Page 24 THE VILLADOM TIMES I & III • May 29, 2013 DVD releases (continued from Restaurant page) crush, Jay (Johann Urb). When Jay has to leave town for a week on assignment, wallflower Deb happily offers to cat-sit at his cool new downtown Los Angeles loft. Deb busies herself giving the loft a makeover while Jay is away and, with the urging of Jay’s neighbors, gives herself one, too. Rue does a commendable job with a role that locks her into stereotypical behavior and predictable outcomes. She has a pleasant personality, and that makes this otherwise bland film watchable. Gould -- like Alan Arkin - has entered that phase of his career in which parts call for cantankerous, kvetchy codgers. His scenes enliven an otherwise uninspired movie. There are no extras on this DVD release. “The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents” (Lionsgate) is a three-disc DVD collection chronicling the American presidency over the past 200 years. Offering unusual stories, this eight-episode History Channel series provides a fresh perspective on the 44 men who have served as commander-in-chief, from George Washington to Barack Obama. The series concentrates on the ebbs and flows of presidential power and responsibilities as each lead deals with the events, expectations, and challenges of his time. One of the most interesting revelations is that the Founding Fathers originally regarded the office of president as administrative. The president would merely rubber-stamp legislation passed by Congress. Washington didn’t want the job, but when he finally accepted it, he made the office more powerful than envisioned, setting a number of precedents, including appointing a Cabinet. The best aspect of the series is the way the various presidents are per- sonalized. Viewers see how each responded to criticism, crises, and public outcry in a job that eventually came to be labeled the most powerful position in the world. Bonus material includes over 30 minutes of footage never before seen on TV. “The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine” (Kino Lorber) takes place during the Spanish Inquisition. Esteban (Paolo Marco) is falsely accused of heresy by the father of his girlfriend Lucita (Francoise Prevost) and is wounded while eluding capture. Esteban takes refuge in the convent where Lucita has been banished by her father and is hidden by Joaquin, a servant. Joaquin brings Lucita to Esteban and she tends to his wounds, but when Lucita’s cellmate Josefa (Bruna Beani) is later found stabbed to death, the abbess (Jenny Tamburi) accuses Lucita of the murder. Though this exploitative film is decently acted, it is mired in melodrama and sometimes unintentionally laughable in its cinematically bizarre evocation of the Inquisition, complete with erotic goings on, torture, and demonic characters. Presented in Italian with English subtitles, the Blu-ray release contains trailers of other releases in the label’s “Redemption” series. “Popeye the Sailor: The 1960s Classics” (Warner Archive) is a two-disc, 72-episode volume of all the Paramount Popeye cartoons made expressly for television. With TV broadcasts of the original 1930s Fleischer/ Famous Studios theatrical shorts proving that Popeye was still popular with youngsters and delivering hit ratings, King Features commissioned a new series of Sailor Man shorts. Though the animation was scaled back, the series continued to use voice actors Jack Mercer (Popeye), Mae Questel (Olive Oyl), and Jackson Beck (formerly Bluto, now called Brutus) and veteran Popeye animators then working at Paramount Cartoon Studios. In addition, the Thimble Theater comic strip characters King Blozo, Toar, and Sea Hag made their cartoon debuts.