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…
Fearing that his audience was aging in the 16 years since his last major comedy special and his only sporadic appearances on television, Steven Wright decide to rectify matters by filming a brand new spotlight performance featuring brand new material. That special is When The Leaves Blow Away (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), and it proves definitively that he’s just as sharp – and just as funny – as we all knew him to be. In addition to the special itself, the DVD features an early career performance in Boston, and his 1999 short film One Soldier. Don’t be a stranger, Steven…
Though shaky and still finding its footing, all of the goofball charm is present in the first season of The Drew Carey Show (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which did for workplace comedy what Roseanne did for the family, in presenting office drudgery and the everyday workers as they were, and not Friends cast pretties. Long-awaited and finally here, the 4-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette and the “1-900-MIMI” spoof.
I’m as giddy as an 80’s geek can be, because one of those seminal 80’s faves of mine has finally made it onto DVD. As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of Harry and The Hendersons (Universal, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP), that endearingly Amblin-esque Bigfoot flick starring John Lithgow as the patriarch of a family whose freak car accident adds the loveable “Harry” to the suburban Henderson clan. Bonus features include an audio commentary with director William Dear, deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.
Past all of the awards season brouhaha and Helen Mirren’s fait accompli wins, it’s much easier to judge Stephen Frears’ The Queen (Miramax, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) on its own merits. And while not a glitzy affair, it’s a solid, enjoyable, well-constructed film with Mirren’s Elizabeth front-and-center. It’s certainly the most realistic, human portrait of the royal family to come down the pike since King Ralph (and yes, the latter part is a joke, people!). A great, great flick. Bonus materials include an audio commentary with Frears and writer Peter Morgan, a second audio commentary with British historian and royal expert Robert Lacey, and a making-of featurette.
The BBC’s massive documentary series Blue Planet was a truly impressive, stunningly beautiful exploration of our natural world. Planet Earth (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP), however, easily trumps it. Spanning every continent and natural environment, it truly is the definition of jaw-dropping. From the summit of Everest to the open ocean, it’s… well, it’s incredible. I can’t get the scene of a great white shark literally jumping out of the water to seize prey out of my eye. This is also the first release to come along that I think truly merits purchase on either HD-DVD ($99.98 SRP) or Blu-Ray ($99.98 SRP), as it was shot entirely in HD, and the already mind-blowing visuals positively pop off your screen. Really, if stores were smart and wanted to move HD-Players, they’d put this series on a loop. Bonus features include over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, plus a 150-minute documentary that explores the possible future of the planet.
Check another one off the list, as the clamoring of fans can finally be quelled with the release of the complete first season of The Odd Couple (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). As if the 24 episodes themselves weren’t enough, Paramount has treated us to a feature-laden 5-disc set, packed with audio commentaries on select episodes, audio intros from Garry Marshall, Tony Randall & Jack Klugman appearances on The Mike Douglas Show, original promos, Jack Klugman’s home videos and 1971 Emmy award win, Tony & Jack onstage in their 1993 production of the original play, and even a gag reel. Kudos to Par for a great set – and for setting the bar for season two so high!
It has no aspirations to greatness or awards, and that’s probably why Night At The Museum (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$34.98 SRP) is so much popcorn fun, as it wears it fun “night at the movies” vibe on its sleeve. The plot, in a nutshell, revolves around a newly-hired museum security guard (Ben Stiller) who finds out that the cryptic statements made by the two old-timers (Dick Van Dyke & Mickey Rooney) are that the various exhibits of the museum he’s to be guarding come to life every night. The 2-disc special edition features a pair of audio commentary (of note is the writers’ commentary, featuring Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant), behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, Comedy Central’s Reel Comedy special, bloopers, and more.
While the complete season sets of the show remain frustratingly available only as website exclusives (what’s up with that?), Mythbusters fans can at least get a small taste of the show via Mythbusters: Mega Movie Myths (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), which features 84 minutes of compiled segments that dealt with various – well, movie myths. Sadly, there’s not a single bonus feature in sight. Now, where are my season sets?
