A personal series is a group of discs that you want to receive according to how they are ordered in your queue. This group of discs is created by you. Any discs in your queue may be grouped together, making them go out in the order they are positioned in your queue. Most common uses for a personal series include anime series or TV series, in which a viewer would like to see the discs in story order (i.e., vol. 1 first, etc.). To create one of these doohickeys, open the personal series window by clicking on the "open personal series window" link. Name your series, check off the movies you wish to place in this series, and click the "create series" button. You can delete a personal series at any time.

For this and other helpful tidbits, go to our FAQ'ing help pages.

A quiet week for releases, all told, but some good 'uns, including the aforementioned Shakespeare set and one of the more provocative blockbusters of the year:

V for Vendetta (2006; 2 discs, $24.78). Based on Alan Moore's brilliant graphic novel, the film version with Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving (as "V") is "a compelling, rousing and at times strangely moving entertainment," raved Premiere's Glenn Kenny. "[P]owered by ideas that are not computer-generated. It's something rare in Teflon Hollywood: a movie that sticks with you," adds Rolling Stone's Peter Travers. It looks terrific, too. In short, as comic book adaptations go, this one's an "A." The 2-disc special edition includes documentaries on both the main disc and the bonus disc (on the latter, a 17-minute production featurette, a 10-minute history of Guy Fawkes, and the 15-minute "England Prevails: V for Vendetta and the New Wave in Comics.") Look for an easter egg on the second disc, too, with Portman's now infamous SNL performance.

Putney Swope (1969; $16.45) Robert Downey, Sr.'s (yes, Dad of...) bracing satire finally makes its way to DVD. As Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote, this "low-budget, hit-or-miss dadaist (or gagaist) 1969 satire, about a group of blacks taking over a Madison Avenue ad agency, is a bit of a relic now, though a decidedly offbeat one." It remains enjoyable enough if, Rosenbaum adds, "you're in a silly enough mood."

Richard Pryor Live in Concert (1979; $14.45) features the comic at his brilliant, raunchy best in this highly influential (and gut-bustingly funny) performance that hardly seems dated at all. This new DVD re-release is far superior to the previous one, too.

Curb Your Enthusiasm: Fifth Season (2005; $29.95) is "a return to classic form," writes Slate's Dana Stevens. Adds The Hollywood Reporter: "The show gets back to where it belongs: under Larry's expansive roof and inside his incessantly neurotic, disgracefully tactless and unerringly heartless skin."

Mrs. Harris (2005; $19.96) retells the juicy story of the sensational 1980 case, in which socialite Jean Harris killed "Scarsdale Diet" guru Dr. Herman Tarnowe. Stars Annette Bening and Ben Kingsley are the main attraction here and don't disappoint; Bening's "brittlely accurate performance is something to watch... [Bening] seems incapable - even during the film's most blackly humorous moments - of a false, Fatal Attraction–like note." (LA Weekly)

Also out this week: Broken Saints: Complete Series (2001; $42.95); Alice in Wonderland (1985; $11.45); The Shaggy Dog (2006; $22.45); Mr. Moto Collection (1937-38; $51.45); and just in time, Burning Man: Beyond Black Rock (2004; $14.95).

New anime: Fullmetal Alchemist vol. 11: Becoming the Stone. Of the 11th volume of the highly rated series, AnimeNation says, "The series just continues to be extremely enjoyable and engaging from episode to episode, making it plainly clear why it's so popular. This is just solid and enjoyable storytelling that doesn't pull very many punches."

GreenCine's review blog: Guru | A complete list of this week's new releases and all titles coming soon is available here | Ye Olde New Releases Archive | Your Queue

Critical interest in A Scanner Darkly, Richard Linklater's adaptation of the novel by Philip K. Dick, has been remarkable and, for such a dark picture, it's been tremendously popular as well. As the film expands to an additional forty-four theatres across the country, Jonathan Marlow talks with producer Tommy Pallotta about the unique animation, the solid cast (Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey, Jr., Woody Harrelson) and future plans. Full article >>

Before GreenCine Daily's David Hudson returns from vacation, the blog continues its series of film-related questions and answers with friends from the blogging world.

Congratulations to the winners of the Docurama Film Festival set: MNoel and Tristan42 (the answer was "All for one and one for all!")

Speaking of contests, you can win a pair of tickets to GreenCine's film screening tomorrow night (details below) by going to our home page and then following the instructions for your chance to win. Interkosmos is beckoning!

src="http://images.greencine.com/images/static/newsletter/paragraph_break.jpg" alt="" width="173" height="3"/>

The GreenCine member list(s) of the week is JSenkbile's "Stuff to Watch Instead of Going to Church" list. Intense, religious-themed films with a dark or satirical bent.