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If you don’t know the name Pierre Morel, there’s no reason why you should. The French director’s workmanlike ethic has done wonders for his debut film, 2004’s parkour-heavy action flick District B13 and last year’s Taken, starring Liam Neeson as a former special forces agent hell-bent on getting his daughter back. Hmm, that plot sure sounds familiar – well, moving on. Morel has made his mark by providing high octane, well choreographed action in both films – the paper-thin plots propelling the agile protagonists of B13 as well as the more hard-hitting run-and-gun sleuth of Taken making for puerile but stylish entertainment. The latest in Morel’s oeuvre is From Paris With Love, a gung-ho action thriller in the same vein as Taken, but lacking much of the subtlety of the previous film.

The family sit-com is one of the standard genres of the TV industry, but as the face of the American family has changed in the 21st century, there will naturally be sit-coms to reflect the new world after the fall of the nuclear family. Created by Ed Yeager, Gary Unmarried tells the story of Gary Brooks, a divorced man with uncomplicated tastes who is trying to start a new life while still firmly linked to his old one. Comedian Jay Mohr portrays Gary as the kind of everyman underdog we often see depicted in situation comedies (The Honeymooners, the King of Queens, etc.). Mohr, one of the creative minds behind Last Comic Standing, has been a cast member of Saturday Night Live, appeared in several films including Jerry Maguire and was a total scene stealer in his supporting role on the Ghost Whisperer. He’s a talented comedian and his comic timing is the core of Gary Unmarried.

Award winner at the Berlin International Film Festival and selected to represent Iran in the race for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes, The Song of Sparrows lives up to its subtle praise by depicting a beautiful portrait of an Iranian pastoral town. This English subtitled film begins as Karim, head of the household, loses an ostrich on the farm he works. This consequently costs him his job and dignity as he chases the fast bird and tries desperately to attract it by dressing up in a silly costume. This silently comedic film immediately captured my attention within the first ten minutes due to the cinematography of Tooraj Mansouri, leading me to watch the remainder if not for simply the entertainment but for the sheer beauty of the scenery.

"It's better than a real school. It's free and you don't get raped in the hallways."

Fame is full of no-nonsense dialogue like that, earning its stripes by making art vikings out of its adult and teenage characters alike. "This isn't your dick you're holding," seethes a classical music teacher. "It's a violin bow!" Fabulous. Now we're talking real music.

It's hard to comprehend the thought process that resulted in this movie remade into a network television show and more recently a PG-rated cash-in. It's hard to comprehend because this 1980 original is an open, uncompromising R-rated movie by Alan Parker, director of controversial films such as Midnight Express, Pink Floyd's The Wall and Angel Heart. Fame follows the same rabble-rousing spirit of those films, depicting the school years of underprivileged and misunderstood kids who want to pursue their dreams of being performers—be it dancers, musicians, actors or stand-up comedians.

The Blu-ray and DVD releases of Doctor Who: The Complete Specials have a defined audience: the millions and millions of fans who followed the original run and those who’ve signed on since its revival in 2005 with Christopher Eccleston as the titular adventurer. However, it should be noted by the casual reader that The Complete Specials collection is actually just as accessible to the curious viewer, even without a deep understanding of the Doctor Who legacy. The series has and always will be about fun science-fiction adventures blended with elements of the fantastic as they’re faced by the ever-reincarnated Doctor Who, whom, in this collection, is played by David Tennant, who held the role until just recently. The five stories collected here are well-rounded examples of Sci-Fi entertainment, and the extras on the disc only serve to increase the set's impressive value.