Fans of the most popular mystery writer ever will love this new collection of five of her mysteries. It’s a joining of some of Christie’s most famous and beloved sleuths in a four DVD boxed set from Acorn Media. Present are David Suchet as Hercule Poirot in THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES, Geraldine McEwan as Miss Marple in THE BODY IN THE LIBRARY, James Warwick and Francesca Annis as Tommy and Tuppence in THE SECRET ADVERSARY and THE AFFAIR OF THE PINK PEARL, and Colin Buchanan in THE PALE HORSE. Excellent British mystery viewing all in one box.

EDGAR WALLACE COLLECTION

Just in time for Halloween, volume 2 of the creepy world of Edgar Wallace, the 1890s crime author, journalist, and playwright whose stories have turned into more than 160 films, more than any other novelist. Two of his classic tales of horror are featured in the new collection: CURSE OF THE YELLOW SNAKE and THE PHANTOM OF SOHO. Creepy stuff for a ghoul night in front of the telly, from Infinity Entertainment Group.

THE MURDOCH MYSTERIES

Peter Outerbridge plays sophisticated and sly Detective William Murdoch tracking down murderers in 1890s London where every foggy street may hide a killer. Keeley Hawes
and Colm Meaney co-star in three DVD boxed set of mysteries from BFS Entertainment. If you like your murders with heavy doses of crime detection and London fog, you ought to enjoy this award-winning collection.

GONE TO SEED

Three quirky, quarrelsome siblings inherit a garden center when a developer comes along who has his eye on the property. An off-beat comedy starring Jim Broadbent, Rufus Sewell, Alison Steadman and a familiar old face, Peter Cook, as the developer. A 2-DVD boxed set of clever mirth from BFS Entertainment.

GOOSEBUMPS FOR HALLOWEEN

The children’s horror book one-man writing factory, R.L.Stein (he wrote 62 of them for preteens), has put his name onto three new Goosebumps DVDs for Halloween. They’re spooky and include kids in haunted houses, a medieval torture chamber, and a kooky aunt who may be a witch. Younger kids could be too scared, and Goosebumps was cited by the American Library Association as the most frequently banned books from 1990 to 1999. I recommend it with reservations, for older kids. From Scholastic and 10th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR

Kids who love Barney & Friends, Bob the Builder, Thomas and Friends, Fireman Sam, and Angelina Ballerina should enjoy their Halloween tricks and treats in this special DVD from Lionsgate.

SCHOLASTIC STORYBOOK TREASURES

Two new animal-themed adventures are on DVD in the award-winning series of animated picture books from Scholastic. MAKE WAY FOR DUCKLINGS is based on Robert McCloskey’s Caldecott Medal book about duck parents looking for a place to raise their young in Boston’s Public Garden. More duck stories are included on the disc. HARRY THE DIRTY DOG by Gene Zion is about a loveable pup (a lot like I was at Harry’s age), and the disc contains more playful puppy stories. Kids (and I) love these picture-books-come-to-life for the action and also because we can read along through the captions.

LIBERTY’S KIDS

Kids can learn American history the easy way by viewing this collection of 40 adventurous episodes involving some of our most famous men and women. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John and Abigail Adams, Paul Revere and others come to life again in this animated collection. Featured are the voices of Walter Cronkite, Liam Neeson, Whoopi Goldberg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and others.
A gem of a collection for kids in a six DVD boxed set from Shout Factory.

TRAVEL WITH KIDS TO LONDON AND ENGLAND

The award-winning Travel with Kids DVD series takes young viewers to London and throughout England in two DVDs from PorchLight Home Entertainment. Kids learn about the history, culture, and customs of Londoners and others living in Bath and along the Avon River to the countrysides where Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth wrote their timeless tales.

PUCCA: SPOOKY SOOGA VILLAGE features 11 episodes full of ghosts, skeletons, and other spooky stuff going on in Sooga Village. From Shout! Factory.

ARTHUR, SEASON 11

Further adventures of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning PBS television series for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program. Arthur the aardvark and his friends delight kids in 19 adventures in this 5-DVD boxed set from WGBH Boston Video that entertain and teach without moralizing or talking down to kids in subjects from overcoming trouble sleeping to learning good table manners.

POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER

Fans of Buster’s Public Television series will enjoy him as he solves a stolen coin mystery in the Ozark Mountains and also travels to the Dominican Republic to scout for baseball talent. From WGBH Boston Video.

KATAKUNE, a spin-off from the ANIMANIA television series, is the tale of a young silkworm as it explores the world. For ages 2 to 5, from PorchLight Home Entertainment.

