I have in my hand a list of names the Black Friday ads for this year.. It’s not all that exciting, since scans of them showed up online weeks ago, but let’s pretend it’s 1992 and we’re all looking at this for the Very First Time.

I wouldn’t recommend heading out on Friday just for DVDs, since the deals aren’t that fantastic and DVDs go on sale all the time. But if you’re going to be hitting some of the major stores anyway, first of all, you’re insane. Second of all, here are the DVDs you should buy.

Walmart

As far as Blu-Ray goes, Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda, Indiana Jones, and many more titles are available for $15 each. Someday this will probably be the normal price for Blu-Ray, but right now it’s incredibly exciting. The same titles plus many more are available in standard-def for $9. Not much beyond that; let’s move on.

K-Mart

“Disney hits” such as Sleeping Beauty (fair enough), Ariel’s Beginning, Snow Buddies, and National Treasure 2 (ugh ugh and ugh) are $12.99. “Recent hits” such as You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Incredible Hulk, and The Bourne Ultimatum are all $9.99. Choose judiciously here; many of these films will be in the $4 bin before long. Just like Shrek, Wedding Crashers, and The Aviator, all of which are $3.99 each. Blu-rays range from $14.99 to $19.99, from Disney, Paramount, Universal, Sony, Warner, Fox, and Lionsgate.

Best Buy

Blu-Rays are $16.99 each here, so I’d hit Walmart first to make sure they don’t have what you’re looking for. Comparable standard-def DVDs are $6.99 each. Judging by the ad, the selection ranges from Indiana Jones to The Bank Job, so again, I’d hit Best Buy last. A whole ton of DVDs that are a few years old - and/or crappy - are in the $4.99 bin. Night at the Museum, Hitch, Spider-Man 2, Wedding Crashers, Good Luck Chuck, Epic Movie, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hot Fuzz, and The Notebook are all among the haul. “Latest hits” like Street Kings, 88 Minutes, Baby Mama, The Happening, and The Incredible Hulk are $9.99 each. Meanwhile, in T.V., older seasons of shows like Seinfeld, Weeds, The Office, House, Family Guy, Prison Break, The Simpsons, Smallville, and Gilmore Girls are $14.99 each.

Target

In the $3.98 bin we have a diverse selection of films, from Annie to I Am Legend. It’s definitely worth a perusal to see if you can pick up something that might interest you. For $5.98, Transformers, Juno, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and many others are available for your enjoyment. Made of Honor, Foregetting Sarah Marshall, The Incredible Hulk, and select seasons of The Office (1), Sex and the City (1-6), and Weeds (1-2) are only $8.88. Very select seasons of certain shows, like Season 10 of The Simpsons and Season 2 of Psych, are available for $13.98. Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda, and Iron Man are all $13, which is not that great of a deal.

So, in summary? Walmart has the best Blu-Ray prices but it’s hard to tell what their selection is like. Best Buy probably has a lot more esoteric titles in stock, but again, the prices are a little bit less impressive. Target can probably round out whatever needs those two can’t fill. Unless you have a hankering for second-rate Disney movies, K-Mart is easily skipped.

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