The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
It’s been a few weeks of backed-up reviews as we prepped for the launch of Quick Stop, so this edition of our weekly shopping guide is going to be a somewhat massive affair, as we catch up. Trust me – future installments, while jam-packed, won’t be nearly as huge. But enough jibber-jabber – let’s get this show on the road…
If pressed to name only one show as my absolute, bar none, unequivocal favorite sitcom of all time, it would have to be NewsRadio. Across a too-short 5 season run, I can’t name a single bad episode, and even those that fell below the high bar it set for itself still outstripped other shows. The penultimate fourth season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) cranks up the already surreal nature of the comedy, including Jimmy James’s fake balloon trip (and the bad English to Japanese to English translation of his memoirs, Super Karate Monkey Death Car), Lisa becoming the new boss, Joe’s fighting brothers, Bill’s chaw phase, Dave’s a cappella group (Chock Full of Notes), Matthew’s run-in with a coffee pot smashing Hamburglar, and the departure of Catherine. This was also the last season featuring Phil Hartman, as his untimely death occurred during the show’s summer hiatus. In fact, the season ends on a note eerily similar to the poignant John Belushi SNL short film wherein an elderly Belushi recounted the deaths of his fellow castmates and his comparatively long life. The final episode that Phil Hartman filmed was another of the show’s “fantasy” outings, this time positing what it would be like if the staff of WNYX was actually the crew of a seagoing vessel in the early 20th century on a course for disaster, the Titanic. Bookended with Phil “hosting” the episode, the final segment reveals that the entire crew has perished save for Hartman’s Bill MacNeal and Andy Dick’s Matthew. You’ll be missed, Phil, but I can think of no better body of work to act as a tribute to a great performer. Bonus materials include audio commentaries (still too few), another “One Man NewsRadio,” and a gag reel.
While the bulk of the adult swim line-up has failed to fire me with the same thrill I got from when the block first launched all those years ago, there is one show that has proven an exception to my apathy, and established itself as one of the funniest comedies – animated or otherwise – I’ve ever taken a shine to. That show is The Venture Bros. (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), a brilliant pastiche of pulp, comic book, and adventure clichés, all wrapped up in a beautifully executed premise that owes as much to Doc Savage and Boys Own Adventures as it does to the Hanna-Barbera classic Jonny Quest. If you’ve yet to experience the surreal adventures of brothers Hank & Dean, their father Dr. Venture, and bodyguard Brock Samson, then you’re missing out on one of the good ones. The 2-disc set features all 13 episodes, the original pilot, the Christmas special, audio commentaries (from creator Jackson Publick and co-writer Doc Hammer) on select episodes, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes look at the live action VB movie, and more. Don’t forget that the second season premieres on June 25.
Everybody has a favorite band or musician for which they’ll crusade to all they encounter, encouraging the unenlightened to sample what they feel is true musical genius. It’s even more important when those favorite artists are profoundly underappreciated. For me, that’s Harry Nilsson – an unbelievably gifted singer/songwriter hailed by the Beatles as their “favorite group.” Even if the name is not immediately familiar, a few of his songs have attained legendary status, including “One,” “Coconut,” and his definitive covers of “Without You” and “Everybody’s Talkin’.” All this prelude is to heartily encourage that you pick up a pair of new fully remastered Nilsson albums – Son of Schmilsson and A Little Touch of Schmilsson In The Night (RCA/Legacy, $11.98 SRP each). Trust me on this. Both albums are also loaded with rare bonus tracks, and excellent liner notes from Nilsson fan Curtis Armstrong… Yes, *that* Curtis Armstrong. And while you’re at it, be sure to snag a copy of the perfect primer, Everybody’s Talkin’: The Very Best of Harry Nilsson (RCA/Legacy, $11.98 SRP).
Admittedly, a large degree of what drew me in to the first season of Deadwood, when I ran across an episode by chance, was the shock value of what I beheld. Not just the language, mind you, but also the vivid characters in the Old West setting, reinventing a genre in the same way The Sopranos dusted off the mob drama. The second season (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) takes the diminished shock value of any show’s sophomore season and makes it integral to the plotline, as the lawless Black Hills camp begins the anarchic, and ultimately bloody, process of becoming a legitimate town ruled by laws beyond those of will and gun. The 6-disc set features all 12 episodes, plus commentaries, a behind-the-scenes look at the finale, a historical featurette on the real Deadwood, and a photo gallery.
I’m not recommending Jay Edwards’ fun 60’s beach blanket bingo horror pastiche Stomp! Shout! Scream! (Stomp Shout Scream, LLC, Not Rated, DVD-$21.95 SRP) just because I’m thanked in the credits… though, admittedly, it doesn’t hurt. No, I recommend it because Edwards (a producer on Aqua Teen Hunger Force and a CN alum going back to Space Ghost) has crafted a fun little flick that revels in its schlock-influenced tableau. The disc features commentary, over an hour of behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, raw footage, a trailer, and more.
Just about every aspect of the Walt Disney Company’s history has been examined, but one glaring exception has finally be rectified with Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records (University Press of Mississippi, $25.00 SRP), an exhaustively researched history by Tim Hollis and Greg Ehrbar. From the label’s inception and rocky start in the mid-50’s through a rollercoaster of highs, lows, and classic albums for both kids and adults, it’s a must-have reference.
Warners’ commitment to releasing some true gems from out of their vaults continues with the second volume of The Bette Davis Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), featuring Jezebel, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Old Acquaintance, Marked Woman, and The Man Who Came To Dinner (as well as the documentary Stardust: The Bette Davis Story). All 5 flicks contain audio commentaries, featurettes, trailers, vintage shorts, and classic cartoons. No one does catalogue like Warners.
