June 1, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • Page 21 New releases include five-disc ‘Twilight Zone’ set by Dennis Seuling “The Twilight Zone: Season Four” (Image Entertainment) is a five-disc set featuring 18 one-hour TV episodes from 1963 in Blu-ray. The first three seasons consisted of half-hour shows, an ideal format to grab viewers’ attention, move the plot along briskly, and toss in a quirky twist at the end. The challenge with a twice-as-long show was maintaining viewer attention without padding. As a result, some episodes, such as “The Thirty-Fathom Grave” seem endless, with unnecessary, repetitive scenes and excessive dialogue. However, most of the episodes worked well in the longer format. One of the best, “Of Late I Think of Cliffordville,” harks back to Season One’s “Walking Distance,” about returning to the past. Elderly, rich businessman Feathersmith (Albert Salmi) gets the opportunity to return to 1910, where he has present-day knowledge and the opportunity to enhance his wealth only to be stymied by technology that can’t accommodate his plans. In “Miniature,” shy bachelor Charley Parkes (Robert Duvall) lives a lonely life. On a museum visit, he chances upon a 19th century dollhouse and sees a lifelike mechanical doll playing a Mozart sonata on a harpsichord. He is told the doll is carved from wood and doesn’t play music. As Charley’s private life takes several turns for the worse, he finds solace visiting his new “friend” in the dollhouse, but eventually suffers a nervous breakdown and is institutionalized. He is eventually released to his family, but finds true happiness in the most unlikely of places. “Death Ship” is a psychological thriller in which a manned space ship lands on a planet after something shiny appears on its surface. Crew members discover an exact replica of their own ship, only wrecked, along with what appear to be their own dead bodies. Are they dead? Are they hallucinating? The show builds suspense as each crew member has his own theory about what they are experiencing. Viewers Robert Duvall and Pert Kelton star in ‘Miniature,’ one of 18 episodes in ‘The Twilight Zone: Season Four.’ see their thoughts played out until the final truth is revealed. Featured actors include Burt Reynolds, Anne Francis, Jack Klugman, Dennis Hopper, Burgess Meredith, Dana Andrews, Pat Hingle, and James Whitmore. These shows have been available previously in the VHS and DVD formats, but Blu-ray technology really makes a difference, as the black and white photography never looked better. They have a pristine, movie-like feel that looks terrific on a HiDef TV. Without commercial interruption, the stories flow better and suspense is enhanced. Extras include 13 new audio commentaries, vintage audio interviews with actors, Rod Serling promos for “Next week’s show,” isolated musical scores for all 18 episodes, seven radio dramas, and a “Saturday Night Live” clip. “A Clockwork Orange: 40th Anniversary Edition” (Warner Home Video) receives first-class treatment as Stanley Kubrick’s study of a sociopath is finally released on Blu-ray. Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” is often touted as the director’s best film, but “A Clockwork Orange” is far and away the better movie, a true masterpiece. It is also extremely controversial. Released with an X rating in 1971 (before the X rating came to suggest pornography and was avoided at all costs), the movie was lauded for its cinematic storytelling while being highly criticized for its extremely violent content. Based the Anthony Burgess novel, “A Clockwork Orange” portrays an oppressive, lawless society where people are reduced to little more than machines, drugs are available legally, parental guidance is nonexistent, and gangs rule the streets. The film introduced into pop culture the concept of “ultra-violence,” as singing, tap dancing, derby-wearing thug Alex (Malcolm McDowell) amuses himself at the tragic (continued on Crossword page) Featuring our Award Winning German Dishes plus our Thin Crust Pizza! Full Bar… German Beers on Tap… Wines by the Glass & Bottle GIFT CERTIFICATES • SMALL PARTIES Friendly, Casual and Affordable. Everything from Burgers to Prime Rib. KIRKERS INN TUESDAY NITE Take Time Out For Fresh Homemade Soup, Salads, Sandwiches. Seafood, Sliced Steak, Chicken and Our Bavarian Specialities 11:30am-3:00pm Monday-Saturday KNOCKWURST or BRATWURST SANDWICH $6.50 Hot Potato Salad & Kraut LUNCH Entrees starting at $8.95 Our Top “6” Entrees NEW Served 6-8pm: Prime Rib, Sauerbraten, “Wursts” Platter, Wiener Schnitzel, Stuffed Shrimp & Tilapia Rivera Includes Soup or Salad, Potato and Vegetable SPECIAL only $12.00! EXPANDED TAP BEER SELECTION! CRAFT BEER NITE LARGE THIN CRUST PIZZA with 2 toppings $9.95 at the bar Wiess Bier, Oktoberfest, Warstiener plus 2 Micro Brews! Join us Mondays 7-9:30pm $4.00 Craft Beers www.kirkers.com • All Major Credit Cards Accepted • Open Mon-Sat, Noon ‘til 11:30pm 237 Diamond Bridge Ave, Hawthorne • 973-427-7700