— by Ben Cosgrove and Carl Davis "Muppet Show: Season One" (1976) A lot has changed in the almost 30 years since "The Muppet Show" first graced American television screens, but happily the Muppets themselves remain pretty much as amiable, silly and charming as ever. In this, the show's first season, Kermit, Miss Piggy, the Swedish chef, Animal and the rest of the crew join old-school showbiz icons and comedy bigwigs like Phyllis Diller, Florence Henderson, Harvey Korman, Ethel Merman, Vincent Price, Twiggy and Peter Ustinov acting in goofy skits and singing even goofier (and sometimes weirdly, inexplicably moving) songs. Buena Vista Home Video has included the following extras: All 24 episodes from the 1976 season, completely restored and remastered The original pilot, "Sex and Violence!" The original pitch of the show "Muppet Morsels" Gag reel "Kung Fu Hustle" (2004) A comedy? An action flick? A coming-of-age tale? A carnival ride? Applying such descriptions to "Kung Fu Hustle" is about as useful as calling the Grand Canyon a hole in the ground: mere words fall far short of the reality — especially when that reality is so surreal. What can you expect from this marvelous, genre-busting tornado? How about two gangster wannabes, named Sing and Sidekick, both of whom are actually soft-hearted buffoons; a chain-smoking landlady who can scream loud enough to shatter walls and defeat legions of axe-wielding psychopaths; the world's "#1 killer," known as "The Beast," whose preferred attack mode involves inflating his neck like a bullfrog's and blasting off from the ground like a NASA rocket; a beautiful mute girl with an intensely emotional attachment to a very old lollipop ... in other words, great fun. Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment has included the following extras: Deleted scenes Outtakes and bloopers Audio commentary with cast and crew Behind-the-scenes feature A Ric Meyers interview with Stephen Chow Photo gallery, TV spots and previews "Beautiful Boxer" (2003) This tale of a kickboxer who only fights in order to earn enough money for a sex-change operation would be unbelievable if it weren't true. Based on the real-life story of Parinya Charoenphol, the film chronicles the journey of a champion kickboxer who, from his earliest years, felt like a girl trapped inside a boy's body and decided to master the art of Muay Thai boxing in order to make money for sexual-reassignment surgery. Director Ekachai Uekrongtham tastefully portrays Parinya's life — from childhood through his intensive training and championship fighting career — and captures the intense emotional drama and brutal physical action inherent in this fascinating character's story. "Beautiful Boxer" illustrates, once again, the old adage that one should not judge a book by its cover; it just might kick your ass. TLA Releasing has included the following extras: Director's message Inside "Beautiful Boxer" Behind-the-scenes fight footage Interviews with cast and crew Teaser trailers "The Eye 2" (2004) Hong Kong filmmakers the Pang Brothers — currently shooting their new, as-yet-untitled film in Canada — are back with a quasi-sequel to their international blockbuster. While "The Eye" followed a woman's encounters with the spirit world after an experimental corneal transplant, this spinoff follows the tribulations of beautiful Taiwanese actress Shu Qi when she overdoses on sleeping pills after her boyfriend leaves her. She wakes up in the hospital after her suicide attempt only to find out that she's pregnant ... oh, and she can also see dead people. As if her life weren't stressful enough, she must now battle her overwhelming depression while trying to discover why she's been given this terrifying gift — all while trying to learn how she might become "normal" again. Lions Gate Home Entertainment has included a making-of feature and the theatrical trailer. "Vampire Assassin" (2004) If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then martial-arts actor Ron Hall must be a huge fan of the "Blade" series. Hall's writing/directing debut is such a DIY tribute to Wesley Snipes' vampire hunter that even the cover image on this DVD will have you second-guessing which film you're holding in your hand. Hall plays Derek, a cop with a unique phobia: the fear of blood, which he's had ever since witnessing the violent death of his father when he was a child. Now he must face his fear when the international counterfeiter he's been investigating turns out to be a vampire. Teaming up with the mysterious Master Kao, Derek is determined to solve both the counterfeiting case and the murder mystery from his own past. With a handmade look and feel, as well as an extended cameo by underground comedy legend Rudy Ray Moore, "Vampire Assassins" is a fun diversion for those who just can't get enough of buff, black-leather-clad vampire hunters. Lions Gate Home Entertainment has included the theatrical trailer. "T.J. Hooker: Complete First and Second Seasons" (1982) "T.J. Hooker" has it all — B-level pop-culture icons acting their hearts out (and it shows); an appropriately catchy, memorable title; a soundtrack that sounded out of date even when the show was new. The fact that it also launched the career of perennial nighttime soap diva Heather Locklear only ups the ante. Now factor in the car-hood-surfing shenanigans of the show's very-likeable-in-a-creepy-hair-weave-kind-of-way star, William Shatner, as a tough-love cop teaching recruits how stay alive on the noticeably pristine streets of their beloved, never fully named city — their wonderfully cheesy-looking badges simply say "LCPD" — and you've got campy chemistry to burn. Columbia TriStar has included all 27 of the show's original television promos in this six-disc set. Click here to see last week's "DVD Picks." If you're interested in any of these DVDs — or literally thousands of others — head to The MTV Movie Shop. Visit Movies on MTV.com for Hollywood news, interviews, trailers and more.
	Photos: Buena Vista Home Video