Adventure, Murder-Mysteries and ‘Twilight Zone’ on Home Video
"Adventure Planet." (DVD Art). ©Arc-Entertainment.

“Adventure Planet.” (DVD Art). ©Arc-Entertainment.

By a Front Row Features Staff Reporter

Jane Lynch, Brooke Shields, Bailee Madison, Drake Bell and J.K. Simmons are some of the voices featured in the new animated feature “Adventure Planet,” from Arc Entertainment. The family friendly adventure tale is available on DVD. The DVD also comes with a Vudu digital copy.

Norva and Jorpe are gifted siblings who live in Thailand and have the unique ability to commune with nature. One day, they come across Sam, the son of the president of Capital State, who has gotten lost during a scouting expedition. Though Sam is impetuous and foolhardy, he soon learns to respect his new companions as his electronic gadgets go haywire and burning objects start falling from the sky. The kids rush to Capital State to alert the president, but they are no match for the energy-hungry devices that threaten to engulf the planet. The only way to prevent global destruction is to turn off all the power and allow the earth to regenerate. Finding a way to get the word out becomes the kids’ biggest challenge.

“The Twilight Zone: The Complete ‘80s TV Series,” is available on DVD Tuesday, August 26, for $59.98.

Travel into the fifth dimension with “The Twilight Zone,” testing the limits of reality and exploring the mysteries of the universe. Originally broadcast from 1985 to 1989, this critically acclaimed anthology series carried on the legacy of the original Rod Serling program and attracted a new audience of fans. The series features Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren and Martin Landau, among others, in compelling tales of intrigue by noted writers and filmmakers such as Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Arthur C. Clarke, George R.R. Martin, Wes Craven, William Friedkin, Lynn Barker and others.

This collection contains all three seasons from the classic ’80s TV series.Special features include a photo gallery, an exclusive Wes Craven video interview as well as over a dozen audio commentaries by the creative forces behind the show.

The newest season of P.G. Wodehouse’s BBC comedy “Blandings,” starring Timothy Spall (“The King’s Speech”) and Jennifer Saunders (“Absolutely Fabulous”) and a complete collection of Britain’s smart and sassy detective duo featuring Caroline Catz (“Doc Martin”) and Lisa Faulkner (“Murdoch Mysteries,” “MI-5”) in “Murder in Suburbia,” are also available on DVD Tuesday. Documentary specialist Athena has the captivating new BBC documentary called “Medieval Lives.”

On Sept. 2, Acorn TV unveils the DVD debut of a season two of the popular British crime series, “Line of Duty.” The return of hit six-episode BBC drama follows the anti-corruption unit investigating Keeley Hawes (“Ashes to Ashes,” “Upstairs, Downstairs”) as the sole surviving cop of an ambush of a police convoy. Like other police units, AC-12 catches criminals, but the offenders it investigates are fellow officers. When a police convoy is ambushed, leaving three cops dead and a protected witness seriously injured, AC-12 focuses its attention on the one officer who managed to escape the attack unscathed—Detective Inspector Lindsay Denton (Hawes).

Under the direction of Superintendent Ted Hastings (Adrian Dunbar), partners Detective Sergeant Steve Arnott (Martin Compston) and Detective Constable Kate Fleming (Vicky McClure) begin to put the pieces of the case together. Their investigation takes them ever higher up the police hierarchy. Bonus features include behind-the-scenes footage, deleted and extended scenes and interviews with the cast and crew. Originally broadcast in February on BBC Two, two more installments of the series have already been commissioned.

Also, the hugely popular whodunit “Lovejoy,” season two premieres Sept. 2, and stars Ian McShane (“Deadwood,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”) as a rascally antiques dealer with a heart of gold.

In these 12 episodes, Lovejoy finds himself pitted against a roving band of French thieves, a vicious Greek kingpin, and a wide variety of snooty British aristocrats, among others. But with the help of his trusty team, including Eric (Chris Jury of “The Big Game:), Tinker (Dudley Sutton), and the exquisite Lady Jane Felsham (Phyllis Logan), Lovejoy’s gift for solving mysteries is the genuine article.

This DVD 3-disc set includes 12 episodes($49.99 through acornonline.com). Season one and season two are also available to stream on Acorn TV, the British TV streaming service in North America.

Monday night’s broadcast of “Agatha Christie’s Poirot marked the end of the remarkable 25-year run of a beloved British TV series. But Acorn TV exclusively premieres the critically acclaimed series finale of “Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case,” featuring David Suchet, who plays the fabled detective Hercule Poirot. The finale featured the return of fan favorite Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser), as he and Poirot work together to solve one final case at Styles, the location of their first case.

Though the series has concluded, all 70 episodes in the unparalleled 25-year run are available to stream anytime on AcornTV or via the App store and on its Roku channel.

Lastly, “Midsomer Murders,” season 10 and season 11 are now available in individual sets. Previously broadcast on A&E and public television, the idyllic villages of Midsomer County reveal their most sinister secrets in these two series from 2006-2008. The hit British mystery series stars John Nettles (“Bergerac”) as the savvy DCI Barnaby.

The English village mystery gets a contemporary spin in this hit British television series that has earned a worldwide following. Bucolic settings harbor macabre crimes and eccentric characters that are no match for nice-guy detective Tom Barnaby (Nettles) and his assistant, Detective Sergeant Ben Jones (Jason Hughes). Guest stars include Daniel Casey, Samantha Bond, Donald Sinden, Malcolm Sinclair, Maggie Steed, George Cole, Tim Pigott-Smith and Anton Lesser.

Each of the 4-disc sets contains seven to eight feature-length episodes. “Midsomer Murders” is Acorn’s bestselling series. It premiered in the U.K. in 1997and has already aired 100 feature-length episodes, which are available to stream on Acorn.TV.