Since we know time is money, here's a quick handy reference guide to recent DVD releases that should be on your radar and, in many cases, on your shelf. Immediately.

Black Adder: The Ultimate Edition
Release Date: October 20
What it is: If you find Mr. Bean more irritating than hilarious, then check out Rowan Atkinson's other famous creation. This BBC series skewers several historical periods as it traces the bloodline of the Black Adder family. Great stuff.
Why you need it: This series only came across the pond in fits and starts, and has probably never been shown in its entirety. It's like history class, with sex puns!

Fawlty Towers: Complete Collection
Release Date: October 20
What it is: Yes, England has produced more than just Monty Python and boy bands. And, yes, John Cleese had another successful TV series after he stopped dressing in drag and slapping Michael Palin with fish. Here, he's Basil Fawlty, proprietor of the worst bed and breakfast in the UK.
Why you need it: No one can do "barely holding it together" better than Cleese, and this series may not have to rapid-fire pacing of some Python skits, but each one is a slow build worth savoring. Discover why the episode titled "The Germans" is considered an all-time classic.

Easy Rider: 40th Anniversary Edition (Blu-Ray)
Release Date: October 20
What it is: Only the birth of American independent filmmaking. Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda hopped on their bikes, cranked up Steppenwolf, and ushered the country into the 1970s.
Why you need it: The transfer isn't crystal clear, but considering the rough birth this movie had, it's held up nicely. The Blu-Ray comes with a collectible booklet (molded into the keepcase) detailing the historical and cultural significance of the movie. Coming so fast on the heels of the 35th Anniversary Edition, however, means this isn't a must buy.

BIG MUST-HAVE SETS:

Futurama: The Complete Series
Release Date: October 13
What it is: Isn't it obvious? It's the entire collection of Futurama housed in a giant Bender bust. Duh.
Why you need it: Odds are, you'd shell out the money just for the Bender head alone—it is the single coolest thing you can add to your DVD shelf. As an added bonus, however, you get four volumes of the Futurama series plus four of their feature-length films: Bender´s Big Score, The Beast With A Billion Backs, Bender´s Game, and Into the Wild Green Yonder. For fans of the show, this is the Holy Grail.

The William Castle Collection
Release Date: October 20
What it is: As a filmmaker, William Castle was mediocre. As a salesman, William Castle was a genius. The man who introduced gimmicky to the multiplex (setting up "Coward's Corners" in the lobby for people too frightened by his flicks, floating plastic skeletons through the auditorium during screenings, even hooking up electronic devices to literally shock people in their seats) gets a collection celebrating his finest movies.
Why you need it: It's almost Halloween, so a William Castle marathon is defintely in order. The set includes 13 Frightened Girls, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, Strait-Jacket, The Old Dark House, Mr. Sardonicus, Zotz!, and perhaps Castle's finest work, The Tingler.