If You Never Watched Anime Before, The New Lupin the 3rd Feature Is A Good Place To Start...

Back in my college days of the early 200's I watched an awful lot of Cartoon Network. Dexter's Laboratory, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and many other animated titles filled the airways. But this era is mostly known for the anime comeback that was taking place on the network. Ghost In The Machine, Cowboy Bebop, Fist of the Northstar... all of these series were gaining new life and new fans across America. This is where I fell in love with Lupin the 3rd, the anime about the gentleman thief. Lupin comes from a long line of thieves, and he is so good he often tells his victims AHEAD of time he plans on robbing them. Lupin was the basis for the Night Fox character in Ocean's 12 & 13. Lupin and his gang of misfits travel the globe pulling heists and having fun. It is truly a great show. In April, Japanese network Toho announced a new 13 episode prequel series entitled Lupin the 3rd: The Woman Called Fujiko Mane which will flashback to the beginning of Lupin & his crew and their earliest jobs. The trailer doesn't have a whole lot of animation, but it is super retro and I love this series so I am posting it anyway. If you want a good time watching anime, dig up the older versions of Lupin. You will not be disappointed. Click after the jump for the full trailer...

DVD Release Day March 30,2010

Sherlock Holmes - (Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mack Strong)

This is Guy Ritchie's take on the classic english detective that starred in the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Ritchie is know for gritty, grimy crime drama's that are filled with wit and humor... and in this version of Holmes, he does not disappoint. Downey is awesome as Holmes, creating the perfect balance between eccentric and genius.  Law plays a much different Dr. Watson then we have seen in the past. In this film version he is not just a sidekick, he is an equal to Holmes as well as a good friend concerned for his good friends mental health. Mack Strong has the villian thing down pat, and his turn in this film cements him as one of the great bad guys in recent cinema. After he becomes a star in Green Lantern next year, you will remember that this is where the casting directors probably fell in love with him. The stage is set for a sequel, so I think this is just the first step in a potential franchise for Ritchie and the crew.

Disney's Alice In Wonderland - (Animated)

Released in 1951, some people view this as the greatest animation ever done in the history of the Disney studios. Telling the story of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland and intertwining in certain elements from his sequel Through The Looking Glass. It features the most songs of any Disney film and was also one of the first Disney movies to be released on home video. The movie was a pet project of Walt Disney himself, and although it never recieved such great results upon intial release, it has gained cult status over the years. The 70's drug counter-culture brought the film into popular circles again, and its been enjoying a status boost ever since. Disney is trying to capitalize of the success of Tim Burton's live action version of the story, so why not release a DVD of the seminal animated version of the same story. Even 59 years later, the film holds up. Enjoyable for the whole family.

Also Being Released This Week: Alvin and The Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel, The Abbott and Costello Complete Series, Collateral (Blu-Ray), An Education, Lupin the 3rd: Episode 0