WHICH THE HOBBIT BLU-RAY DVD PACKAGE IS BEST? (PHOTOS)

Which DVD package of The Hobbit is the best?

If you're a completist, you don't need the answer.

But if you can only afford one, Target and Walmart are the places to go.

All 3 give you 2 full hours of extras.

Best Buy gives you an additional 30-minute documentary, and exclusive Gollom packaging.

Target gives you a collectible Bilbo Baggins Lego figure.

Walmart has an exclusive 60-page book.

The Hobbit arrives in stores on Tuesday, March 19.

WHICH TWILIGHT BREAKING DAWN PART 2 DVD BLU-RAY PACKAGE IS BEST? MARCH 2 MIDNIGHT OPENING STORE LOCATIONS, EXCLUSIVE COLLECTIBLES (PHOTOS)

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 will be released on Blu-ray and DVD this Saturday, March 2.  Which store has the best Twilight package? And which stores are opening at midnight?

Amazon.com

No bonus material or collectibles.

Best Buy

Exclusive Blu-ray combo with collectible locket key chain (see photos below).  Includes "hours of bonus features."

Exclusive $44.99 Twilight Saga collection, featuring all 5 films, including the new Breaking Dawn Part I Extended Edition.

No midnight openings listed.

Target

Target seems to offer the best packages, and midnight opening parties at the following stores in the region: Alexandria, Woodbridge, Bel Air, Ellicott City, Columbia and Annapolis. (If you're reading this and live in another state, click on the link in the first paragraph above to find the store closest to you).

Take note: early birds can pick up a voucher starting at 8:00 AM, Friday, March 1. Then bring your voucher back to the store at midnight to get your Twilight package.

What Target has is a $22.99 DVD/$26.99 Blu-ray Limited Edition version of Breaking Dawn Part 2, with 50 minutes of exclusive video content, including "black carpet" footage, and "hours of additional bonus content."

But wait, there's more.

A $14.99 Target-exclusive Limited Edition of Breaking Dawn Part 1, in a 2-DVD gift set that includes an actual prop flower from the film's wedding scene (see photo below) The prop includes a Certificate of Authenticity to verify it was actually in the movie.

Walmart

Walmart has an exclusive Breaking Dawn Part 1 & 2 two-movie package, that includes the extended version of Part 1.

Walmart's other exclusive is a free set of 5 mini-posters (see photos below) that you receive with purchase of Breaking Dawn Part 2. But hurry - while supplies last.

Walmart stores opening at midnight in our region are Nottingham and Hampstead, both of which are in Maryland.

Bottom line

If you're an obsessed fan, you'll have to hit Best Buy for the locket key chain and 5-movie collection, Target for the Part 1 movie prop and 50 minutes of bonus video, and Walmart for the mini posters.

WHICH AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BLU-RAY/DVD PACKAGE IS BEST?

FACE FRONT,

TRUE BELIEVER!

Friday's release of The Amazing Spider-Man on Blu-ray and DVD has got most fans' Spider Sense tingling:  who has the best Spider-Man package this November 9?

The good news is that the very best package, which includes the 3-D and regular versions, and two really nice figurines of Spider-Man and The Lizard, is available at Walmart, Target and Kmart.  This set really jumped off the page when I opened the Target ad last weekend.  A large display window on the front of the packaging adds to the impact.

Target is also offering an exclusive bonus disc, called A Hero Will Rise.

At all 3 retailers, the box set will run you a painful $55-60.

But wait, Walmart has another special package for almost a third of that cost.  The "Spider-Man Mask" edition includes a Walmart-exclusive disc that purports to reveal the secrets of The Lizard.  Now, initially, I thought this was the winner, because it sounded like you'd actually get a real Spider-Man mask in the box.  But it turns out that the mask is apparently a DVD case.  Boo!  Still not a bad display piece, though, and a much nicer price.

I had low expectations about this reboot.  It almost sounded like a chore to sit through a retelling of the same story we just spent the last decade paying for in theaters.

It turned out that The Amazing Spider-Man was perhaps the best spider version yet, with Andrew Garfield capturing the Peter Parker of the comic book pages more accurately than his predecessors.  And the whole "Peter Parker's parents" back story, that was very obviously edited out of this initial chapter, has upped the intrigue and anticipation of the next one.

A really great superhero movie, only outdone by The Avengers this year, Spider-Man was far more entertaining than the pretentiously depressing Dark Knight Rises.  With the bonus features, and some of the aforementioned deleted scenes, The Amazing Spider-Man is a must-buy this weekend.

BAGEL CITY

REPRIEVE?

ROCKVILLE WALMART

DELAYED UNTIL 2014?

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

There is a potentially shocking development regarding the proposed Walmart on Rockville Pike.

Stephanie Kavadoy of Bagel City - which would be forced to move if the Walmart goes forward - posted the following statement on Rockville Patch yesterday:

"The Walmart project is on hold right now...JBG is looking to renew all of the leases...at the Pike Shopping Center. Bagel City, David's, Cici's, the Office Depot, Goodyear and Catherine's will all remain at the Pike Shopping Center at least until 2014. JBG is also exercising options to plan other projects since so many people object to have (sic) a Walmart on Rockville Pike."

Wow. If this is true, what happened? The county council's "big box" bill failed to gain traction once business leaders heard about it. Council President Roger Berliner wrote an unprecedented letter asking for the project to be stopped.

I have not heard any local media outlet report that the Rockville Walmart proposal had been delayed. So this is certainly breaking news - if true.

Personally, I am in favor of Walmart coming to Rockville and Aspen Hill. The major reason is that I am a Walmart shopper, and currently have to drive up to Germantown (having said that, I do love the Milestone Shopping Center!). Also, Walmarts in both of these locations will help preserve the suburban nature of their respective areas. Rockville and Aspen Hill are not urban areas, despite developers' plans to urbanize them.

There is one simple reason both Walmarts would have traffic issues: the Rockville Freeway was never built. Building this long-delayed road would easily provide the necessary capacity, as both stores are sited about one-and-a-half blocks from planned interchanges of the Rockville Freeway at 355 and Connecticut Avenue.