While a third DVD release may be inconceivable to some, that’s exactly what the latest 2-disc special edition of The Princess Bride (MGM/UA, Rated PG, DVD-$24.96 SRP) is, but after a trio of tries, they’ve finally gotten it right. Fully remastered and looking pretty damn spiffy, with bonus feature mixing the materials found on the last special edition with a new batch of extras – it’s got an audio commentary with director Rob Reiner, a commentary with writer William Goldman, “As You Wish: The Story of The Princess Bride” documentary, a historical analysis of the Dread Pirate Roberts, Cary Elwes’ home movies, a make-up featurette, “Love Is Like a Storybook Story” featurette, a vintage making-of featurette, and a photo gallery.
The man who made “Inconceivable!” such an iconic catchphrase has got a brilliant release of his own worth snagging. Wallace Shawn’s one-man-show The Fever (Shout! Factory, $11.98 SRP) is a tour-de-force, and should be in your CD player. Now.
Just in time for the big screen outing of 46-year-old high schooler Jeri Blank, fans finally get the 6-disc, complete series set of Strangers With Candy (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$54.99 SRP) that we should have gotten in the first place. In addition to the bonus materials featured in the original individual releases, this new compendium includes additional audio commentaries, deleted scenes, 2 never-before-seen director’s cuts, on-set interviews with the characters, a blooper reel, a slide presentation from Noblet and Jellineck’s tropical “research” trip, and more. Can somebody tell me why this show was cancelled?
While some kids got swept up in the worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, I fell head over heels for Lloyd Alexander’s tales from the kingdom of Prydain, focusing mainly on the adventures and maturation of a young pig-keeper named Taran and his kingly destiny. Where the Rings trilogy concerns itself with being an encyclopedia of Middle-Earth, the Prydain Chronicles were exactly the kind of rousing, character-driven adventures that would transport a young reader to another world. The 5 books in the series (The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King) and the prequel (The Foundling and Other Tales of Prydain) have been re-released (Henry Holt, $5.99 SRP each), and I can’t praise them highly enough. It’s unfortunate that, to this day, the on big screen adaptation of this series remains Disney’s unfortunate take on The Black Cauldron. It’s high time that was rectified with a proper treatment – but until then, having the books back in print will suffice.
If you’re eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin’, now’s the time to do what they say can’t be done and pick up a copy of the new Smokey & the Bandit special edition (Universal, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98 SRP) – and yes, I *did* go there – which is fully remastered with 5.1 surround, plus a brand new making-of documentary and a CB tutorial.
If there’s any one thing you can say the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band was about, it was having a completely joyous, thoroughly surreal time. Thankfully, that spirit is re-captured in the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band 40th Anniversary Celebration (Classic Rock Productions, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), a concert reuniting original members Neil Innes, Roger Ruskin Spear, Rodney Slater, Vernon Dudley Bohay Nowell, Sam Spoons, Bob Kerr, and “Legs” Larry Smith. Filling in for the late Viv Stanshall are a bevy of special guests, including Stephen Fry, Phil Jupitus, Adrian Edmondson, and Paul Merton. It’s 90 minutes of glorious sonic dada.
Few films capture the power of oral storytelling more simply, succinctly, and entertainingly than Stephen Tobolowsky’s Birthday Party (Monster Releasing, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP). Tobolowsky is one of the most ubiquitous character actors to grace the screen, easily recognizable in dozens of roles in every genre from comedy to drama to horror. In this documentary, Stephen locks an audience with nothing but the power of the stories from his own life, related in such a casual yet gripping manner that you’d swear you were chatting with him across your dinner table. From a dolphin-spawned epiphany to a brush with death while held hostage in a grocery store as a young man, you’ll find yourself eager for the next tale, and wondering when you can invite him over again as the credits roll. The DVD features 90 minutes of additional stories, plus the trailer cut for the film’s run at the Aspen Comedy Arts Festival.
After 4 all-too-brief seasons, Home Movies (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) exited the stage with a final 13 episodes and a beautiful finale that made me laugh, made me cry, and rocked me to the very foundation of my being. Every episode features commentary, and some even have 2 (and sometimes 3!) with guest commentaries from The Shins, Modest Mouse, and the staff of The Onion, plus animatics and a special audio look back (courtesy of co-creator Loren Bouchard) at the very first recording sessions. Damn you and your lousy 52-episode rule, Cartoon Network.
Considering the volume of movies I see in a year, there’s many a film that could slip through the cracks. Thankfully, my good buddy (and great screenwriter) Mark will often grab me by the collar and literally demand I see a flick that he’s gone ga-ga over. I never, ever take these emphatic recommendations lightly, as they’re always spot-on. The latest in the “must-see” column is Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP), a comedy that actually manages to be funny without being stupid, a noir that never devolves into hack thriller clichés, and a Hollywood-centric story that doesn’t alienate those who haven’t got a clue what the difference is between the 405 and the 5. Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey, Jr.) is a petty New York criminal who stumbles into an open audition while on the run from a caper gone south, and soon finds himself in sunny L.A., reunited with a childhood friend (Michelle Monaghan), and partnered with a consultant (Val Kilmer) who’s task is to teach him how to be a PI for his role – which is all well and good, until they stumble across a murder. Writer/director Shane Black has crafted the perfect amalgam of noir and laughs that never betray the reality of the fish-out-of-water situation. Bonus features include an audio commentary (with Kilmer, Downey, and Black), a gag reel, and the theatrical trailer.
First of all, throw out all the tabloid bullshit that filled papers last year after Dave Chappelle’s abrupt departure from the shooting of his eponymous show’s third season. He didn’t have a breakdown, he didn’t snap, and he doesn’t hate the world. In fact, a bitter, angry man couldn’t have played host to Dave Chappelle’s Block Party (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) – a joyous celebration of music, humor, and community spirit. From dispensing Wonka-like tickets in his Ohio hometown to the actual New York party of parties – featuring Kanye West, Dead Prez, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, The Roots, Jill Scott, Common, and a reunited Fugees – it really is a flick that you walk away with feeling a little bit better than when you sat down to watch it. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette, extended musical acts, and a featurette on the bus ride taken from Ohio to New York for the lucky ticket holders.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is one of those films that, the first time I stumbled across it, instantly pulled me into the off-kilter world it was creating. I’m happy that all these years later its finally getting a proper special edition treatment on DVD, including a commentary with director Lasse Hallstrom and writer Peter Hedges and featurettes (one of which focuses on the love fans have for the flick).
