Big, BIG news for you retro television buffs today, because the folks out at A&E sent out a copy of Mike Hammer: The Complete Series for me to review for you today. It won’t even hit stores until this Tuesday, so you’ve got plenty of time to get excited, because for retro television fans, detective show fans, and folks who can’t get enough of Darren McGavin, you’re absolutely going to go wild over this.

Mike Hammer: The Complete Series follows the title character, an ace private eye, as he pursues a variety of cases all over the general vicinity of New York City. He’ll find himself pursuing cases, but also pursuing criminals, and even occasionally killing a few of them. He’ll chase blackmailers, murderers, bank robbers, and most anybody else that commits crime in his city.

This is very much a shot of fifties era television–it even feels like fifties era stuff–and if you liked things like The Twilight Zone you’ll definitely get a thrill here. Darren McGavin is a scenery chewer of such excellence that the set designers must have to lace their paint with jalapenos to keep McGavin from wrecking up the joint. And even better, most every episode of McGavin’s Hammer is a meager half-hour (more like twenty-odd minutes), so the mysteries will come very much bite sized and simple to digest. You’ll get dozens of little mysteries here, convenient to break out at most any time of day. They’ll be fast and simple to process, just like most any other sitcom, plus you get the added bonus of them having that retro television spirit that’s extra fun.

And even better, some of the episodes will also pack some humor in. You often don’t see it coming, like when Mike Hammer finds himself abruptly playing secretary / bodyguard for an elderly neighbor who found himself falling into a substantial windfall. Several portions of the episode are surprisingly laugh-inducing, but they’ll quickly turn around into a full-on mystery. Plus, Hammer himself is something of a flirt, and encountering an attractive woman–which he will do with some regularity–often causes him to abruptly, and visibly, switch gears.

Mike Hammer The Complete Series is a rapid and highly engaging affair, giving you the option of taking it a little at a time or in big chunks, and that kind of variety is every bit as helpful as the series is fun and entertaining.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Mike Hammer The Complete Series an eight out of ten for being a slice of delight from the fifties brought forward almost fifty years to a whole new audience. And you should have a great time with it to boot.

Chalet Girl, the new British comedy starring Felicity Jones and Ed Westwick, is now available on SundanceNOW.com and cable VOD via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House before it is available in theaters!

Screenhead is holding a giveaway to view the movie at SundanceNOW. To enter the giveaway post your name and we will pick the winner September 19, 2011.

Pretty tomboy Kim (Felicity Jones) used to be a champion skateboarder, but now she flips burgers to support herself and her dad. Opportunity comes knocking when she flukes a winter-long catering job in one of the plushest ski chalets in the Alps. At first, Kim is baffled by this bizarre new world of posh people, vintage champagne, epic mountains and waist deep powder.

Then Kim discovers snowboarding, and her natural talent soon sees her training for the end-of-season competition, with a chance to win major prize money. But before she can become a champion again, Kim needs to overcome her deepest fears – and figure out what’s going on with Jonny (Ed Westwick), her boss’ handsome but apparently unavailable son.

SundanceNOW.com is a place for anyone interested in independent films both American and worldwide – from the die-hard fans, who we hope will become active members of our community, to those interested in browsing our extensive list of different genres and sampling something new.

We all know how wildly popular the Discovery Channel show Mythbusters is. It’s been around entirely too long to not know. So it’s definitely great to fill you guys in on Mythbusters Collection 7, a copy of which the folks at Discovery (via press agent Gaiam) sent out for us to review. And if you want to get your hands on this one, well, you’ll have to wait–this doesn’t even hit stores until Tuesday.

Mythbusters Collection 7 brings us fully ten episodes of our favorite experience that takes modern myths, be they from the theater or the movies or simply old wives’ tales, and evaluates them using a combination of scientific method (investigation, hypothesis and so on), extensive testing, and an extra step that often involves explosions, potential for great bodily harm, or fire for a note of crowd pleasing.

Granted, the myths that are gone after generally don’t involve simple things, like, say, the fuzzy quality of a caterpillar predicting the severity of winter, but rather, can a human being survive a fall off a several story building into a dumpster, or whether a human being will be compressed into the helmet of a diving suit following a sudden loss of compression. But then, it’s those very same myths that make Mythbusters significantly more watchable. This is a dose of action rock star science right here, science at its craziest and most crowd-pleasing since the invention of fireworks.