It’s easy to just call Adult Swim’s Moral Orel (Warner Bros., Not Rated, $29.98 SRP) a riff on the sanctimonious religious storytelling of that stop-motion “classic” Davey & Goliath, but that would be as limiting as calling the brilliant Venture Bros. a Jonny Quest parody. Moral Orel is actually a very pointed, often very funny riff on the thinking behind a show like D & G. If you don’t believe me, check out the 15 episodes features in this 2-disc first volume, which also contains deleted scenes, the original intro, promos/bumps, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and the (very) awkward San Diego Comic-Con panel (with commentary from both Orel‘s Dino Stamatopoulos and the objects of his drunken desire, Venture Bros.‘ Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer).
After viewing the watered-down borefest that was the sitcom adaptation of his life (the quickly-cancelled Kitchen Confidential), it’s certainly welcome to view the original article in Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). The 4-disc set features all 8 globe-trotting episodes that find the hedonistic, iconoclastic chef partaking of culinary delights and oddities in all 4 corners.
It was only a matter of time before we got a James Cagney: Signature Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), and while it’s not the absolute cream of the crop, it’s certainly a catalogue clutch worth snagging on DVD (particularly as Warners has loaded them down with their always-delightful bag of goodies). In addition to the 5 films – The Bride Came C.O.D., Captains Of The Clouds, The Fighting 69th, Torrid Zone, and The West Point Story – each flick features a complement of “Warner Night At the Movies” extras, including cartoons, newsreels, short subjects, trailers, and more.
As we quickly approach Memorial Day – and the war in Iraq grinds on – a film like Overlord (Criterion, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) is quite a powerful think. Utilizing actual archival war footage interwoven into the tale of a 20-year-old’s journey from boot camp to the front line is a shocking testimony to the brutality – and capricious violence – of war, and manages to succeed where Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket fell flat, in the depiction of the war itself. By all means, snap this up and see for yourself. Bonus features include an audio commentary with director Stuart Cooper and actor Brian Stirner, a featurette on the archival war footage, a British film tribute to wartime cameramen, a 1941 British Ministry of Information propaganda film, a photo essay, actual D-Day soldier journals read by Cooper, and the theatrical trailer.
The release of the series proper may have ended, but Universal is now releasing the specials I remember with fondness with the Columbo Mystery Movie Collection: 1989 (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), featuring the 5 made-for-TV-movies produced for the 1989 season.
Having the complete first season of WKRP In Cincinnati (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is a bit of a mixed blessing. Though it’s definitely one of the most requested titles to hit DVD, it’s also one whose release has been held up over the years by the thorny subject of what to do with the massive music clearance issues the show presents, as many of the scenes were scored with some legendary rock and pop songs. What they decided to do in this 3-disc, 22 episode set is a not-too-terribly good compromise, as nearly all of those songs have been removed and replaced either with needle-drop or cheaper tunes – although in some egregious cases, actual scene edits have been made to accommodate the loss of a song, so this is far from an uncut release as fans remember it. Sadly, Fox didn’t want to bite the bullet and get the necessary clearances that would have made the fans happy – a course of action taken by Shout! For Freaks & Geeks and Universal for Miami Vice. It’s a shame, really, because the show deserved better treatment. Bonus features includes an audio commentary on the legendary “Turkeys Away” episode, and a newly-produced cast interviews featurette.
Satiate yourself with a massive Renoir fix via the Jean Renoir: Collector’s Edition (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), a 3-disc set featuring 7 of the director’s films – Whirlpool of Fate, Nana, Charleston Parade, The Little Match Girl, La Marseillaise, The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment, and The Elusive Corporal. Bonus features include a brand new documentary on Renoir.
As manipulative, mushy, and cute as it is, there’s something loveably endearing about Ron Howard’s portrait of child-rearing on the late 20th century, Parenthood (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which features a brand-new transfer, a newly-produced retrospective featurette, a featurette on the casting, and a conversation with composer Randy Newman.
It was only a matter of time before today’s digital technology would produce a series like Dogfights (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), which takes the viewer inside the cockpit of fighter planes in some of the most intense aerial battles in World War II, Vietnam, North Korea, and more, including testimonials from the pilots themselves. The 4-disc first season set features all 11 episodes, plus the feature-length pilot and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
If you’ve really got a hole burning in your pocket and want to load up on some rarely-seen catalogue titles, Fox has raided the vaults for a ton of formerly dusty titles, many of them war classics. The list? Robert Mitchum in Man In The Middle, The Purple Heart, Tonight We Raid Calais, and Fixed Bayonets! (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). From their “Studio Classics” line comes Vivien Leigh & Ralph Richardson in Anna Karenina, a disc featuring both the 1935 & 1952 versions of Les Miserables, and Orson Welles in Jane Eyre (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). Some of the titles (particularly the “Studio Classics”) even get audio commentaries, featurettes, still galleries, and the original theatrical trailers.
