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…

My memories of the 5th and final season of NewsRadio (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) are of a show that was struggling to regain its footing after the devastating loss of both Phil Hartman and his character, Bill McNeal. While in my memory the transition was rather rocky, re-watching the season on DVD has shows that the writers and cast very quickly regained their footing, and Jon Lovitz’s Max Louis very rapidly became a member of the family. All in all, it’s a nice farewell to a series that was cancelled before its time, and I’m just glad we got the entirety of it out on DVD. The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries (during one of which my question about the cast’s Donny & Marie Show appearance is mentioned, but not answered), deleted scenes, and a gag reel.

 

If the great Sgt. Bilko had to depart the airwaves, at least a show like McHale’s Navy (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) was waiting in the wings. Doing for the navy what Bilko did for the army, the crew of PT Boat #73 – including Tim Conway and captain Ernest Borgnine – brought a healthy anti-establishment joie de vivre to the small screen. A very, very funny show. This 5-disc box set features all 36 first season episodes in their original black & white, plus a crew reunion featurette with reminiscences from the cast.

 

Divorced from the Oscar season hype, there’s much to be said for the flawed yet powerful Blood Diamond (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). As actioners go, it’s got the requisite amount of intrigue and adrenaline, and it very much wears its social message – about the often bloody diamond trade – on its sleeve. When civil war overtakes Sierra Leone in 1999, an ex-mercenary (Leonardo DiCaprio) with his own agenda aids a Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou) in locating his kidnapped son, who has been conscripted as a child solider in the rebel army. The ex-merc, however, is more interested in an outrageously valuable pink diamond, and will let nothing get in his way. The 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary from director Ed Zwick, a documentary on the diamond trade tracking the patch of a gemstone from the earth to the store, a Leo profile, a featurette on women journalists, a look at the pivotal “Siege of Freetown” sequence, a music video, and the theatrical trailer.

 

As independent as the protagonists of That Girl and The Mary Tyler Moore Show had been, the first unashamedly, boisterously feminist show to arrive on television screens was a spin-off of All In The Family, and starred Bea Arthur as Edith Bunker’s outspokenly independent Maude (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Whether keeping her fourth husband, Walter (Bill Macy), in line or disagreeing with conservative neighbor Arthur (Conrad Baines), the show’s humor has aged very little, and the arrival on DVD of such a seminal sitcom is always appreciated. The 3-disc set features all 22 first season episodes, but zero extras (a Bea Arthur/Norman Lear commentary would have been incredible).

 

The third series of the Doctor Who relaunch is about to hit screens in the UK (and computers here in the US, because certain networks don’t seem to understand the 21st Century), so that means another batch of classic Who is hitting DVD. First up is a classic tale from the Patrick Troughton years – The Invasion (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) – which also happens to be one of those unfortunate adventures where footage is missing. Happily, though, those installments have been reconstructed with animation from Cosgrove Hall (of Danger Mouse fame) and the still extant original soundtracks. The second release is from the Tom Baker Years – The Sontaran Experiment (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). As usual, these are positively packed with bonus materials, including audio commentaries, featurettes, interviews, trailers, and much more.

 

Rightly considered one of the finest documentaries ever produced, D.A. Pennbaker’s portrait of Bob Dylan’s landmark 1965 tour, Don’t Look Back (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), has gotten a deluxe remastering and special edition treatment. In addition to restored picture and sound, the 2-disc collector’s set features audio commentaries, additional audio tracks, an alternate version of the “Subterranean Homesick Blues” cue card sequence, a second documentary utilizing unused footage, trailers, and a reproduction of the original photo-filled 168-page companion book. A definite must-have all around.

 

After viewing it again, in expanded form, on DVD, there’s something cringeworthy about the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Roasters of old were usually friends of the roastee, so an overwhelming sense of love would come through the often scathing jibes. On the new brand of Comedy Central roasts, there’s usually a token 2-3 friends of the roastee, with the rest of the time filled by Comedy Central’s stable of go-to comics, making for an impersonal, often attack atmosphere of blood in the water comedy that makes for the aforementioned cringing. It’s a shame, really. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes footage, red carpet interviews, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.

 

The films may be hit and miss, but I always have time for that crankily loveable Fieldian presence. The second volume of the W.C. Fields Comedy Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) features You’re Telling Me!, The Old Fashioned Way, Man On The Flying Trapeze, Poppy, and the wonderful Never Give A Sucker An Even Break. The 5-disc set also features a bonus vintage documentary.

 

 

Although it shouldn’t surprise me so much in this DVD age, I never thought I’d see a 2-disc, fully restored and remastered special edition of the original Re-Animator (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Starring Jeffrey Combs as truly mad scientist Herbert West in this adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s tale of meddling in life after death, it’s one of the goriest flicks you’ll run across – but it’s all held together by Combs’s performance. The 2-disc edition features audio commentaries, a 60-minute documentary, interviews, deleted/extended scenes, TV spots, galleries, a trailer, and more.

 

Federal Agent James West is back defending American security at the behest of the Grant administration, against evil geniuses, revolutionaries, oddballs, and malcontents in the second season of Wild, Wild West (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 7-disc set features all 28 episodes, beautifully remastered in full color. Sadly, no bonus features, which is a damn shame as a nice retrospective feature would be quite nifty. Perhaps in the future, one hopes.

 

Crockett & Tubbs have arrived to drain your wallet, with the concurrent release of both the 3rd and 4th seasons (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP each). As usual there’s not a single bonus feature to be found, but at least we get all of the original music (which I can only imagine cost a fortune). Crack out the pastels and your pet gator, and snag ’em both.

 

While we’ve had some special preview sets come down the pike – the family couch and the Ironic Torture diorama – the first actual wave of Simpsons figures is now hitting shelves ($11.99 SRP each). Included in this initial offering (done in the McFarlane fixed “scene” style) are Homer & Krusty in a memorable moment from the end of the episode “Kamp Krusty,” Homer & Bart in their superhero outfits from “Simple Simpson,” Homer & Marge” during their InnerSpace interlude within Mr. Burns during the “Treehouse of Horror” segment “In The Belly Of The Boss,” and a generic scene of Homer & Bart engaged in mutual throttling. Check the pics out below…

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…

-Ken Plume

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