I admit, even almost 20 years later, I still have a childhood attachment to Melmac’s favorite son, Gordon Shumway. Not only is ALF‘s complete third season now out on DVD (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), but fans of the Saturday morning toons get the first volumes of ALF: Animated Adventures and the fractured fairy ALF: Tales (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). Now grab your gear and let’s play a few innings of bouillabaseball.
I still have nothing but misgivings about Bryan Singer’s take on the Man of Steel, but at least his Super-flick has prompted Warners to make this week a virtual orgasm of Superman DVDs, including the latest volumes of The Adventures of Superman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), Lois & Clark (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), Justice League (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), and the final volume of Superman: The Animated Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). If that weren’t enough to bankrupt you, there’s also the long-requested first season of Superboy (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Also available is a newly-produced, almost 2-hour documentary chronicling the history and multiple incarnations of Krypton’s last son, Look, Up In The Sky! The Amazing Story Of Superman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP). Whew! Now, if only I could get past the fact that Singer’s film still looks like super-garbage, I’d be a completely happy man.
It was inevitable that the Superman tie-in bandwagon would come rattling down the road, and Sound of Superman (Rhino, $13.98 SRP) is the first item to fall off the cart. The short of it? It’s 14 indie bands and songs in some way dealing with the Man of Steel. Also available is John Ottman’s Superman Returns soundtrack album (Rhino, $18.98 SRP), which is basically like buying watered-down John Williams.
And, as super-fever kicks in, be sure you secure your copy of the original Fleischer Superman cartoons via the obviously titled Superman: The Ultimate Max Fleischer Cartoon Collection (VCI, Not Rated, DVD-$9.99 SRP), with all 17 installments plus bonus features (including a wartime parody from the Warner Bros. studio, Snafuperman).
Just when you thought no more could possibly be discussed, explored, or uncovered about the Titanic disaster, Titanic’s Final Moments: Missing Pieces (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP) comes along and reexamines events following the iceberg strike, exploring an often overlooked portion of the area surrounding the ship’s final resting place on the ocean floor and making some intriguing new discoveries sure to interest even the most casual Titan-o-phile. The disc also includes the bonus documentary History’s Mysteries: Doomed Sisters of the Titanic and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Stalingrad (Synapse, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP) is an absolutely stunning, thoroughly engrossing documentary about the bloody, costly, and legendary Eastern Front battle between the Nazis and the Soviets on the Volga, a siege that lasted from August 1942 to February 1943. Featuring archive footage and telling its story from both the German and Russian perspective, you simply can’t take your eyes of this gripping piece of history. Bonus features include an English dub (it was originally aired in German and Russian), deleted interviews, views of Stalingrad today, and a video interview with historian Dr. Guido Knopp.
Before the first season of the new Doctor Who relaunch finally hits DVD here in the US next month, you might want to get up to speed on a pair of classic adventures featuring the Doctor’s uber-baddies, the extermination-loving Daleks. From the Tom Baker years, there’s Genesis of the Daleks (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), featuring audio commentary (from Baker, Liz Sladen, Peter Miles, and director David Maloney), a 60-minute making-of documentary, a 53-minute spotlight on the Daleks, Blue Peter segments, and a photo gallery. The other tale came during the Colin Baker years, Revelation of the Daleks (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which sports a commentary, making-of documentary, behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, continuity announcements, and a photo gallery.
Modern Romance (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$14.94 SRP) was the first Albert Brooks film to prove that, beyond being a satirist and comedic writer/director, he also had a great deal of heart and insight into the often awkward realities of relationships. Brooks stars as Robert Cole, a neurotic Romeo who has broken up repeatedly with his Juliet, Mary (Kathryn Harrold), and can’t seem to keep his obsessive idiosyncrasies in check. Are they destined for each other, or is one time too many when people don’t seem to change? The journey towards that answer is what makes this film a gem, and one of Brooks’s best.
I love a smart sitcom, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) was never anything but. In fact, it’s a show that managed to hit the ground running and get even better as it went along – a relative rarity, and definitely a show to be treasured. The complete fourth season has just hit shelves, and it features one of my absolute favorite episodes, wherein pompous anchor Ted Baxter (the late, great Ted Knight) believes that a meeting with Walter Cronkite is a sign that he’s moving up the network foodchain.
As barn-burning incendiary as it should be given its subject matter – about the web of corruption surrounding the oil industry, from Washington to the Mideast – Syriana (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) just never seems to full engage the drama it should. Instead of a great flick with a strong political message ripped from the headlines, we’ve got a marginal potboiler starring George Clooney, Matt Damon, Tim Blake Nelson, and… Well, enough star power that I should have come away energized. Bonus features include a featurette, additional scenes, an interview with Clooney, and the theatrical trailer.
Any one who’s ever struggled with their weight will identify with Fatso (Anchor Bay, Rated PG, DVD-$9.98 SRP), the only film ever written and directed by the late Anne Bancroft. It stars Dom Deluise as Dominick DiNapoli, a loveable schlub to whom food is a way and love of his life. When his overweight cousin Sal dies at the age of 39, he decides maybe it’s time to try and change his ways. Fad diets, crazy doctors, and his food-centric family threaten to curb his desire to slim down, but the love of a neighbor may finally curb his appetite. Dom Deluise is wonderfully understated in this role, and the film is an underappreciated gem that hits a little too close to home.
There are few musical iconoclasts left in today’s velveeta music biz, but thank jebus Neil Young is still alive and kicking like a mule. Nowhere is that more evident than in Jonathan Demme’s documentary Neil Young: Heart of Gold (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$29.99 SRP), chronicling Young’s concert at the Ryman Auditorium, it’s a perfect companion to the recent Dylan bio and even the Band’s landmark The Last Waltz. The 2-disc set features rehearsal diaries, featurettes, a bonus song, and a Young performance from 1971’s Johnny Cash Show.
