By Peter Covino

Lifestyles Editor

Except for those baby dragons, it is pretty easy to get so caught up in the world of Game of Thrones, you may just start to believe all of this happened.

Well-scripted and acted with sets and actual historic locations, Game of Thrones may just very well be the best thing on TV.

Fans are counting down the days to the premiere of season three of this fantasy/action series set in the lands of Westeros and Essos. But you can catch up on all the action (and if you are already a fan, get immersed in all the bonus material in this handsomely packed Blu-ray combo featuring a DVD version as well as Ultraviolet copies of all ten episodes.

This is not an easy series to jump into, but this boxed set (and season one before it also now available in Blu ray for the first time) includes a map for more realism, character profiles of the kings and their various bloodlines simplifying things a bit.

Season two is all that fans could have hoped for culminating in a battle royale (the Battle of Blackwater Bay) that would give any big budget theatrical release of run for its money.

Every episode last season I was hoping that this would be the one where evil boy-king Joffrey gets killed in gruesome fashion (but happy he is still around since he is so fiendishly bad he makes Caligula look like a ex-choirboy). Joffrey is wonderfully played by Jack Gleeson.

He is never outdone or outfoxed though by series favorite Tyrion Lannis (played by Peter Dinklage who has already won an Emmy and Golden Globe for the role).

The second season of Game of Thrones was nominated for 11 Emmy awards (including Outstanding Drama Series) winning six.

There is a whole lot going on in season two but it all leads up to that big battle to bring the Lannister family’s hold on the throne (headed up by Joffrey to an end).

The extensive bonus material includes extensive never-before-seen features. Highlights include a comprehensive “making of” the battle episode “Blackwater,” an in-depth look into the War of the Five Kings and histories and character profiles which explore the amazing production elements that went into making the second season so compelling. Content includes:

Blu-ray with HBO Select - includes all DVD features plus:

War of the Five Kings - Track the claims, strategies and key players involved in the battle for the Iron Throne with this interactive guide that follows the movements of various armies detailing their victories and defeats.

Histories & Lore - 19 animated histories detailing the mythology of Westeros and Essos as told from the varying perspectives of the characters themselves and featuring, in-part, illustrations from Game of Thrones storyboard artist Will Simpson.

In-Episode Guide - In-feature resource that provides background information about on-screen characters, locations and relevant histories.

Hidden Dragon Eggs - Find the hidden dragon eggs to uncover even more never-before-seen content.  

DVD:

Creating the Battle of Blackwater Bay - See how the epic Battle of Blackwater Bay was brought to life in this exclusive, in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at the climatic episode. The 30 minute feature showcases never-before-seen interviews with cast and crew.

Game of Thrones: Inner Circle - Actors Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Michelle Fairley and Liam Cunningham talk in detail about their experiences shooting season two in this roundtable discussion moderated by executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

The Religions of Westeros - Hear author George R.R. Martin, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss discuss the competing religions in the series and how they influence the various characters in Westeros and beyond.

Character Profiles - Profiles of seven major characters as described by the actors portraying them including Renly Baratheon, Stannis Baratheon, Robb Stark, Theon Greyjoy and more.

Audio Commentaries - 12 commentaries with cast and crew including David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, George R.R. Martin, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington and more.

Season 3 of Game of Thrones comes to HBO April 9.

Baseball

It’s spring training time in Florida and what better way to celebrate than get your own copy of the baseball classic Angels in the Outfield (1951), now available for purchase online via Warnerarchive.com.

Loaded with lots of early 1950s “they don’t make ‘em like that any more” appeal, Angels in the Outfield follows the hapless Pittsburgh Pirates (filmed at the old Forbes Field) as they lose game after game until they and their manager (Paul Douglas) get a little heavenly intervention.

This is Douglas’ movie playing the ill-tempered manager who hears a voice in his head who promises help winning the pennant if he stops swearing.

There are other pluses as well including Janet Leigh (look for young B arbara Billingsley, the Beav’s mom, in a brief non-speaking cameo early in the film). There are also cameos by baseball legends Ty Cobb and Joe Dimaggio.

Dead End Kids

Also from the Warner Collection, the Dead End Kids (Huntz Hall, Leo Gorcey etc.) are back in a double bill Dead End Kids on Dress Parade and Hell’s Kitchen. The Warner Collection recently released a multi-part collection of the boys a few years later after these 1939 films when they were known as the Bowery Boys.  But these two films came shortly after they were introduced to the world as the juvenile delinquent kids in Dead End with Humphrey Bogart.

The two featured films have a lot less of the hijinx that dominated the later films. Hell’s Kitchen is a mostly serious reform school drama (with some relief from the boys). Yes, that is Ronald Reagan.

The Illustrated Man

Even more from the Warnerarchive.com website, The Illustrated Man (1968) features the great acting team of Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom in three tales from master science fiction writer Ray Bradbury.

The tales are all woven together through Steiger, who plays a carnival worker with tattoos all over his body. The featured Bradbury stories are  The Veldt, The Long Rain and  The Last Night of the World.