We’re kicking today’s column off with the classic Dustin Hoffman picture, The Graduate. It comes out on Blu-ray (and is a steal at less than $20). Mike Nichols has never been better (though he’s come close) and the film is just a wonderful love story full of jealousy and… just… if you haven’t seen it, just trust me on this one.

Playing Shakespeare is next on our list. Back in the early 80s, BBC and the Royal Shakespeare Company Founder, John Barton, got together and filmed a miniseries of 9 acting workshops. The stable of talent in the Royal Shakespeare company back then was impressive, to say the least, and watching this set has been a time warp. It features Patrick Stewart, Judi Dench, Ian McKellan, Hellen Mirren, and Ben Kingsley, among others. It’s fascinating to watch. I’ve no desire to be an actor, but it certainly rekindled my love of Shakespeare and the craft.

And as if there weren’t enough versions of Fletch floating around out there, the definitive Blu-ray version comes out today. Hopefully, this will be the last time it must be purchased. And, oh yes, it must be purchased.

Next we have a DVD release of Jean Luc Godard’s Une Femme Mariee. It’s been on my stack of films to review for a couple of weeks now, and I’ll report back once I’ve seen it, but it looks amazing.

Defiance and Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road are both hitting Blu-ray. I’ve seen neither film but wanted to badly and both are on my review stack. I’ll report back soon.