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…
If you’ve been holding off on buying the long-available seasonal box sets of Star Trek: The Next Generation because the price tag scared you off, now’s the time to get the entire 7-season run at a perfectly reasonable price courtesy of the new 49-disc complete series set (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$455.95 SRP). The first 48 discs are the seasons themselves, and are identical to the previously released sets, including their bonus features (basically a hefty complement of featurettes pertaining to each season). What’s new and exclusive is the 49th disc, which contains 11 behind-the-scenes and 20th anniversary retrospective featurettes. Eight of the featurettes were previously released on a quartet of Best Buy exclusive discs, while the remaining 3 are newly-produced. All in all, now’s the time to snap this up, and begin counting the days until the DS9 set.
You can keep your blood and gore – give me an old-fashioned frightfest like 1408 (Genius, Rated PG-13, DVD-$32.95 SRP). Based on a story by Stephen King, it’s a psychological tour-de-force for John Cusack, as a cynical writer of haunted house travelogues that is faced with what seems to be the real prospect in the form of Room 1408 in Manhattan’s Dolphin Hotel – despite the warnings of the hotel’s manager (Samuel L. Jackson). It’s a shame it didn’t do better at the box office – hopefully, it’ll get the attention it deserves on home video. The 2-disc deluxe edition features an alternate cut of the film with a different ending, an audio commentary on the extended cut, deleted scenes, a trio of featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.
At first, I was leery about The Sarah Silverman Program (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). At times – although I could always see the humor in the writing – I’ve found Silverman to be caustic in her delivery. I wondered how a sitcom built around her would play. Well, my fears were unfounded, since the show turned out to be a giddy mix of the bizarre, the cynical, the surreal, the sarcastic, and the very, very funny. Bonus features include audio commentaries, songs, and a karaoke feature. Sadly, no gag reel.
One of the last Disney classics to make it out of the DVD gate with a deluxe special edition (after a limited release as one of Disney’s first discs), Walt’s last personally supervised film finally gets its time in the sun. Besides a snazzy restoration, the 2-disc edition of The Jungle Book (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP) features deleted songs, a pair of making-of featurettes, a look at the deleted character Rocky The Rhino, and more.
As a kid, one of my favorite nighttime reads was There’s a Monster At The End of This Book (Random House, $8.99 SRP), starring Sesame Street‘s own loveable monster, Grover. The book has recently been re-released, just in time for me to give it as a gift to my nephew. I think I’ll also be picking him up the pop-up version, Please Do Not Open This Book (Random House, $8.99 SRP), that’s recently been created from the original text and art.
One of the exclusive club of internet fan saves, the first season of Jericho (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) comes to DVD in time for on-the-fence viewers to discover the unique tale of a small town thrown into chaos after a string of nuclear detonations around the country fragments the United States into opposing factions vying for power. That’s the short of it, but trust me – check it out for yourself. The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes. Plus commentaries, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Encompassing all of the various versions of the film – from the truncated 90-minute cut to the extended hardcore bacchanalia –the 3-disc Caligula: The Imperial Edition (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) is the definitive edition of this notorious cinematic classic, featuring an unbelievable cast, including Peter O’Toole, Malcolm McDowell, Helen Mirren, John Gielgud, and more. The Imperial edition is also loaded with bonus features, including audio commentaries, interviews, documentaries, featurettes, and more.
Though not a favorite of mine – I’ve often felt it was overproduced and largely miscast (Keanu) – there are plenty of fans out there of Francis Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Sony, Rated R, DVD-$24.96 SRP). Regardless of my feelings for the film, Coppola is always a fascinating filmmaker, and the new 2-disc edition of the film offers a peek into his creative process, with an introduction, an audio commentary, making of and behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
If you’re still in withdrawal about Mandy Patinkin’s bizarre, abrupt between season departure, then remember the good ol’ days with the complete second season of Criminal Minds (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP). The 6-disc box set contains all 23 episodes, plus deleted scenes, a quartet of featurettes, and a gag reel.
Put a little bit o’ soul in your weekend with the 3-disc Ike & Tina Turner Story: 1960-1975 (Time Life, $39.99 SRP) – the first career retrospective of the hard-driving duo and their revue.
After a half-dozen epics and a relatively unchanging style, I think I’m finally growing weary of the “Ken Burns” style of documentary. It hit home while watching his 7-part focus on WWII, The War (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$129.99 SRP). It’s well-researched and there are certainly plenty of nuggets, but the folksy approach to presenting the tale via the people of four different US communities, specifically how the war affected those on the homefront, just began to grate a bit. I think Burns needs a paradigm shift. The 6-disc box set features audio commentary, deleted scenes, additional interviews, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Also available is the 4-disc soundtrack from Ken Burns’s The War (Sony Legacy, $49.98 SRP), sporting dozens of period tunes, from big band to swing to torch songs, all of which are nicely evocative.
It’s not a magic bag of tricks, but there’s plenty of surprises in the Felix The Cat: Golden Anniversary Edition set (Classic Media, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). In addition to the complete, fully remastered 1958-1959 run of the television series, the 2-disc set features a very nice interview with animation historian John Canemaker, an original 21920’s Feline Follies short, and an archival promo reel.
I’ve praised the space-related output of Apogee Books in the past, and I’ll do so again with their latest must-have tome for space nuts like myself – Astronautics: Book 1 – Dawn Of The Space Age (Apogee Books, $24.95 SRP). Author Ted Spitzmiller gives an engrossing blow-by-blow account of mankind’s efforts to reach the stars, and I can only hope volume 2 is quick in coming.
From their grungy roots to toplining heights, the 2-disc Ramones: It’s Alive 1974-1996 (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) contains 33 rare live performances from concerts and TV programs the world over, plus interviews rare music videos, and more.
Even 50 years later, Audrey Hepburn glows in Funny Face (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP). Newly remastered, the new special edition of Hepburn and Fred Astaire’s Parisian jaunt features a trio of featurettes, a photo gallery, and the original theatrical trailer.
Schlock till you drop with Warner’s Twisted Terror Collection (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which brings together 6 horror flicks in one cheap box – The Hand, Dr. Giggles, Someone’s Watching Me, From Beyond The Grave, Deadly Friend, and Eyes Of A Stranger.
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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