This Week: Movies/DVD (June 7-14)

Colleen and Ace in Dog City.

© Jim Henson Productions

It's a quiet week this week---nothing major coming out in cinemas or on DVD in the sci-fi/fantasy arena (though Shutter Island is out this week, if you've been waiting for that). But I thought I'd mention Jim Henson's Dog City: The Movie (1989), which is out on DVD after almost two decades (it was out previously in the UK). Dog City: The Movie was the precursor to the Fox children's television series, Dog City, which ran for three seasons and unusually combined Muppets and animation (it's not on DVD, but is partly available through Amazon On Demand), though the movie version is all puppets. The subject matter, inspired by the dogs-playing-poker paintings by C. M. Coolidge of all things, is surprisingly noir: the plot follows Ace, who inherits a saloon in the tough town of Dog City from his uncle Harry, but Ace is unwilling to pay the protection money. Features on this DVD include Original movie concept art and Behind-the-scenes gallery. Compare prices.