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…
Just when the withdrawal is starting to set in and the worry that securing release rights for the films involved has finally reached an insurmountable wall, Rhino is able to pull together another wonderful Mystery Science Theater 3000 collection. Volume 4 (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP) is mostly a Joel-centric affair, with season 2’s Ring of Terror and season 4’s Indestructible Man & Tormented, with the sole Mike outing being season 10’s Horrors of Spider Island. Bonus features include a Tormented reunion and the episode’s “Jack Perkins” host segments from the short-lived syndicated MST3K Hour, the original theatrical trailers, and the second “MST3K Jukebox”. More, Rhino, more!
Though Neal Gabler’s massive Walt Disney: The Triumph of The American Imagination was hailed as the definitive biography of one of the 20th century’s most fascinating personalities, it’s animation historian Michael Barrier’s much more concise and researched The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney (University of California Press, $29.95 SRP) that truly deserves the title. Utilizing almost 40 years worth of his own personal interview archives, and those of associates, he presents a much more accurate representation of a complicated creative visionary and businessman as a regular human being full of quirks, foibles, failings, and genius that never falls prey to any of the prevailing myths and clichés that have attached themselves to Disney like barnacles over the years.
The 12 films comprising Warners new 4-volume Cult Camp Classics line (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP each) certainly live up to the “Cult Camp Classics” moniker. Arranged according to genre, Volume 1 features a trio of “Sci-Fi Thrillers” – Attack Of The 50 Ft. Woman, The Giant Behemoth, and Queen Of Outer Space. Volume 2 is “Women In Peril” – The Big Cube, Caged, and Trog. Volume 3 brings “Terrorized Travelers” – Hot Rods To Hell, Skyjacked, and Zero Hour! (the film that inspired Airplane!). And finally, there’s “Historical Epics” – The Colossus Of Rhodes, Land Of The Pharaohs, and The Prodigal. Bonus features in the sets include “expert commentaries” (from the likes of Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Tom Weaver, and more), plus the original theatrical trailers. More! Must have more!
The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (Digital Classics, Not Rated, DVD-£14.99) is one of those small, shamefully obscure comedic gems that was produced in Britain in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Much like the more well-known Bedazzled, it’s a surreal morality comedy, again starring Peter Cook, who plays the upwardly mobile and incredibly manipulative title character, who shows up at an ad agency one day and soon takes over the place, before moving into the world of politics. A sly must-see for comedy aficionados, now wonderfully restored with a director’s commentary and a picture gallery – but only available in the UK so far. Get it.
Even though I thought his no-holds-barred HBO sitcom, Lucky Louie, was a bit hit-or-miss, Louis C.K.’s stand-up is brilliant. And by “brilliant,” I mean very funny and very, very filthy. If you think I’m being hyperbolic, check out Louis C.K.: Shameless (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) for yourself and see. The disc also features his original HBO Comedy Half-Hour special.
While many dismissed it and it did nothing at the box office, Black Snake Moan (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is one of those sweaty southern cinematic gothics (like Wild Things before it) that are either overblown trash or sublime trash. Either way, it’s got Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci in an unlikely friendship that involves sex, chains, and the blues. Intrigued, no? Bonus features include an audio commentary, a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Well gooooollyyyy, it’s another season of Gomer Pyle, USMC (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). The second season, to be exact, featuring all 30 episodes jam-packed with Jim Nabors aw-shucks hick icon and his nemesis, Sgt. Carter.
If you’re anything like my good friend Dana and are enamored with Tiki culture, then you’ll want to pick yourself up a copy of Tiki Road Trip: A Guide To Tiki Culture In North America (Santa Monica Press, $16.95 SRP). As the title suggests, it’s a complete overview of the burgeoning Tiki movement, featuring art, prose, poetry, drink recipes, and Tiki restaurants and landmarks worth a stop.
Previously available separately, the critical reviews of both Queen and Bob Dylan are now available via a pair of career-comprehensive box sets (Chrome Dreams, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP each), and are worth picking up if you’re a fan, if only for some of the rare footage featured in each.
There’s nothing quite like the joyously salty experience of pure, unadulterated, uncensored R. Lee Ermey, and that’s exactly what you’ll get in Mail Call: S.N.A.F.U. (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP), a one-hour collection of foul-ups from Ermey’s History Channel show. You get the option of viewing it in either family-friendly or “Xtra-salty” versions… You know which one is better.
Now that the Bruce Timm animated DC universe has been fully released on DVD, Warners has dipped into the vaults to release older series starring Batman & Superman. First up is The New Adventures of Superman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), the 1966 Filmation treatment of the Man of Steel that ran for 36 episodes, all of which are contained here (with a bonus “Superman in ’66” featurette). The second title is The New Adventures of Batman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), which took its cue from the live action series, and featured the voices of Adam West & Burt Ward. The 2-disc set also contains a retrospective featurette, “The Dark Knight Revisited”.
While it’s a fair bet that you’re aware of Lucille Ball’s iconic role as Lucy Ricardo in the classic sitcom I Love Lucy, her feature film work is less well known. You can easily rectify that with Warners new Lucille Ball Film Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which contains 5 of the faux-redhead’s flicks – The Big Street, Critic’s Choice, Dance, Girl, Dance, Du Barry Was A Lady, and Mame. All the flicks sport vintage shorts and cartoons.
Yeah yeah yeah, I’m an old school Nintendo geek. Even though it could never be called stellar, there was a goofball fun about the animated tie-in to Super Mario Bros. 3 (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP), even if it was an unashamed long-form commercial . All 26 episodes are contained in the 3-disc box set. And while it’s not Nintendo, the only Sega game I ever had any affinity for was Sonic – so it’s no surprise that I’d also mention that the complete run of the animated Sonic The Hedgehog is also available now (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP).
Sergio Leone’s films have just gotten a nice box set, and the perfect complement to those flicks is the documentary The Spaghetti West (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), which chronicles the history of the Italian westerns, and the filmmakers and stars that brought them to life.
If you’re feeling like a bit of martial arts action this weekend, give a spin to the new Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy box set (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), featuring Sonny Chiba in Karate Bull Fighter, Karate Bear Fighter, and Karate For Life.
Fans of muscle-bound, long-haired criminal catchers will probably want to pick up the new Dog The Bounty Hunter box set (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP), which collects all 3 previously released best-of collections from seasons 1-3, plus the wedding special.
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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