New Home Video: Aug. 20-27, 2012

The first half of season 1 is now available in stores from Shout! Factory. Meanwhile, a more deluxe line of box sets of all the American series, including a full 7-season set (From Mighty Morphin to Lost Galaxy), is being released simultaneously for mail order via Time Life. The second half of the season releases Nov. 20. If you're waiting for Blu-Ray, don't hold your breath: Shout! says the original masters aren't good enough quality for HD.
Formats: DVD (3 discs).
The story: Featuring the first 30 original episodes, this DVD set launches the adventures of five teens, who quickly learn the full impact and awesome responsibility of their new powers and weapons. The evil villain, Rita Repulsa, and her henchmen challenge them at every turn.
Starring: Amy Jo Johnson, Jason Narvy, Paul Schrier, Richard Steven Horvitz, David Yost, Barbara Goodson, Jason David Frank, Richard Genelle, Thuy Trang, Austin St. John, Walter Jones.
Created by: Haim Saban and Shuki Levy.
Features: As far as I can tell, the special features are on the Time Life full season sets only; but the in-store Shout! Factory releases are closed captioned.

• Image gallery.
• Trailer.

This critically acclaimed, film-festival-winning German-made adaptation of one of Lovecraft's personal favorites, perhaps the most faithful of the four film versions so far (starting with 1965's luridly titled Die Monster Die), goes for style and verve over pure shock value.
AKA: Die Farbe.
Formats: DVD.
The story: Arkham, 1975: Jonathan Davis's father has disappeared. His tracks lead to Germany, to the Swabian-Franconian Forest where he was stationed after the Second World War. Jonathan sets out to find him and bring him home, but deep in the woods he discovers a dark mystery from the past. Based on H.P. Lovecraft's short novel The Color Out of Space.
Starring: Erik Rastetter, Michael Kausch, Ingo Heise Marco Leibnitz.
Directed by: Huan Vu.
Features: Limited Edition Exclusive Newspaper Insert Included; Trailer; Lost Scene; Science and Horror Featurette; Effects and Concept Featurette; Making of The Color Out of Space.

• Video, trailer, and clips.

It's being marketed almost as if it were a rip-off of The Hunger Games, but this B-movie indie dates from several years ago, when Matthew Moore leveraged the local talent in Greensboro to make a futuristic variation on the Richard Connell story The Most Dangerous Game with overlays of dark political satire. The first draft was supposed to be cheesier, "like Yor: Hunter from the Future or Krull"--which makes me wonder if we need more movies like that, or fewer.
Formats: DVD.
The story: The year is 2052, and if you want to hunt a human for sport, The Brotherhood of Mars can make it happen. After witnessing the all out brutality of the hunt, Brotherhood of Mars guard, Morgan Farber states his protest against the company and is cast into the hunt. Morgan survives only to find himself in the company of the hunted "Garbage People," lead by Mayor Paulo and Naomi.
Starring: Alexander Thomas, David Stevens, Darren Dalton.
Directed by: Matthew B. Moore.
Features: None.

• Trailer.