Even after a 30+ year career as a stand-up, Billy Connolly is still sharp as a knife and funny as hell, as the DVD for his “Too Old To Die Young Tour,” Billy Connolly: Live In New York (Rykodisc, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), demonstrates in spades. I’ve always considered Connolly to be a much more coherent version of the insane stream-of-consciousness comedy practiced by Robin Williams, where each performance is almost entirely in the moment with only the occasional semi-prepared material to provide a springboard for whatever whim hits him. Brilliant, brilliant stuff.
If you’d like a perfect example of how a re-launch of a classic franchise can go disastrously wrong, look no further than Steve Martin’s leaden take on Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther (MGM/UA, Rated PG, DVD-$28.95 SRP). Where Peter Sellers brought a bristling energy to his nobly inept Clouseau, Martin can’t seem to decide if he even showed up on the day. Kevin Kline is completely miscast as Dreyfus – if anyone should have gotten the role of Clouseau, it’s Kline, and his presence opposite Martin does nothing but emphasize the mistake. To also team Clouseau up with a partner (Jean Reno) and shoehorn in Beyoncé (who clearly had more fun in Austin Powers) – well, this thing is just an ill-conceived mess. Bonus materials include audio commentary with director Shawn Levy, deleted/extended scenes and an alternate opening sequence (with optional commentary), featurettes, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a music video, and a bonus Beyoncé performance (with optional commentary).
Based on the best-selling computer games, Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) was an animated version of the search for the globe-trotting master criminal, as she’s pursued from country to country by bother-and-sister team Zack & Ivy, of the ACME Detective Agency. This 3-disc set features all 13 first season episodes, plus a storyboard-to-screen comparison and versions of the opening sequence from around the world.
With the precedent in place with the finale of friends, it’s no surprise that the finale of Will & Grace should get its own quickie DVD release (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$5.99 SRP). Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette and interviews with the cast.
The World’s Fastest Indian (Magnolia, Rated PG-13, DVD-$ SRP) is one of those small, innocuous, dark horse flicks that come down the pike every once in awhile and just floor you with their simplicity and economy of storytelling. Anthony Hopkins stars as Burt Munro, a kiwi motorcycle enthusiast who journeys with his lovingly restored vintage Indian motorcycle to the Utah Salt Flats in an attempt to prove just how fast his two-wheeled dream can go. A wonderful, wonderful little flick. Bonus materials include the 1971 documentary Offerings to the God of Speed (with footage of the real Munro), an audio commentary with writer/director Roger Donaldson, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, and a spotlight on Munro’s hometown of Invercargill.
More star-centric catalogue releases from Warners with the Clark Gable: Signature Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), featuring Boom Town, China Seas, Dancing Lady, Mogambo, San Francisco, and Wife Vs. Secretary. Each disc features vintage musical shorts, cartoons, and dramatic shorts, while San Francisco also sports a documentary.
The third season of Genndy Tartakovsky’s Samurai Jack (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$18.99 SRP) comes storming into your home with 13 stunning episodes that prove that not all shows fall down in their waning years. The 2-disc set features commentary on the Emmy-winning “Birth of Evil” parts 1 & 2, a “Martial Arts of Samurai Jack” featurette, and a “lost artwork” gallery.
Previously available in one package, you can now purchase separately The Who’s recent live performances of both Tommy and Quadrophenia (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). As amazing as it is on the albums, it’s even more energizing live.
Far more engaging that Pixar’s turgid Cars, seeing Over the Hedge got me interested in the original comic strip by Michael Fry and T Lewis. If you were similarly intrigued, pick up a pair of the strip’s collections – Stuffed Animals & Knights of the Picnic Tables (Andrews McMeel, $10.95 SRP each). I guarantee you the strip is every bit as funny as the film.
Written by the likes of John Lennon, Samuel Beckett, and Sam Shepard, Oh! Calcutta! (New Video, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP) is as much a cultural touchstone as it is a lightning rod for its frank exploration of sexual taboos and cultural mores.. Oh, and the fact that portions of it were performed in the nude. Running for years on Broadway, this is the first time the original production has been made available on DVD, and it’s well worth checking out. The DVD also features a reproduction of the original Playbill.
Just in time to celebrate the birth of their love child, Fox has decided that Mr. & Mrs. Smith was such a landmark film that it absolutely necessitated an unrated, 2-disc special edition (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). As with most of these unrated cuts, it’s all unnecessary padding that would, in years past, have been used to fill up TV cuts – but is now shoved back in to justify a new DVD release. The bonus features include additional deleted scenes, an audio commentary with director Doug Liman, a behind-the-scenes documentary, sequence breakdowns, a photo gallery, and more.
Vince gets offered the part of any hot actor’s life – a superhero in a James Cameron flick. Of course, the superhero is Aquaman, and Vince’s buddies and take-no-prisoners agent (the sublime Jeremy Piven) are still hanging on for dear life in the second season of Entourage (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). In addition to all 14 episodes (featuring guest stars including Brooke Shields, Bob Saget, Hugh Hefner, and Ludacris), the set also contains behind-the-scenes interview with the cast and crew conducted by executive producer Mark Wahlberg.
Long maligned, Neil Diamond is finally getting the cred he’s deserved for so long (well, maybe not for those schmaltzy Christmas specials in the 80’s) with a tribute album, Forever Neil Diamond (Shout! Factory, $13.98 SRP), featuring tracks from Urge Overkill (“Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon”), Shane McGowan (“Cracklin’ Rosie”), Deep Purple (“Kentucky Woman”), UB40 (“Red Red Wine”), Elvis Presley (“And The Grass Won’t Pay No Mind”), and more. Great stuff.
If you’ve only seen (or have fond memories of) the heavily edited American importation known as Battle of the Planets, you owe it to yourself to experience the special edition collections of the fully restored original Japanese version of Gatchaman (ADV, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). The 3-disc sets (the latest of which is volume 7) feature 12 uncut episodes, plus commentaries, clean closing animation, and a bonus disc with a character profile, unused footage, sketches, interviews, and more. Heck, the set even features cover and box art from Alex Ross. How cool is that?
