials for Dave's pawn shop, New Zealand Consulate Meetings with Murray and Greg, deleted scenes, and outtakes. All of these features just help to make an already fantastic show even better.
Season Two of Flight of the Conchords is a joy to watch and well worth the price. You'll want to get this and relive the show often considering I don't know if there is even going to be a third season. I'll watch these episodes again and hope there will be one.
Important Things with Demetri Martin
Starring: Demetri Martin
Last but certainly not least, is the new Comedy Central hit Important Things with Demetri Martin. It seems Comedy Central has been trying to recapture the magic of Chapelle's Show since it's shocking demise a few years ago. First came the dreadful Mind of Mencia, which is absolutely unwatchable.
Now, we have Important Things, which, to me anyway, is about as close as they will ever get. This show is hilarious. It helps to be a fan of Demetri Martin, which I am. In fact, I think he could be our generations Steve Martin. His charm is undeniable and his comedy is extremely clever. Whether it's a song or a sight gag or a sketch, this show is nearly all hit and very little miss.
The episodes cover things like Brains, Power, Chairs, Games, and more. Each episode is a laugh riot example of Martin's comedic genius.
The DVD contains all seven first season episodes with some bonus features like deleted sketches, commentaries, a poster, and more.
This is the cheapest of the sets featured here but it also has the least episodes. Still, it is packed full of funny so if I had to choose I would go with Important Things.
These are some great options for you to drop some coin on. It's a tough choice, even if the the funniest stuff is courtesy of Demetri Martin.
Fringe: The Complete First Season, Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season, Flight of the Conchords: Season Two, and Important Things with Demetri Martin Season One are in stores now.
Why can’t it ever be Kate? There have been a lot of casualties on “Lost,” but Kate is never one of them.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She’s very attractive. I’m with you on that.
But Kate is my least favorite character. From the very beginning, the writers and producers of the show tried to make her seem interesting. They hinted at a sordid past, in which she did broke the law and lived life on the run.
Then came the day when an episode aired entitled “What Kate Did.” I’m sure, for some, the opportunity to finally get Kate’s backstory was an interesting prospect. I’ll admit, I was looking forward to it, but for different reasons. I was excited about it because, once it was revealed to us, the show would stop trying to intrigue me about an essentially bland character.
Then, when we finally saw what Kate did, my disinterest turned to frustration. Because, for the better part of a season, we were meant to view Kate as some kind of badass; a tough chick who could go round and round with any of the men on the island, because she’s got a dark side that we don’t even know about.
Turns out she killed her abusive stepfather to keep him from continuing to hurt her mother.
Could there possibly be a more sympathetic, more relatable, more noble crime than that? Had Kate actually killed an innocent in cold blood- perhaps to support a drug habit or something- then we would really have something here. We would have a hardened criminal trying to redeem herself by helping her fellow island dwellers. In short, an complex character.
But, no. Instead we got somebody who is basically a decent person. And she has failed to be interesting ever since. From then on, any time a Kate-centric episode airs, I roll my eyes and soldier through it, knowing that I’m going to be told that Kate is a world-weary loner trying to outrun her past and that she’s just as interesting as Locke or Sawyer or Said.
And, as more memorable characters die around her, I’ve resigned myself to the fact that
Kate is in it for the duration. And I’m told that this is a good thing.
Oh well. I guess it could be worse. Her crime could have been stealing a loaf of bread for her starving children.
Those of you eagerly awaiting the upcoming Star Trek film can start celebrating.
Paramount has announced that Star Trek screenings will officially begin on May 7, starting at 7pm.
Get your tickets now!
So far this season, one show has grown on me like a fungus: Fringe.
With the X-Files-shaped hole in my heart, I thought the days of shows with engaging conspiracy theory weirdness went the way of mall hair and stirrup pants. Thankfully, I was wrong.
The show has begun a bit rocky, with overly-predictable plot direction (for many of the first episodes, all of the science relates to something Dr. Bishop has done already) and characters that are less than endearing (Anna Torv's Agent Dunham until recently has been flat, and Jackson's Peter Bishop is whiny); but the writers seem to have finally hit their stride, and it's become difficult to look away.
Although much of the science in the show is less than realistic, and the story lines until now have had their predictable pitfalls, the characters have slowly started to develop and become engaging. Agent Dunham suddenly turns from a flat, boring workaholic to a stoic with a rough past. The show is peppered with hints of an ominous history between the mad Walter Bishop and his son (I have a few theories on that one...), and the many, many hints at the conspiracy occurring right beneath the character's noses. The show may have started simplistically, but its now becoming fairly complex--enough to hook many old X-Files fans.
The best performance in this series, however, is John Noble. He seems to excel at delivering quirky lines with a flat tone, and a presence that would make Vincent Price proud. Whoever writes his dialogue is brilliant. It kept me watching through the show's rocky beginning, and I'm glad I chose to stick around.
Uhura and Nero. Is this movie going to be great or terrible? My money is on the former...
I'm pretty keen on this movie. This trailer got my heart beating a bit so I'm looking forward to seeing it.
Also, we had our 700th post yesterday!
I'm a little backed up on review material so watch for a slew of reviews in the next couple of days!
Is this going to be the movie to beat next summer? Hopefully, we get a new trailer soon.
This new set of four posters features Bones, Chekov, Scotty, and Sulu. 
J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot hits theaters May 8!
Paramount has announced that the upcoming Star Trek Reinvention has been delayed five months.
The movie was originally scheduled to be released this Christmas but has been bumped to next May.
This is said to allow ample time to better publicize and sell the idea of the reinvention to movie goers and fans. JJ Abrams and crew have also stated they had wanted to change some aspects of the script. They had been unable to do so due to the writer's strike. Now that that has ended and the release date changed, they should be able to make the changes they wanted.
Perhaps to add Shatner to the mix?
J.J. Abrams' Star Trek beams into theaters on star date 05.08.09.
Here they are. The new crew of the Star Trek Enterprise for JJ Abrams Star Trek which is expected in theaters Christmas 2008:
Montgomery "Scotty" Scott is being played by Simon Pegg
Nyota Uhura is being played by Zoe Saldana
Pavel Chekov is being played by Anton Yelchin
Hikaru Sulu is being played by John Cho
Mr. Spock will be played by Zachary Quinto
and finally James T. Kirk. Captain of the Enterprise. Legend of the franchise. Kirk will be played by Chris Pine