And you will learn things, guaranteed. You’ll learn about gas expansion, water displacement, visual acuity, and a wide, wide variety of scientific topics. It’s this variety that has been more than a little of what’s behind Mythbusters’ massive success and extreme popularity. And watching it is actually pretty thrilling. If you’ve never seen an episode of Mythbusters before, this is a great place to start. There are lots of little episodes here; the Mythbusters collections are really more a best-of than a complete series sort of setup, so you’ll get lots of the better stuff. And every episode will generally involve two myths, one with Adam and Jamie, and one with the dynamic trio of Grant, Tory, and Kari (who will be briefly replaced for stretches of this collection by Jessi Combs as Kari’s gone off to have a baby), so you’ll get double the mythbusting fun in each episode, and on the off chance you didn’t like one, you’ll have another waiting for added value.

And so, the Screenhead Ten Scale gives Mythbusters Collection 7 a seven out of ten. You’ll need at least a basic appreciation of science to get along with this, but if you do, then chances are you’re going to be all over this.

Laugh, cry and win when WIN WIN is on the streets now in Blu-ray and DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. It is not just another sports movie, but an unconventionally uplifting film. Screenhead not only has  one winner but two winners for giveaway.

Our first winner is Mildred. She says, “This film seemed to be in the theaters for such a brief time, so it is good that it is on DVD now so more people can see it, myself included.”

Lisa is our second winner, and says, “Paul Giamatti is hilarious.. Would love to see this movie!!”

The story combines action on the mat with the hilarious highs and heartbreaking lows of a new kind of family. Indie film writer-director Tom McCarthy (The Visitor) guides a celebrated cast including Academy Award nominees Paul Giamatti (Sideways, “John Adams”), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) and high school wrestling star and newcomer Alex Shaffer in this quirky coming-of-age tale.

Giamatti stars as a lovable yet long-suffering lawyer and high-school wrestling coach who takes us on a brilliantly heartfelt journey through the game of life…where you can’t lose ’em all. When Mike Flaherty (Giamatti) comes across a teenage runaway who also happens to be a champion wrestler, Mike’s luck turns around in spectacular fashion. But his win-win situation soon becomes more complicated than he ever imagined when the boy’s family affairs come into play. Co-starring Amy Ryan and directed by Tom McCarthy, this touching and funny comedy will leave you cheering.

WIN WIN also highlights the critically-acclaimed performances of Bobby Cannavale (Sex and the City, “Third Watch”), Burt Young (Rocky), and Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development,” The Hangover).

When you watch most BBC videos, at least the ones we’ve covered here so far, there’s often a little blurb before the presentation starts, talking about the various content offered. And one of the things they describe is the British capacity for drama. When you take a class-ridden society that represses its emotions on a regular basis, or something like that, you have the capability to produce said drama. And that’s kind of what you’ll get with Reggie Perrin. And the folks out at Acorn Media sent out a copy of Reggie Perrin set one for us to review, and the end result is terrific drama couched in a surprisingly delightful comedy.

Reggie Perrin follows the title character, Reggie Perrin, the head of a disposable razors division that’s seen better days. Work is getting downright absurd, he’s getting bored at home, and his entire world is getting more absurd and alienating every single day. But Reggie has two things that keeps him sane: his fantasy life, which is unsettlingly active, and his aggressively tactless nature. He’s resolved to live a little more on impulse, but will this cause more trouble than it solves?

Reggie Perrin is actually a spectacularly funny affair. In the first episode alone I think I laughed half a dozen times, and in a half-hour sitcom, that’s not normal. And in fact, it’s a delightful change. What impresses me about this, though, is how often the parts of Reggie Perrin prove to be the same from episode to episode, but with slight changes between them. For instance, there’s the Late For Work Excuse section, and the Late Coming Home Excuse section. At one point, Reggie’s regular commuter train is delayed, and the reason? “Whatever.” Really, “whatever”. That was the reason. And I just laughed like crazy.