Even Sipowicz began to mellow a bit in the fourth season of NYPD Blue (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), but I guess fatherhood will do that to you. The 4-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries on select eps, a featurette on the show’s cinematography, and a look at some of the changes during the season. But I would like to know one thing – what will it take for Fox to stop using the damn s**** double-sided discs that even Universal has abandoned? Come on, guys, stop making your TV product seem cheap compared to the other studios.
Presented with one last wish on a TV talk show, a dying teen (Michael Angarano) decides to go for broke and ask for what he really wants – a weekend alone with a supermodel (Sunny Mabrey) – much to the chagrin of his mother (Cynthia Nixon). After a cursory meeting is granted by the model’s agent (Gina Gershon), the boy and his buddies decide to head to New York City in order to fulfill his final dream. Managing to walk the line between funny and sincere without becoming maudlin, One Last Thing (Magnolia, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is a charming little indie worth giving a spin. The DVD features an audio commentary with director Alex Steyermark, outtakes/alternate takes, and the One Last Thing episode of Higher Definition.
Touch the Sound (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP) is one of those documentaries that force you to examine the way you experience the world around you. In this case, it’s the nature of sound, as we spend time with Grammy Award-winning percussionist Evelyn Glennie – who just happens to be deaf. Over the course of the piece, we get a slice of her very unique world, and come away with a new appreciation for a sense I certainly take for granted. The DVD features deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, and the theatrical trailer.
I honestly thought that Numb3rs (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$54.99 SRP) – about an FBI agent (Rob Morrow) who recruits his mathematician brother (David Krumholtz) to help solve crimes – would crash and burn. How could something so high concept and, well, nerdy actually succeed on a modern TV network? Well, survive it did, as this complete first season set – featuring all 13 episodes – attests. Bonus materials include commentaries on select episodes, audition reels, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
After Timeline, I was beginning to fear that Richard Donner was lost to us as a director worth paying your $10 to go see. Thankfully, 16 Blocks (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.98 SRP) brings back the man who gave us Lethal Weapon and Superman, as Bruce Willis brings a bit of the ol’ Die Hard as a NYPD detective whose 16 block journey to deliver a small time crook (Mos Def) to the courthouse becomes a deadly gauntlet pitting him against his ex-partners. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, an alternate ending, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.
It’s embarrassing how addictive the Texas rollerderby of Rollergirls (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) is. Maybe it’s something to do with gorgeous women whaling away on each other at high speeds, with more testosterone than a hockey match. Yeah, it could be that. See for yourself with the 4-disc complete first season, featuring a bonus episode, player & team profiles, casting tapes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and more.
I must tell you, I’m absolutely blown away by the amazing critical reviews put together by Classic Rock Legends. Definitive and comprehensive, they are an essential addition to any fan’s collection, even if you may disagree with the occasional assessment of a beloved work. In addition to the critical component, the discs also sport rare interviews and performance footage. Of note and worth snapping up immediately are the 2-disc Pink Floyd: Reflections and Echoes (Classic Rock Legends, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – spanning their career from 1965-2005 and featuring a 136 page companion book – and Rock Review: David Bowie and the Spiders From Mars (Classic Rock Legends, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which analyzes Bowie’s output from 1969-1974. Go and get them already.
When you start brining in the doppelgangers en masse, you know you’ve just about run your course as a TV show, and such is the case with the sixth season of The Dukes of Hazzard (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which features a pair of Roscos, doubles Flashes, and twin southern belles to tempt the Duke boys. Bonus features include a tour of the real Hazzard county, and a design featurette on the General Lee.
I’ve always thought the Old 97’s sounded like a bar band you’d stay to hear even if you weren’t having a drink – they were just that good. My belief is reaffirmed by the 18 tracks on Hit By A Train: The Best of The Old 97’s (Rhino, $18.98 SRP).
I continue to be, frankly, floored by just what a spectacular treatment BCI has been giving He-Man on DVD. Even diehard fans will admit that it’s a poorly animated piece of pop-schlock (most of its appeal, really), but just scanning the bonus materials in the first volume of the show’s second season (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) is jaw-dropping, with audio commentaries, 2 brand new documentaries, character profiles, an animated storyboard, and more. Oh, and I’m still an Orko fan.
Slowly but surely, we’re working towards the DVD end of a pair of TV classics – Cheers and Frasier. The eighth seasons of both shows (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP each) were still riding high, particularly during the introduction of Robin Colcord as a rich object of Rebecca’s affection on Cheers, and the oddball nuptials of Daphne and Niles on Frasier. Sadly, there are no bonus features to speak of… what’s up with that?
Date Movie (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) attempts to do to modern romantic comedies what Scary Movie did to the late-90’s horror genre, and falls flat on its face. What made films like Scary Movie, Airplane, and Naked Gun work so well is that they were pointing out the pompous clichés prevalent in self-important genres – whereas Date Movie tries to make fun of already ridiculous comedies, but instead comes off as shrill and unfunny… Which is a shame, since it stars the profoundly cute Alyson Hannigan. Criminal. The unrated special edition features audio commentaries, deleted/extended scenes, audition tapes, featurettes, and more. But no funny.
It seems Warner Bros., finally realized, after releasing classic westerns, noir, musicals and dramas the a batch of comedies from their immense catalogue was just what the doctor ordered, so they’ve filled that prescription with 5 long-requested titles. The discs in question are Peter Sellers’s I Love You, Alice B. Toklas, Petulia, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, Sean Connery in A Fine Madness, and The Loved One (Warner Bros., Rated R/PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). Bonus materials include new and vintage featurettes and the theatrical trailers. More comedies, please!
If you’re going to attempt to remake a cult classic like the original Kolchak: The Night Stalker – which, while not the best show in world, featured an iconic performance by Darren McGavin as the grizzled newspaperman hot on the trail of the supernatural – then you damn well better make sure you’ve got something that isn’t inferior. Sadly, that’s exactly the case with Night Stalker (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP), which introduces a whole “wife murdered by the unexplained” angle that makes Kolchak’s journey more soap than scare. The 2-disc set features the complete 10 episode run, plus commentary, a conversation with producer Frank Spotnitz, deleted scenes, and the ability to print out the scripts for the unproduced final episodes.
