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Catch a whiff of Le Pew on DVD

'Shameless' shines; 'Borgias' fails to inspire.

- The Fresno Bee

Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011 | 03:03 AM

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The pickings are a little slim among DVD releases this week.

"Looney Tunes Super Stars: Pepe Le Pew," Grade A-: This collection of 17 shorts is for those who love first-rate animation. The suave, smooth-talking French skunk's powerful scent and penchant for romance puts him in very funny situations.

Included in this collection of cartoons created by animation legend Chuck Jones is the Academy Award winning "For Scent-imental Reasons." Pepe Le Pew tries to seduce a reluctant feline in an upscale French perfume shop.

This is one tale of the skunk that doesn't stick.

"Shameless: The Complete First Season," Grade A-: William H. Macy is one of the few actors who makes a project better just by being a part of it.

He gets a great role as an alcoholic father whose kids are raising themselves. This cable offering -- while hard to watch at times -- is one of the better new series of the year.

Emmy Rossum, Justin Chatwin and Ethan Cutkosky co-star.

If you haven't been watching the Showtime series, pick up the first season so you will be ready when season two debuts Jan. 8.

"The Borgias: The First Season," Grade C+: Showtime's big-budget series digs into the sex and scandal that surrounded Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons), the scheming, sex-crazed patriarch of the Borgia family who built an empire through corruption of the Roman Catholic Church.

The series opens with Borgia using bribery to become Pope Alexander VI. It isn't long before he uses his position to bed lost souls and increase his control.

Academy Award-winning director Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game") wrote all nine episodes in the first season and directed the first two. His efforts are surprisingly weak. "The Borgias" is little more than a paint-by-the-numbers tale.

Also new on DVD Tuesday:

"Hostel: Part III": Human torture is turned into a high stakes gambling opportunity.

"The Pool Boys": A pool boy decides to turn an empty mansion into a home for Beverly Hills escorts. Matthew Lillard stars.

"Final Destination 5": Another group of young people try to cheat death.

"Apollo 18": A secret mission to the moon proves deadly.

"Dora the Explorer: Dora Loves Boots": The DVD contains three features: "Boots' First Bike," "Bouncy Boots" and "The Big Red Chicken's Magic Wand."

"Archer: The Complete Season Two": FX network's animated spy series.

"Jersey Shore: Season Four": The gang makes a trip to Italy in an effort to be an embarrassment on two continents.

"The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret: Series One": David Cross stars in this cable series about an office temp who bluffs his way into a senior sales job.

"State of Georgia: Volume One": Raven-Symoné stars.

"Zombie Apocalypse": A family must be saved after months of hiding after a zombie apocalypse. Ving Rhames stars.



TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355. Read his blog at fresnobeehive.com.

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