franklyn

Looking for something good and geeky to watch? Here are this week's notable DVD and Blu-ray releases:

Star Trek (DVD & Blu-ray)
J.J. Abrams' great Star Trek flick did the impossible by rebooting and recharging the classic franchise for a new generation. It also pleased most OG Trekkers with its great performances, brisk storytelling, and callbacks to the original series.The DVD and Blu-ray discs are loaded with more bonus material than fans could ask for, and the HD film transfer looks amazing. Now the only problem is deciding where to buy the thing. Luckily, our own Erik Davis already posted about the 400 different retail promotional releases available at various stores, so I don't have to sort them all out here.

And while you're out deciding which set to pick up, you'll probably run into two more brand new Trek DVD releases, The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series (Vol. 2) and The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation (Vol. 2). And if that isn't enough for you ....

Galaxy Quest (Blu-ray)
This clever and satisfying Trek spoof finally arrives on Blu-ray with some tempting special features (and an even more tempting $20 price tag at some online retailers).

More new DVD releases after the jump.

You'd think that a sci-fi film with a cast that features Sam Riley, Eva Green and Ryan Phillippe would've attracted, oh, a little bit of attention, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Franklyn, a U.K. film that was released theatrically across the pond earlier this year only to sail right onto DVD shelves here in the states tomorrow with little to no mention. The only reason we know it's hitting DVD tomorrow is because The Playlist spotted it at their local video store (where they put it out early).

The film, which caught a nice helping of buzz in the beginning of the year with a pretty nifty trailer (watch it after the jump), was written and directed by a young up-and-comer named Gerald McMorrow, and apparently it looks great. In their review, Fangoria said this about Franklyn: "From across the pond comes Franklyn, England's darker answer The Butterfly Effect if Tim Burton had directed it. Set in England and deep in imagination, Franklyn combines the bleakness of a gothic fantasy world with the bleakness of real life. Both lands are loosely bound by the narration of a masked vigilante from the fictitious Meanwhile City. Not content with merely existing within several realms of reality, Franklyn features four storylines. Each storyline is filled with loss, regret, and desperation linking them together in a way they you'll never guess and only discover in the end."

Sounds cool enough, though maybe there's a little too much going on in this one. The Playlist adds: "The trouble is, McMorrow never commits as to what kind of film he wants to make. One scene is comic-book action, the next a romantic fable, but it never coheres. The tone flirts with darkness - mental illness, bereavement and child abuse - but pulls its punches, and they don't develop beyond plot devices - would-be twists that you see coming a mile off."

Still, might be worth the rental. Trailer after the jump.