Okay, so Memorial Day was a few weeks back – that doesn’t mean that we have to stop talking about war flicks. In fact, how about John Milius’s Farewell to the King (MGM/UA, Rated R, DVD-$14.94 SRP), which stars Nick Nolte as an American POW in World War II who escapes into the jungles of Borneo and, upon encountering a native tribe, is declared their king? When their village is wiped out by the tribe’s enemies, the new king leads his people to war. It’s Milius, people! The guy knows war…
Lurking In Suburbia (Heretic, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) is one of those rare independent stunted coming-of-age comedies that manages to be quite funny and quite genuine at the same time, never devolving into the various maudlin or hack traps of the genre. The film, in a nutshell, is about the 30th birthday realization of hard-partying, non-committal writer Conrad Stevens that it just might be time to move beyond his childhood home and friends and become an adult. The DVD features an audio commentary and deleted scenes.
In this season of the World Cup, partake of a slice of football boosterism put to film with Green Street Hooligans (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP), wherein a visiting American (Elijah Wood) gets swept up in the small sect of intense, violent diehard London fandom and its charismatic leader (Charlie Hunnam). Bonus features include a making-of and the Terence Jay “One Blood” music video.
The 5th season of Married with Children (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) was right on the cusp of when the show became a funny guilty pleasure to an increasingly unfunny self-parody, as it firmly embraced its own taboo-taunting cliches. Still, there’s 25 episodes of funny to be found here, so dig in.
If the testosterone is flowing and you’ve got a hankering to have yourself an incredible marathon over the weekend, then set aside a couple of days and dive into a pair of box sets featuring the fully restored and remastered films of the legendary director John Ford. The John Ford Film Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) features The Lost Patrol, The Informer, Cheyenne Autumn, Mary of Scotland, and Sergeant Rutledge. The Informer sports a brand new featurette, while Cheyenne Autumn contains a vintage featurette and an audio commentary. But that’s all prelude to set of Ford’s iconic flicks starring his favorite muse, the John Wayne/John Ford Film Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP) – the centerpiece is an incredible special edition of The Searchers, which includes an introduction by Patrick Wayne, audio commentary from Peter Bogdanovich, documentaries, the theatrical trailer, reproductions (of the 1956 Dell comic book, the original 1956 Warner Bros. press book, and filmmaker memos and correspondence), and 10 postcards with behind-the-scenes photos. The other films in the collection include a new 2-disc special edition of Stagecoach (with a commentary and documentaries), The Long Voyage Home (with a behind-the-scenes featurette), The Wings Of Eagles, Fort Apache (with a new featurette), 3 Godfathers, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (with John Ford home movies), and They Were Expendable. Hee-yah!
Of course, it should be expected that other companies are going to jump on the Duke bandwagon and raid their own catalogues, and Universal does that with their 2-disc, 5 film John Wayne: An American Icon collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). The flicks features are Seven Sinners, The Shepherd of the Hills, Pittsburgh, The Conqueror, and Jet Pilot.
John Wayne’s production company, Batjac, has been releasing some amazing, bonus material-laden DVDs in the past year, and it seems like there’s no letting up, as we get Glenn Ford in Plunder of the Sun (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), Clyde Beatty and Mickey Spillane in Ring of Fear (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), Robert Mitchum in Track of the Cat (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), and William Campbell in Man in the Vault (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP). As I mentioned, nearly all of the discs are loaded with featurettes, trailers, commentaries, and more.
I love snagging a chunk of cinema history in one easy package, and such is the case with the 5-disc Cecil B. Demille Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), which brings together 5 of the legendary filmmaker’s early work, which helped define the epic scale that the still developing medium was capable of. The films in question are The Sign of the Cross, Four Frightened People, Cleopatra, The Crusades, and Union Pacific.
As a fan of 50’s and 60’s rock & pop, the 3-disc collections tying in with the various PBS documentaries detailing that period are a great, quick way to snap up a clutch of almost 30 of those tunes. The latest is Moments to Remember: The Golden Hits of the 50’s and 60’s (Shout! Factory, $49.98 SRP). Of course, every time I hear Louis Prima and Keely Smith sing “That Old Black Magic,” I can’t get the vision of the early 1950’s Muppets lip-syncing to it during a segment of Jim Henson’s 1950’s Sam & Friends.
To me, NCIS (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP) exists merely as an excuse to keep Mark Harmon working steadily – which is a great thing. I could give or take most procedural shows, but anything that gives the guy who won my heart with Summer School a job is aces in my book. The 6-disc set features an audio commentary and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
If you mashed Sgt. Bilko and Gilligan’s Island and set it in a frontier fort in the late nineteenth century, you’d have the merry misadventures of the bumbling F-Troop (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). I love this show in the same way I love Green Acres – a severely underappreciated slice of comedic surreality that deserves to be rediscovered. The 6-disc complete first season features all 29 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
Accept no substitutes, as Fox finally dusts off 4 of the original Charlie Chan flicks and boxed them in Charlie Chan: Volume 1 (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The four featured films are Charlie Chan in London, Charlie Chan in Paris, Charlie Chan in Egypt, and Charlie Chan in Shanghai. Bonus features include a trio of featurettes, as well as the only surviving version of the first film in the series, Charlie Chan Carries On, which exists only in its Spanish language edition.
The Halliwell sisters return to their witchy ways in the fifth season of Charmed (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), becoming super-heroes, Greek Goddesses, Prince Charming bait, demon-tusslers, and Leprechaun allies.
Ever since the abominable big screen adaptation, I’ve eagerly anticipated the ability to own the original Wild Wild West (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), starring Robert Conrad as Federal Agent James West, crossing the country in his high tech railroad car with sidekick Artemus Gordon like an Old West Mission: Impossible with the humor and zip of Maverick. The 7-disc complete first season features all 28 episodes fully remastered, audio intros from Conrad, the lost original opening, network promos, a Ross Martin sketch, audio commentary from Conrad, audio interviews, and more.