Reggie’s fantasy life, meanwhile, has a strange way of getting him in trouble and saving him from it, which always leaves you wondering just what’s going to happen to him next. Yet, on a certain level, you often know what will happen next. And it usually winds up being hilarious.

This is one of the better sitcoms out there, and frankly, I’m almost ashamed to see the Brits beat us to it. But they have Martin Clunes, who is his era’s Kelsey Grammer, so we can hardly be blamed for losing out on this one.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives Reggie Perrin Set One an eight out of ten. It’s uproarious, delightful stuff that may not be for everyone, but should be at least worth a look for most anybody.

Screenhead has picked its winner for the online giveaway for the Blu-Ray and DVD release of the Jumping The Broom.  Lucy Schwartz is our winner and she says, “Who said you marry the person not the family? It maybe true but there is a lot of story material there.”

I like that Lucy, very good point. Jumping The Broom is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray. You can go buy one wherever DVDs are sold.

In this funny romantic love story, the movie invites you to the marriage of Sabrina Watson (Paula Patton, Precious) and Jason Taylor (Laz Alonso, Fast & Furious). They just might be the perfect couple.

Unfortunately, their families are a perfect recipe for disaster. Mrs. Watson (Angela Bassett) has an upper-crust sensibility that matches her family’s Martha’s Vineyard estate, where Jason’s straight-out-of-Brooklyn mom (Loretta Devine) seems utterly out of place.

When the families gather for Jason and Sabrina’s wedding, it becomes clear that each side has its traditions… and its secrets. When uptown meets downtown, the truth comes out – and only one question remains. Will this couple endure the hysterical and harrowing trials of love and finally jump the broom? I guess, you have to see the movie to find out.

There is also a new giveaway at our sister site Mobilewhack.com visit this link MobileWhack.

The folks out at Lions Gate sent over a copy of Boy Meets World The Complete Sixth Season, and this one is going to be much the same as previous seasons, though that’s not the insult you might think it was. If you liked the previous seasons, you should get a real charge out of this one.

Boy Meets World The Complete Sixth Season kicks off where the fifth season previously left off, with Cory’s parents looking to have a baby, Feeny looking at retirement, Cory and Topanga looking at college…and more besides, and so on from there. Now it’ll be a whole new set of adjustments as the gang heads off to college and gets into a whole new set of dramatic issues.

Okay, admittedly, believability is shot all to hell and gone in this season. High school kids getting married, idiots taking college classes, a high school teacher getting promoted to principal then retiring to take a job at the college where his most recent graduating class happens to be…none of this makes sense. Eric, meanwhile, has gone even further off the rails than even I had thought possible. He is now so far from the rails that he no longer qualifies as a train, but rather, some kind of hovercraft.

And worse, it’s heavier on the drama than the earlier seasons. Frankly, if the drama keeps up at this pace, we’re going to be bursting at the seams with the stuff. It’s really got me wondering just what the seventh season will look like, and frankly, I don’t remember the seventh season from when it was on television. The comedy has gotten thicker too, almost disturbingly so. I’ve seen horror movies featuring insane asylums that have this kind of strange comedy to them. It’s almost hysteria.

Thick drama, thick comedy, man…this season is downright thick. And there’s almost even proportions here, so whether you’re here for the drama or you’re here for the comedy, you’re going to come away reasonably satisfied with the end result here. Of course, those here for the drama will likely be put off by the comedy, and vice versa, of course, but if you can be sufficiently satisfied with the reason you came, then this drama / comedy chimera will be welcome for you no matter what.

The Screenhead Ten Scale, in turn, gives Boy Meets World The Complete Sixth Season a seven out of ten. It’s weirder than normal, and the drama and comedy have been polarized to an almost disturbing degree, but whatever you came here for is likely going to be well received.

He’s done the time, now he might as well do the crime. Acclaimed indie filmmaker Malcolm Venville (44 Inch Chest) directs an all-star cast in the outrageous crime caper, Henry’s Crime, is available on Blu-ray and DVD from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

“With a terrific cast led by Keanu Reeves (The Matrix Trilogy), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) and a splendid James Caan (Misery), Henry’s Crime is a fun comedy with irresistible heist and heart” (Boxoffice Magazine). Reeves stars as Henry Torne, a wrongly accused man who winds up behind bars for a bank robbery he didn’t commit. After befriending a charismatic lifer (Caan) in prison, Henry finds his purpose — having done the time, he decides he may as well do the crime. But his outlandish plan to rob the very same bank spins wildly out of control, as he finds himself performing in a stage play and falling in love with the production’s seductive leading lady (Farmiga).

