DVDs: Don't Miss <em>Eli Stone</em> and <em>Pushing Daisies</em>

Every TV season, you're lucky if even one new show is worth watching, and chances are the flair of the pilot is soon lost in the grind. But last season, not one but two new shows debuted that captured my attention.
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Every TV season, you're lucky if even one new show is worth watching. And when you do commit to a new show, chances are the flair and originality of the pilot is soon lost in the grind of delivering episodes week after week. But last season, not one but two new shows debuted that captured my attention. Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies are both so quirky, I frankly just assumed they would either be cancelled quickly or become tiresome. To my astonishment, both shows held on and in many ways got better. They're back for a second season and you should do yourself a favor and check them out. Eli Stone First Season ($39.99; ABC) is about a young lawyer who either has a brain tumor or is a prophet and is seeng visions that lead him to court cases that need his help. Oh and each episode the cast breaks into song, usually a George Michael song, sometimes with George Michael himself present. Jonny Lee Miller is delightfully compelling as Stone and the absurd premise somehow...worked. The cases each week proved satisfying and the cast is so strong -- from Loretta Devine to Victor Garber -- that the wackiest twists are grounded by real people. I'm a little worried by the ending of season one, which hints at an even more messianic role for Stone. But they've won my trust and I can't wait to see what happens next. Pushing Daisies First Season ($29.98; Warner Bros -- out September 16) seemed even more of a longshot. This "detective" show features a guy with a pie store and a magical gift -- if he touches a dead person, they come back to life briefly. Touch 'em again and they're dead for good -- if he doesn't touch them again, someone else dies. Ned (Lee Pace) and Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) use that gift to solve crimes. Along for the ride is Chuck (Anna Friel), Ned's childhood sweetheart who he brought back to life and then let live. If he ever touches her again, she'll die, so their romance is adorably platonic. Where to begin with this show? The cleverest set designs on TV, with one new location after another as quirky and oddball as any Tim Burton movie? The engaging narration by Jim Dale (who did the audio book versions of Harry Potter) and strikes the perfect tone of whimsy? The great cast, with Friel a screwball heroine, Pace adorable, McBride a revelation and Kristin Chenoweth as good as always as a waitress pining for Ned? I gave the show about three episodes before I assumed the cutesy tone would become unbearable. But the show actually got better. There is absolutely nothing on TV like Pushing Daisies and precious few as distinctive as Eli Stone. Don't miss either of them.

So tell me, what returning shows are you eagerly anticipating and what new shows intrigue you? I'll be watching Fringe, like everyone else.

Also out this week:

Water Lilies ($26.98; Koch Lorber) -- No one takes childhood or first love more seriously than the French. First time director Celine Sciamma peers intimately into the lives of three 15 year old girls exploring their sexuality against a backdrop of competitive synchronized swimming. Anne is heavy and determined to lose her virginity as soon as possible, preferably to the dashing Francois. Floriane is naturally sexy and flirtatious but hasn't actually slept with anyone, even her nominal boyfriend, the ever-present Francois. And then there's our heroine Marie (a gawky Pauline Acquart with lovely full lips who will clearly be a beauty when she grows up). Marie is friends with Anne but shadows the black sheep Floriane around, becoming so besotted with her that she steals Floriane's trash and even eats scraps of food that were thrown away by her. Beautiful and sharp-edged without being sad, it has some quiet passages that are grippingly frank.

Smart Movies -- Bright Lights Big City ($14.98; MGM) doesn't transcend its era but Michael J. Fox is an underrated dramatic actor (bonus: the great cinematographer Gordon Willis provides audio commentary); The Art of Travel ($24.98; First Look), a romantic drama about a man who dumps his cheating bride-to-be and goes on his honeymoon alone finds Christopher Masterson of Malcolm in the Middle hoping to make a similar transition -- he's got the goods, too; three oddball noirs, including Roadhouse, Moontide and Boomerang with Dana Andrews ($14.98 each; Fox) and every time I hear the name "Dana Andrews" I can't help but think of Seth Green's line in Woody Allen's Radio Days; and Gospel According to Harry ($29.95; Kino) from 1994 finds Viggo Mortensen in a genuinely surreal, typically oddball film about a disintegrating marriage from Polish director Lech Majewski.

Blu-Ray -- The flood of Blu-Ray titles is growing, especially the mannish-boy titles that guys who are early adopters eat up. Out now is Transformers Special Edition ($39.99; Dreamworks), which is $10 more than the regular DVD; Black Mask ($29.99; Lionsgate) with Jet Li, which is $20 (!) more than the regular DVD but boasts that it is "Beyond High Definition" since it's in 1080p; and The Invincible Iron Man ($29.99; Lionsgate) which is a direct to DVD animated feature released by Marvel and costs $15 more than the regular DVD. I've got to keep urging them to make Blu-Ray the same price as regular DVDs. They should see Blu-Ray as a chance to offer MORE value to the DVD faithful who are willing to upgrade their machine, not as a chance to raise the prices of DVDs.