Long before Bonanza, Maverick, or Wagon Train, Cheyenne (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) was the first western to hit the small screen in the 50’s, starring Clint Walker as gunslinger Cheyenne Bodie. The 5-disc set features the complete 15-episode first season, plus a new interview with Walker and a retrospective featurette.
He’s never truly disappeared from the spotlight, which makes something like Willie Nelson: The Complete Atlantic Recordings (Rhino, $39.98 SRP) less a found gem than a polished stone that had been gathering dust. Comprising two albums recorded in the early 70’s – Shotgun Willie and Phases & Stages – the 3-disc set features those albums, plus copious studio outtakes, demos, alternate versions, and live tracks recorded at the Texas Opry House.
As much as I dig Dan Aykroyd (and have since I was but a wee lad tooling around with my homemade proton pack on), I just can’t buy into the conspiracy theories, government cover-ups, and “evidence” he presents in Dan Aykroyd Unplugged on UFOs (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). Despite testimony from Astronaut Gordon Cooper, former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Hellyer, and even Ronald Reagan, all of the “proof” comes across as more wishful thinking and delusion than unequivocal evidence.
Even after all these years and all of the parodies, Mommie Dearest (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$14.99 SRP) is still a powerful, disturbing camp-fest of a flick. The new special edition features an audio commentary from John Waters, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a look at the film’s cult following, a photo gallery, and the original theatrical trailer.
She’s a free spirit and he’s button-down blue blood practical who have married on a whim in a Reno chapel and must face their disapproving parents and decide if their impulsive union is worth fighting for – and there you have the Sitcom 101 premise for the frothily affable, mostly harmless Dharma & Greg (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), starring Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as the unlikely couple. The complete first season features all 23 episodes, plus audio commentary on select eps, post-show vanity cards, and “When Worlds Collide: The Dharma & Greg Story” featurette.
After reigning as the king of the thinking man’s action hero (and idol of millions of Gen-X/Y kids), Harrison Ford just can’t seem to catch a break. Unwatchable in Hollywood Homicide and laughable in K-9, his losing streak continues with Firewall (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.98 SRP), a turgid “thriller” which casts Ford as a computer security expert whose family is held hostage by Paul Bettany in an attempt to blackmail Ford into heisting $100 million from his own system in order to secure the release of his wife and kids. Think of a poor man’s Swordfish slammed up against Sneakers and you’re not too far off. Bonus features include an interview with Ford and director Richard Loncraine, a featurette on the script, and the theatrical trailer.
Even if the flick turns out to be crap, we can at least be thankful that the remake of a flick usually means we’ll be getting a new special edition DVD release of the original, laden with bonus features and a spiffy new transfer. Such is the case with Richard Donner’s version of The Omen (Fox, Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). The new 2-disc edition, besides the aforementioned spiffy remastered transfer, includes an intro from Donner, audio commentary with Donner and editor Stuart Baird, a commentary with Donner and Brian Helgeland, a deleted scene with optional commentary, a new retrospective documentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, Jerry Goldsmith discussing the score, an appreciation from Wes Craven, and more.
If The Exorcist was arthouse horror and The Omen was populist horror, then the current remake of The Hills Have Eyes (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is the kind of horror show that you feel embarrassed to tell your friends you saw. A remake of the creepy Wes Craven original, it’s sad that we’ve reached a period in the genre when the very notion of stranded people being terrorized by mutants/inbreds/nutty families seems clichéd and old hat. Sadly, that’s exactly how this retread feels, and the unrated version just heaps on more gore – which is so much visual wallpaper at this point. The DVD features an audio commentary (with the director/co-screenwriter, the co-screenwriter, and the producer), an audio commentary with producers Craven and Peter Locke, production diaries, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and a music video.
You would think after three series and multiple appearances, the character of Q would get old – but John de Lancie’s nuanced portrayal of the nigh-omnipotent made his returns a welcome quirk in the Star Trek universe. The latest Fan Collective (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) features his 12 outings on The Next Generation, DS9, and Voyager, plus a trio of text commentaries from Michael & Denise Okuda.
If seeing Cars has gotten you yearning for a journey down America’s highway, then the new expanded edition of Drew Knowles’ Route 66 Adventure Handbook (Santa Monica Press, $16.95 SRP) is your perfect guide, detailing the roadside attractions, motels, eateries, and natural wonders that will make your trip one to remember.
Yeah, okay, even grown men cry at Fried Green Tomatoes (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which gets a new extended, tear-heavy special edition featuring an audio commentary with director Jon Avnet, deleted scenes, outtakes, a making-of documentary, and more.
Wrap up you trip down memory lane with the second (and final) volume of Irwin Allen’s Time Tunnel (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring cast interviews, the unaired pilot for a 2002 relaunch, the Time Travelers TV movie, and a photo gallery.
James Garner in The Rockford Files is gold. That theme song… that car… a true 70’s gem. The complete second season (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) features guest stars like Isaac Hayes, Rob Reiner, Louis Gossett Jr., and the immortal Dick Butkus. In addition to all 22 episodes, the set also includes the original pilot and an interview with creator Stephen J. Cannell. Oh, and kudos to universal for beginning to abandon the atrocious double-side discs they’d saddled their TV-on-DVD sets with.
Some of the latter-day specials are hit-and-miss, but I’ve always had a warm place in my heart for This Is America, Charlie Brown (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), the 8-episode series that found Charlie, Lucy, Linus, Woodstock, Snoopy, and the rest of the Peanuts gang traveling through American history, teaching while thoroughly entertaining. If you don’t believe me, check out this 2-disc collection, featuring the entire run.
Mike Judge returns with another clutch of favorite episodes in the Beavis and Butt-Head: Mike Judge Collection Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). The 3-disc set features B&B 40 cartoons, 13 music videos with B&B commentary, the second part of the “Taint of Greatness” featurette, promos, and B&B appearances.
