Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (New Line, $28.98) — This charming children’s comedy might hit a little too close to home right now. When the Depression-era tale was released in June, few suspected that comparisons to the 1930s would become a regular feature of the news just a few months later.
What’s special about “Kit Kittredge,” though, isn’t its time period. It’s its smart, spunky heroine, played by the adorable Abigail Breslin. Many of us grew up admiring can-do characters like Nancy Drew. These days, it seems passive princesses of the Disney sort are the ones winning little girls’ hearts. A role model like Kit is, therefore, more than welcome — even if the film that introduces her gets a little preachy at times.
Kit is a 10-year-old in Cincinnati who wants nothing more than to be a reporter, and she turns out to have some talent for investigative journalism. Layoffs send her father (played by Chris O’Donnell) to Chicago to look for a job, while her mother (Julia Ormond) takes in boarders to make some extra cash. With Stanley Tucci, Jane Krakowski and Joan Cusack part of the new live-in group, there’s plenty of fun. However, when one of them steals from the family and frames some young drifters (Max Thieriot and Willow Smith) for the deed, things take a more serious turn.
Given that this is the fourth film based on the popular American Girl line of historical dolls — and the first to get a theatrical release — it’s surprising the DVD is so short on extras. The disc only has trailers for the other American Girl films. Still, you can access a few extras if you put your disc in a computer with an Internet connection, including deleted scenes and a look at how Kit’s friends were cast.
Abbott and Costello: The Complete Universal Pictures Collection (Universal, $119.98) — Everyone knows the Abbott and Costello routine “Who’s on First?” Yet how many people have actually seen the two films that feature the comedy classic?
The duo, already popular on radio and the vaudeville circuit, performed the routine in their first film, 1940’s “One Night in the Tropics,” and went on to do a perfected version in 1945’s “The Naughty Nineties.” Both films are included among the 28 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello made over 15 years at Universal Pictures, which make up this 15-disc set.
The Little Rascals: The Complete Collection (Genius Products, $89.95) — Speaking of vintage DVDs, this is a good week for those pondering the 1930s and ’40s. If you caught a film on the big screen in the former decade, you might have seen an “Our Gang” short before viewing the feature. This eight-disc set includes all 80 original theatrical shorts that were made from 1929 — when the gang first appeared in a talkie — to 1938, completely remastered and restored. You can follow the adventures of Spanky, Alfalfa and Buckwheat as they grow up. The set also includes bonus footage and a collectible booklet.
Agatha Christie: Mystery Lover’s Collection (Acorn Media, $39.99) — We’re not quite done with the nostalgia releases yet. This four-disc set of five mysteries from British TV features adaptations of novels Agatha Christie published between 1920 and 1961. With Christmas right around the corner, it would make the perfect gift for anyone who loves the golden age of mysteries, of which Miss Christie was queen.
“The Mysterious Affair at Styles” was the author’s first published book and introduced her greatest creation, the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. He has been portrayed by many actors over the years, and the last but certainly not least, David Suchet, is delightful as the spherical sleuth.
Miss Marple is Miss Christie’s next most memorable star, and Geraldine McEwan has given the elderly woman life anew in the past few years. Don’t worry if you’ve recently read “The Body in the Library.” There are quite a few changes from the book in this adaptation, which is still good, especially with the talents of James Fox and Joanna Lumley of “Absolutely Fabulous.” There also are two witty and fun Tommy and Tuppence mysteries, “The Secret Adversary” and “The Affair of the Pink Pearl,” plus a swinging ’60s supernatural mystery, “The Pale Horse.”
Futurama: Bender’s Game (Fox, $29.98 for DVD, $39.98 for Blu-ray) — OK. We’re done with the old. Now for a release from the future — the 31st century, to be exact.
This is the third of four new feature-length “Futurama” films to appear on DVD before being broken up into half-hour episodes and programmed on Comedy Central. All have been high-quality in both look and content — Matt Groening and crew are not out just to make a quick buck from the many fans that years of exposure on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim have brought them. These films are as funny as the original episodes, made from 1999 to 2003.
There’s not much point in offering a summary of a “Futurama” film, because these things tend to be rather convoluted. Suffice it to say that, like some of the other aforementioned new releases, “Futurama: Bender’s Game” is timely — though in this case, almost too timely for its own good. Fuel prices are skyrocketing in the 31st century just as they appear to be coming back down to earth in the 21st. Fry, Leela, Bender and crew head off to find the world’s only dark-matter mine, which could provide a lot of fuel for their spaceship. Instead, they discover a medieval-looking place that will be familiar to all those who played Dungeons and Dragons in their youth. There are guest stars, including George Takei (“Star Trek’s” Mr. Sulu), who’s quite good at playing his own head in a jar.
This is the first “Futurama” film to be released on Blu-ray. Extras, as on past releases, include a complete commentary and outtakes as well as a look at the next (and apparently final) “Futurama” film, “Into the Wild Green Yonder,” which is expected in stores early next year.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.