To win a copy of this DVD, two are available for giveaway, simply answer the following question when you post your name:

Keanu Reeves’ character in the film is accused of which crime?

-Bank Robbery
-Arson
-Embezzlement

The winner will be picked September 10, 2011.

There is also a new giveaway at our sister site Mobilewhack.com visit this link http://www.mobilewhack.com/oscar-winner-dvd-giveaway-in-a-better-world/

We’ve all been depressed, at one time or another. And the more we do with that depression, the better off we’ll be in the end. Whether it’s getting help or getting through, it’s the getting somewhere that means the most. And with The Beaver, from the folks out at Summit Entertainment who sent a copy for me to review, the end result is going to be stranger, more disturbing, and yet more uplifting, than you might think.

The Beaver follows Walter, a family man who’s seen better days. In fact, things are looking pretty grim for old Walter; his wife is growing fed up with his depression (which, by itself, is a telling commentary), his son is manufacturing term papers for a pretty good rate and his youngest son is sufficiently invisible that no one seems to care if he’s been thrown in a dumpster. But when things are at their lowest, Walter finds a hand puppet in the shape of–you guessed it–a beaver. And when the beaver takes control of Walter’s life in a bid to improve it, it may not go off according to plan.

Before you say it, I’m quite aware (as I’m sure many of you are too) that this is pretty much the plot of a couple dozen horror films, with the critical difference is that this time the puppet isn’t out to lead the main character into fits of homicidal rage, but rather is out to improve the main character’s life.

But that’s not the only difference, merely the critical one. See, The Beaver is an absolute masterwork of a movie, putting up a bizarre combination of preposterous and believable with every shot. It wavers wildly between the disturbing and the natural, the irrational and the rational. And while it seems so much in the beginning like if the rational would just bow to the irrational, everything would work out so much better, the rational eventually begins to work on the irrational, until a semirational hybrid starts to come around and changes the world.

And of course, getting Mel Gibson, who only in recent memory did more than a few purely lunatic things himself, to handle the lead is a smart idea.

But the strange part is that it turns a little dark toward the end, and this abrupt change in tone isn’t just irrational, it’s disturbing. But this in turn brings about the synthesis I talked about earlier. There’s no need for psychobabble here, no weird film-school nonsense. Just know that you’re in for a ride quite thoroughly unlike any you’ve had before.

The Screenhead Ten Scale gives this lump of massive crazy, that also happens to be a work beyond the pale, a full ten out of ten for doing something few have ever done before, and doing a thoroughly amazing job with it. The Beaver is a spectacular work that will inspire long after its conclusion.

Laugh, cry and win when WIN WIN comes to Blu-ray and DVD on August 23, 2011 from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. It is not just another sports movie, but an unconventionally uplifting film. Yes, Screenhead not only has one DVD to give away, but we have two DVDs to give away.

The story combines action on the mat with the hilarious highs and heartbreaking lows of a new kind of family. Indie film writer-director Tom McCarthy (The Visitor) guides a celebrated cast including Academy Award nominees Paul Giamatti (Sideways, “John Adams”), Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone) and high school wrestling star and newcomer Alex Shaffer in this quirky coming-of-age tale.

Giamatti stars as a lovable yet long-suffering lawyer and high-school wrestling coach who takes us on a brilliantly heartfelt journey through the game of life…where you can’t lose ’em all. When Mike Flaherty (Giamatti) comes across a teenage runaway who also happens to be a champion wrestler, Mike’s luck turns around in spectacular fashion. But his win-win situation soon becomes more complicated than he ever imagined when the boy’s family affairs come into play. Co-starring Amy Ryan and directed by Tom McCarthy, this touching and funny comedy will leave you cheering.

WIN WIN also highlights the critically-acclaimed performances of Bobby Cannavale (Sex and the City, “Third Watch”), Burt Young (Rocky), and Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development,” The Hangover).

To enter the giveaway, post your name and we will pick the winner September 7, 2011.