The Walking Dead: The Complete First Season (Anchor Bay)
One of TV's best new shows centers on a group of people who travel a post-apocalyptic wasteland in search of a place to hide from the hordes of zombies who want to eat them. All six episodes from the first season are compiled on a two-disc set, which gets deeper with repeated viewings. Sure, it's a bloody good zombie story (based on an even better comic-book series). But there's also a rich human element to The Walking Dead that uncovers complexities most genre exercises don't. Extras include a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff (including one on zombie makeup) and "Zombie School," a step-by-step primer so you can walk around like one of the undead at home.
Excalibur (Warner) — Director John Boorman's flawed but fascinating 1981 retelling of the Arthur legend finally comes to Blu-ray, and the two-and-a-half-hour epic looks stunning in HD. A bunch of classy British actors (including Helen Mirren) star. Look for Liam Neeson in an early role.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: Vol. XX (Shout! Factory) — The robots and their human pal bash old movies in this box set, which gathers four episodes from the beloved cult TV show. The super-cheap Project Moonbase and The Magic Voyage of Sinbad (with no Sinbad!) are the best, um, worst of the lot.
A Film Unfinished (Oscilloscope) — In 1942, Nazis shot footage of the Warsaw Ghetto as part of their propaganda machine. This new documentary uncovers the truth behind those scenes, including shots manipulated by camera crews. It works more for its historical perspective, but it's still harrowing.