Chris Marker -- The utterly unique French director/essayist is best known for the short La Jetee, the 1962 film which told its futuristic tale mostly through still images. His roving curiosity and eclectic approach to storytelling has created a much more substantial body of work than most know and Icarus Films is celebrating his career with four major DVDs. The Case of the Grinning Cat ($29.98; Icarus) begins with his intrigue over some graffiti of a yellow cat that pops up in Paris after 9-11 and leads to a years-long journey. (The DVD also includes seven shorts.) The Sixth Side Of The Pentagon/The Embassy ($24.98; Icarus) contains two shorts, one a collaboration covering the 1967 Vietnam protests that Norman Mailer covered in Armies of the Night and the other a fictional tale cunningly disguised as found footage from the early 70s. The Last Bolshevik/Happiness ($34.98) is probably a great starting point for newcomers, including a silent film by Russian director Alexander Medvekin and Marker's probing look at Modvekin's life from the October Revolution to the collapse of communism. Finally, there's Remembrance of Things To Come ($24.98l Icarus) a collaboration with the daughter of photographer Denise Bellon that uses her work to document Paris from 1935 to 1955. If this range of offbeat, daring and bold topics combined with daring approaches to storytelling doesn't intrigue you, then your cinematic heart has stopped beating.

Kids films -- Emma Watson is clearly the one to watch among the group of kids who came of age in the Harry Potter films but her talent isn't fully exploited in Ballet Shoes ($24.98; Koch Lorber), a movie that is mainly for girls who have worn out their DVD of The Red Shoes and read the beloved book (namechecked in You've Got Mail) this is based on over and over again; The Blue Elephant ($19.98; Genius) is a mild, cheaply animated film, though it's always nice to hear Carl Reiner barking; Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow ($19.98; Lionsgate) lets the kids of superheroes kick some ass -- these straight to DVD animated titles don't seem to harm the franchises the way I fear Disney's do, but they still appear questionable to me when the live action movies are doing so well; It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown ($19.98; Warner Bros.) is the only other Peanuts special I enjoy and it comes with two songs to download, a weaker special and a featurette; and Bratz: Girlz Really Rock ($19.98; Lionsgate) has the rebellious gals getting kids at summer camp for actors and musicians to lighten up and not practice so much. Yeah, it's so boring to have to learn how to actually play an instrument.

Documentaries -- Derek ($29.95; Kino) is a labor of love by actress Tilda Swinton and director Isaac Julien that explores the work of the late Derek Jarman via extensive clips, commentary from friends and an interview done in 1994 shortly before Jarman died (also out just now is Jarman's War Requiem at the same price from Kino); Lagerfeld Confidential ($29.98; Koch Lorber) trades access for objectivity in this peek into the fashion world of Karl Lagerfeld; Monster Camp ($24.98; Life Size) is a genial if low-rent look at larpers -- people who bring their love for Dungeons & Dragons et all to life by indulging in Live Action Role Playing; Kordavision: The Man Who Shot Che Guevara ($19.98; Anchor Bay) examines the wide-ranging career of Alberto Korda, who has done fashion photography, underwater imaging, Cuba under Castro and that iconic image of Che which is one of the most famous and widely reproduced images of all time; The Case For Faith ($19.98; Lionsgate) is too mild to convert the likes of Bill Maher but can provide info and comfort for Christians who grapple with major issues (like why is there evil) by having journalist Lee Strobel talk with leading thinkers; Norah Jones: Live From Austin Tx ($19.98; New West) finds Jones increasingly confident as a performer - now if only she would amp up the melodies and hooks on her sometimes vague new compositions.

Grab Bag -- Jesse Bradford is still cute as a button and still looking for a movie role that fits him as well as the role of gardener on Desperate Housewives -- My Sassy Girl ($27.98; Fox) isn't it; Itty Bitty Titty Comittee ($27.95; Wolfe) is a romantic drama from the director of But I'm A Cheerleader and deserves mention if only for having the cleverest title since The Totally True Adventures of Two Girls in Love; Cannibal Terror ($19.95; Severin) is gorey sexploitation from 1980 of the lowest (or is that highest?) order; Miley's dad Billy Ray Cyrus can't reel in any laughs (sorry) in the witless comedy Baitshop ($19.98; Lionsgate) -- on the other hand he's better here than when hosting TV's Nashville Star; UFC Classics 9 and 10 ($19.98; Lionsgate) include the brutal fights held in Detroit and Birmingham, Alabama and while my mom lives in Birmingham, somehow I think she missed this so I'll have to send her the DVD; and it doesn't get more silly than the sexploitation of Tarzeena Queen of Kong Island ($14.98; Retromedia) with Christine Nguyen as our barely clad heroine fighting the bad guys alongside Tabonga, her loyal gorilla.

TV on DVD -- The Big Bang Theory First Season ($29.98; Warner Bros.) is the only new sitcom from last season that looks like a hit and I have friends who enjoy the show but every time I tune in it just seems hopelessly traditional, right down to "zingers" and a noisy laugh track; Desperate Housewives Season 4 ($59.99; ABC) is something I need more than ever since I stopped watching the series after that natural disaster; Life Season One ($29.98; NBC) is a crime drama my friend Aaron swears by and I sure like Damien Lewis but I just wish they'd drop the wildly complex "mystery" that overshadows everything; Cheers Season 10 ($39.98; Paramount) is about four seasons after they should have called it a day, but these episodes aren't as tired as I remembered thanks to a great cast; Ghost Whisperer Third Season ($63.98; Paramount) wants us to believe spirits keep getting in touch with Jennifer Love Hewitt and that's really not hard to imagine though I still keep thinking Bailey will be pissed; and The Office Season Four ($49.98; Universal) really astonishes me because it was such an awful idea to remake that perfect British sitcom and then it was such a lame imitation for a year and now it's so fully its own, marvelous show that I am pretty much gobsmacked.

So tell me, what returning or new shows are you anticipating?

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