(Sing out in high falsetto): "In the year 2000 .... in the year 2000" ...

... A new American movie will arrive on video and become a cult classic among males everywhere for its dark, outlaw vision of a consumerist society in decay. ...

...Unfortunately, the movie's anti-corporate satire will quickly be eclipsed by the darker, real-life events to come in September 2001 ...

So here we are again. Yes, it's time to violate rule number one and talk about "Fight Club," returning to Maryland shelves this week in high-definition as a nose-crunching, 10th Anniversary Blu-ray Disc (20th Century-Fox Home Entertainment, rated R, $34.99).

Marylanders, in particular, should take note because it stars Howard County native son Edward Norton in what remains the signature role of his career. Norton's open, boyish face and timid demeanor -- with all that they conceal -- became ideal instruments for bringing to life the troubled narrator of Chuck Palahniuk's gem of a black-comedy novel.

"After fighting, everything else in your life gets the volume turned down," says Norton as the insurance company wuss who discovers that a parking lot fist fight is better than a wet finger in a light socket for focusing the mind.

Sharing the discovery of this new yuppie blood sport is a traveling soap salesman played by Brad Pitt. Others fall in, and soon the pair are leaders of a secret fraternity that sees violence and vandalism as the pathway to liberation from the living death of a corporate-induced, consumer fog.

Everything's hunky-dory, in fact, until needy female interloper Helen Bonham Carter arrives with her own set of issues. Soon the scent of her desperation comes seeping down into the shared foxhole of fight club's ruling alpha males. ... You go, girlfriend.

My, how modern Hollywood loves a good, loud story about lives coming unglued, preferably accompanied by controlled demolitions. And this one is often so comically inventive that you're inclined to overlook its anti-social animus.

A word of warning, though: As the movie enters its intense second act, it's definitely harder to tune out the film's extreme brutality in the hyper-drive environment of Blu-ray.

Even if you scoff at the sight of fake movie blood, it's harder to watch the more savage beatings. And in a good home set-up, the 5.1 DTS-HD audio doesn't allow you to just "turn away" until it's over.

On the other hand, Fox has put a lot of thought and a few surprises into this edition -- including a faux opening menu -- so fans should consider an upgrade. At less than $35, the new Blu-ray edition carries the same retail sticker price as its first collector's edition DVD. (It costs a good deal less at some outlets.)

High-definition lets the picture wallow a bit more in its darkness without losing details, while Blu-ray's greater storage capacity allows all the extras from the double-DVD collector's set to fit on a single disc.

All four previous cast and crew commentary tracks are present, as well as a new-fangled way to branch between them according to your search criteria via BonusView. There are also behind-the-scenes vignettes, outtakes, concept art, publicity materials and footage from what must have been a very satisfying awards show in which Norton, Pitt and director David Fincher read some of their film's most unkind reviews to a howling mob of fans.

TV nostalgia

Sharing early television memories with a new generation is alarmingly easy in this home video age. Here are some "new" titles to consider:

*"The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show" (Warner Home Video, not rated, four-disc DVD set $44.98). All 35 cartoons from the 1979 Saturday morning series are packed onto four DVDs, totaling some 564 minutes of thrills for followers of the rubbery super hero. Why did he bend his talents to fighting crime? Better than doing a stretch behind bars! The set includes an unaired pilot and a trivia game.

*"Ruby-Spears Superman" (Warner Home Video, not rated, two-disc DVD $26.99). TV mass producers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears produced their own cartoon Superman series beginning in 1988 (one of 36 series they ground out in just two decades). Warner Bros. joined in with DC Comics to produce these 13 episodes, which use the opening from the live-action TV series of the 1950s as well as John Williams' musical themes from the big-screen movies to underscore the rivalry between America's first super hero and corporate arch-enemy Lex Luthor. The shows are interspersed with facetious entries from the "Superman Family Album" and a featurette on the Lex Luthor backstory.

*"Saturday Morning Cartoons 1960s, Volume 2" and "Saturday Morning Cartoons 1970s, Volume 2" (Warner Home Video, not rated, two-disc DVD sets $26.99 each). Two new volumes of pioneering cartoon comedy are served here in epic portions. Quick Draw McGraw, Magilla Gorilla, Wally Gator, Lippy the Lion and dozens of other favorites make an encore appearance in over 10 hours of programs with bonus extras.

*"Zorro" The Complete Series (Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, not rated, two six-DVD sets, $59.99 each). Making their DVD bow as part of the collectible "Walt Disney Treasures" series, all 78 episodes of the now-classic 1957-1959 TV show come in two black tin cases containing the two seasons. The series is still very entertaining today, thanks to the expert mix of action, comedy and suspense. Guy Williams stars as the early California swashbuckling hero "who makes the sign of the Z." The two tins include collectible pins, lithographs and certificates of authenticity, plus four hour-long specials and other features.

Also new on DVD

"Gone With the Wind" 70th Anniversary (Warner Home Video, rated G, two-disc DVD $24.98; Ultimate Collector's Edition $69.92 DVD, and $84.99 Blu-ray Disc). David O. Selznick's multiple Oscar-winner makes its high-definition bow in three separate versions that include hours of extras, booklets, etc. We didn't get a preview look, but judging from recent releases, this could be the video release of 2009.

"My Sister's Keeper" (Warner Home Video, rated PG-13, DVD $28.98; Blu-ray Disc $35.99). Nick Cassavetes' follow-up to "The Notebook" hopes to be cathartic and meaningful but it's mostly just depressing. The amazing Abigail Breslin stars as an 11-year-old who goes to court seeking "medical emancipation" from her parents (Cameron Diaz and Jason Patric), who have been using her as a tissue and organ donor for their leukemia-stricken older daughter. All the performances are first-rate, but it will take a die-hard "Notebook" fan to stick with the awkward shifts in tone. It also must be noted that this grieving family exists in a secular world with no use for spiritual guidance of any sort. In their time of deepest need, they put their faith in a sympathetic judge (Joan Cusack) and an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer (Alec Baldwin). Now that's sad.

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