Not to be outdone, MGM has also unleashed a clutch of vault titles, most of which are eagerly-anticipated genre flicks, including The Chocolate War, Pulp, True Confessions, Thieves Like Us, China Doll, and Von Richtofen and Brown (MGM/UA, Various, DVD-$14.98 SRP each).
You can’t get very much more dysfunctional than the Gallagher family. Abandoned years ago by their mother, this Mancunian clan of 6 was left to be raised by their not-terribly-affectionate (and sometimes abusive) father. The real guardian of the family is eldest sister Fiona, and she tries desperately to keep the family together in the oddball dramedy Shameless (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), the first season of which is now available. The 2-disc set features all 7 episodes, plus a cast featurette and an interview with creator Paul Abbott.
You know, you just never can predict things in life… like mentioning that the official cast album for Evil Dead: The Musical (Time Life, $18.98 SRP) is now available for your listening pleasure. It’s just as odd and secretly wonderful as you’d hope.
Love him or hate him, Al Franken has turned from one of the country’s most prolific and satirical comedic writers and speakers into a political force to be reckoned with, who now has his sights aimed at the senate seat of his native Minnesota. The folks behind the documentary The War Room turned their camera on Franken for Al Franken: God Spoke (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), a candid, biting, and thoroughly engaging portrait of a preeminent satirical voice in today’s political field. Bonus features include deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer.
It came and went at the box office, but there’s nothing like cracking out the popcorn and pop for the teaming of Jerry Bruckheimer, Tony Scott, and Denzel Washington in the exciting but otherwise forgettable action romp Déjà vu (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Pulled off the case of a horrific New Orleans ferry explosion, Federal agent Doug Carlin (Washington) is taken to a secret government location and introduced to an amazing time-shifting surveillance device, ostensibly to prevent crime. Yeah, that’s all well and good, but we all know he’ll use it for that whole ferry thing. Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted/extended scenes.
In the age of DVD, even a series cancelled halfway through its first season is virtually guaranteed a DVD release, and such is the case with NBC’s serial drama Kidnapped (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), which faced the axe after only 13 episodes. For the sake of the storyline, they were notified of the end in enough time to make sure there was a resolution to its tale of the wealthy Cain family’s kidnapped son. In addition to all 13 episodes, the 3-disc set also features a behind-the-scenes featurette.
If the theme song doesn’t conjure up memories, then the presence of everyone’s favorite uncomfortably over-present building superintendent Schneider is sure to evoke warm memories about another of Norman Lear’s 70’s hits, One Day At A Time (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). The 2-disc first season set features all 15 episodes from the premiere season, full of all the Bonnie Franklin hilarity.
I am by no means a fan of any kind of sports, but I’ve always had a warm place I my heart for the New York Yankees, even if I could care less about the sport itself. That warm place in my heart – and the fact that the set focuses on the year I was born – is more than enough to make me interested in checking out the nicely comprehensive 1977 World Series: New York Yankees (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$69.95 SRP). As with the previous releases in this series, the 7-disc box set features all 6 games in their entirety, plus a bonus 7th disc and tons of bonus features.
The preeminent documentary film festival returns with its 5th volume of short subjects. Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: Volume 5 (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP) features another half-dozen of the festival’s best, and are definitely worth a viewing.
I do believe that it was during the shooting of the cross-country Dunn & Vito’s Rock Tour (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) – featuring Bam Margera’s frequent accomplice and foil – that the now-infamous arrest of Don Vito occurred. Viewing the road trip featured on the disc, it’s no surprise that this rolling train wreck would eventually have something happen.
Though a point of some embarrassment, I admit that I enjoyed many a Gallagher special during my impressionable childhood, delighting in both the wordplay & observational part of his act, as well as the inevitable sledge-o-matic melee. If you remember the whole melon thing, than you might want to check out Tropic of Gallagher (SRO, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), a purportedly “lost” special featuring everything you’d expect.
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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