There are a handful of films that have helped to define the term “guilty pleasure” (also known as “why can’t I take my eyes of this thing”). Near the top of that list is the adaptation of Jacqueline Susann’s novel Valley of the Dolls (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Like a drug-fueled Sex and the City, its tale of three hard-driving career women (Patty Duke, Barbara Perkins, and Sharon Tate) and their increasingly decadent world is one of the flicks that helped close the promise of the 60’s with a view of the darkness on the horizon. Revisited as a brand new special edition, the 2-disc set features an audio commentary with Perkins and E!’s Ted Casablanca, a brand new retrospective documentary, rare footage, behind-the-scenes featurettes, still galleries, and more. If your mind hasn’t already been saturated, you should also pick up the infamous Russ Meyer parody, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (Fox, Rated NC-17, DVD-$26.98 SRP), penned by a young Roger Ebert. In fact, Ebert contributes a commentary, a cast commentary, a retrospective documentary, a featurette on the film’s music, screen tests, galleries, and more. Talk about a double-feature.
Although the Fox films of blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe have been released on DVD before, but you can snag them all in the Marilyn Monroe Anniversary Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The flicks collected are The Seven Year Itch, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, River of No Return, Niagara, Let’s Make Love, and The Final Days. Make sure you pick up MGM’s Some Like It Hot while you’re at it.
It’s a bit frustrating for those who spent plenty of cash to complete their Farscape DVD collections during the original release of the series, but the Starburst Collection versions are definitely worth the upgrades, featuring improved picture and sound, plus plenty of new extras supplementing the already-impressive list of bonus materials featured on the original releases – including commentaries, interviews, documentaries, and much more. The latest 4-disc release features the first 7 episodes of season 4 (ADV, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP).
Long a subject of derision and parody (especially thanks to Conan O’Brien), you can judge just how hokey Chuck Norris’s Texan crimefighter is with the complete first season of Walker, Texas Ranger (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). Sadly, the 7-disc set features nary a bonus feature – just the 26 episodes comprising the season.
By the sixth season of MacGyver (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), was there anyone anywhere who doubted that Richard Dean Anderson’s miracle worker couldn’t get out of any tight spot with laughably diverse materials at hand? Anyone?
I love special editions that nobody asked for, and I can safely state that no one who saw the flick was clamoring for the new 2-disc Garfield: Purrrfect Collector’s Edition (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP). An unwatchable one-note piece of disposable filmmaking, the new bonus features include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes documentaries, the presentation reel, and more. Personally, I’ll just take the lasagna and leave the movie.
Affable comfort food, no one will remember Home Improvement (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) as a groundbreaking sitcom. You can indulge your inner manly man’s base comedy tastes with the complete fourth season, featuring a blooper reel.
Every time I happen past an episode of Medium (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$54.99 SRP) – starring Patricia Arquette as a psychic who uses her glimpses of murders to help the police solve crimes – I can’t help but laugh. Maybe it’s because it takes itself soooo seriously, and its gimmick is just a tad too hokey. But for those of you enamored with it, the 5-disc first season set features all 16 episodes, plus commentaries, an extended version of the pilot, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, TV spots, a gag reel, and more.
I don’t know what kind of power Jerry Bruckheimer has, but he’s the only one that can actually craft sports films that don’t trigger my complete apathy towards competitive athletics. If you took Remember the Titans and swapped out basketball for football, you’ve pretty much got the latest Bruckheimerian miracle, Glory Road (Walt Disney, Rated PG, DVD-$29.99 SRP). Bonus features include a pair of audio commentaries, featurettes, interviews, and more.
You can’t get more self-descriptive a title as Falling In Love Is Wonderful: Broadway’s Greatest Love Duets (RCA Red Seal, $11.98 SRP), which collects 15 tunes from show’s including The King and I, West Side story, Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, and more.
It takes a lot for any sports-based show or film to even pique my interest, let alone get me to watch it. To watch something sports-based and actually enjoy it is a true rarity, but I often enjoyed Craig T. Nelson’s Coach (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). Shocking, I know, but I attribute it largely to the comic presence of Jerry Van Dyke’s loveably scatterbrained assistant coach Luther Van Dam and Bill Fagerbakke’s Dauber Dybinski. The 2-disc set features all 13 first season episodes, plus a bonus episode from season 2 (“Homewreckers”).
Of course, you may want to spend your weekend partaking of schlock horror – which is certainly your prerogative, so why don’t I suggest a pair of titles which fit the Z-bill? First up is Cemetery Man (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), starring Rupert Everett as a cemetery watchman tasked with putting down the living dead who occasionally rise from their graves, until a tryst with a recently-widowed young woman instigates an existential crisis. The other pic is Room 6 (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), starring Christine Taylor as a hospital-phobic young woman whose injured boyfriend is taken to a hospital that seems to no longer exist – but is packed with madness-inducing demons, doings, and designs. Both discs feature commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Like it’s sister show, Everybody Loves Raymond, The King of Queens (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) is an affable, always pleasing, none too-challenging sitcom that will chug along for years in all its innocuous glory. The 3-disc 5th season set features all 25 episodes, but not a single bonus feature.
If you pick up the complete 26-episode run of Air America (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) expecting a continuation of the feature film starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey, Jr., don’t look here – all you get is a middling adventure series starring Lorenzo Lamas as a pilot-for-hire.
I will says this – even though the series as a whole has been a colossal stinker, kudos must go to John Landis for his installment of Showtime’s Masters of Horror (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$16.98 SRP each), “Deer Woman.” It’s not because the episode is terribly good – because it’s not, even though he attempts to recapture the comedic horror of past successes, like American Werewolf. No, I give him props for using the “why isn’t he working more” talents of Dream On‘s Brian Benben. Th rest is all Native American erotic supernatural killing hoo-ha… But it’s got Martin Tupper. Also available is Lucky McKee’s entry in the series, “Sick Girl,” and both discs feature commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, and more.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
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