BOOWA & KWALA uses music and song to develop children’s imaginations. The feature-length movie is based on the animated series for pre-schoolers. From PorchLight.

VAMPIRE PRINCESS

Get in the spirit of Halloween with this documentary that explores whether Dracula was based on “the ghoulish obsessions of a real-life woman.” Archaeologists, historians, and forensic scientists bring forth evidence that the legendary vampire can be traced back to a real 18th century bohemian princess, Eleanore von Schwarzenberg. The documentary can be seen on the Smithsonian Channel on Saturday, Oct. 19, and also on a DVD from Smithsonian Networks. Go ahead, be scared. Be real scared.

AMERICA’S GREATEST MONUMENTS

The Smithsonian Institution premiers its new DVD line with this documentary about the nation’s greatest monuments in Washington, D.C. Armchair visitors go to the World War Two Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, Arlington National Cemetery and other famous sites visited in-person each year by millions of people from all over the world. In another DVD, get a rare, behind-the-scenes access to the treasures of the Smithsonian in STORIES FROM THE VAULTS, SEASON ONE, revealing stories of the many and varied prized collections of the museum. From Smithsonian Networks and Infinity Entertainment Group.

LEGEND OF THE CRYSTAL SKULLS

Indiana Jones added some fiction to the legendary thirteen ancient Mayan crystal skulls and their mystical and perilous powers in the recent blockbuster, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Smithsonian Networks tells the true story of the skulls in this exciting documentary following Smithsonian curator Jane MacLaren Walsh’s 16-year quest to trace the origins of the 31-pound skull which was mailed anonymously to the museum in 1992.
A fascinating adventure documentary from Smithsonian Networks.

WRESTLING UNDERGROUND

Before wrestlers become professionals they learn the ropes of the sport in gyms, recreation centers, even bingo halls where there are no rules, no sanctions, no penalties, and mayhem reigns supreme. An exciting documentary from Infinity Entertainment Group that takes us into the no-holds-barred world of “underground wrestling.”

YOGA AND PILATES

You won’t catch me or my master learning to be pro rasslers, but we do like to exercise together each morning, so these two new DVDs about pilates and yoga are just right for us, and probably for you, too. I LOVE MY PILATES and I LOVE MY CARDIO AND YOGA are both hosted by certified instructor Amy Brown. Both are two DVD sets, from BFS Entertainment and besides workout routines, they include 7-day meal plans.

FAMILIES OF COSTA RICA

A friend of my master’s sold his business in Chicago years ago and moved to Costa Rica where he has been spending many years teaching children in a mountain village. This documentary visiting two friendly families in the Republic of Costa Rica gives us some insight into what attracted him to visit and then stay in the beautiful Central American country. From Master Communications.

PRESCHOOLER LEARNS SPANISH

This is a reportedly “delightful, easy-to-follow” DVD that introduces early learners to basic Spanish words and phrases. I personally prefer barking in English, but I suppose if a kid’s kindergarten pal prefers to speak in Spanish, they might understand each other better if one of them becomes bilingual. From Galloping Minds.

1. Just as I write this, the news reports that Paul Newman died at age 83 of cancer. He was one of my master’s and my favorites. A great actor and human being. Few actors of the past fifty years or more were his equal. In fact, I can’t think of any. Paul, we loved you.

2. I just don’t get it. I don’t get how critics can say a movie is hilarious, when I find the humor to be just plain sick. Take for example IN BRUGES, a new Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes movie about murder in that beautiful Dutch city. About 15 minutes into the film (boring so far), Farrell is in a church Confessional confessing to a priest that he has murdered a man. When the priest asks why, Farrell says, “For money,” then shoots and kills the priest. One critic calls the movie “A hilarious twisted pleasure.” Yeah, hilarious. I howled and my master turned off the DVD at that point. I thanked him with some loud “Woo woo’s!”

3. And Jim Carrey’s ME, MYSELF, AND IRENE (2002) thinks it’s funny when Jim, playing a cop, comes out of a gas station rest room, squats on the parking lot, drops his pants, and the camera cuts to an ice cream parlor. But I don’t want to describe what shows on the screen. It’s more bathroom humor for the mindless. Critics also called this movie “hilarious.” Maybe that word has a new meaning since I was a pup.

4. Also, be very careful and knowledgeable if you’re considering buying a new television set that the manufacturer and store clerk says can receive a high definition signal in 1080p (for pixels) as opposed to older sets that receive a signal in 1080i (for interlaced). Reports are that there is little or no difference in sharpness between the two, and even cable and satellite signals may not be received in true 1080p. If the picture you’re getting on your present television set is sharp enough to satisfy you, you may not need a new 1080p set.