TOP PICK — DVD
The Evil Dead Blu-ray
(Anchor Bay)
Spider-Man director Sam Raimi's first movie makes its Blu-ray debut with a two-disc set that includes two transfers of the 1981 bloodbath. There's also commentary by Raimi and star Bruce Campbell, as well as a bunch of extras (like outtakes and a making-of feature). The movie remains an inspired horror milestone, marked by lots of bloody detached limbs ... now in HD!
BOOK
The Book of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks
(Chronicle)
Many things bug me: drivers who don't signal before turning, a stray pepperoni on a veggie pizza. Near the top of the list are random quotation marks — like the ones used in this hilarious photo book of punctuation misuse. Do you really want to eat the Fresh Brown "Eggs" advertised on the cover? And who's this "Jesus" that's coming? We "love" this book.
DVD
Drive-In Cult Classic Collection
(Mill Creek)
The dozen discs in this mammoth box include 32 movies from the '50s through '80s, some in better shape than others. But that's part of the charm with these low-budget drive-in faves, which load up on sex (The Pom Pom Girls), monsters (The Creeping Terror), and maniacal World War II-era leaders (They Saved Hitler's Brain). Plus, Weekend With the Babysitter!
DVD
Literary Classics
(Twentieth Century Fox/MGM)
This new series takes classic movies based on classic novels and wraps them in packages that emphasize their bookish origins. The initial batch of 15 films includes the 1940 version of The Grapes of Wrath, maybe the best literary movie ever made. Each DVD comes with an old-school bookmark, just in case you feel like putting down the remote to, you know, read.
VIDEO GAME
Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
(Nintendo)
Our favorite DS series returns with its third outing, and this time the smarty-pants professor and his young assistant are in London investigating a time-travel mystery. There are more than 150 puzzles included in The Unwound Future — everything from easy-to-navigate mazes to brain-crushingly difficult math problems. See? You should have paid attention in school.
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