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…
Dismissed by many as a pale attempt at trying to do Pixar, Meet The Robinsons (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is actually a nice, amiable flick with enough sly humor and verve to keep even jaded ol’ me in the swing of it (much like another unexpectedly enjoyable flick a few years back about a boy genius, Jimmy Neutron). The story here is about a brilliant whiz-kid named Lewis who gets swept up into a journey into the future while trying to find the mother he never knew, only to find that he holds the fate of the future in his hands. While in the future, he encounters the eccentric members of the Robinson family, and… well… go se for yourself. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, and the usual complement of crap music videos that have become de rigeur on Disney DVDs.
My emotions about The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$129.99 SRP) are a mixed bag. As a cinematic tool to excite a young audience about the personalities and events that shaped the early 20th century, I think it’s a success. The time-hopping adventures are fun and certainly instructional. I don’t, however, really see them as the juvenile tales of the Indiana Jones that we come to know and love in Raiders and its sequels – Indy is clearly just a hook to bring the audience in. Also, I have to say, my biggest gripe is that – in large part – much of the thematic simplification and visual shortcuts that Lucas would later bastardize the Star Wars franchise with had their roots here. If you divorce the series from those two drawbacks, what you’re left with is still a nice show for kids, and a pleasant diversion for adults. The series has been split into two volumes (volume 2 streets in December), with first 12-disc set featuring 7 feature-length episodes, plus 38 in-depth companion documentaries packed with more historical figures and luminaries than you can shake a stick at.
Halloween fast approaches, and what better way to kick back and mark the holiday than with a big bowl of candy corn and a reading of the manga edition of The Nightmare Before Christmas (Disney Press, $8.99 SRP).
They say that a dog is man’s best friend, but Fido (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$28.99 SRP) makes quite a good case for a zombie replacing the family mutt. The best friend of young Timmy Robinson is a zombie named Fido (Billy Connolly) – but when Fido eats the neighbor, Timmy has to try everything he can to keep his beloved pet. Bonus materials include commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, galleries, the theatrical trailer, and more.
Forty-nine issues in and the gloriously oversized Jack Kirby Collector (Twomorrows, $9.95 SRP) continues to unearth scores of wonderful Kirby art, rounded out with the usual complement of in-depth articles and analysis. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the big 5-0.
The 3-disc Mythbusters: Collection 2 (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) sports another 13 episodes of The Discovery Channel’s relentlessly addictive show. Personally, I think Jamie Hyneman’s mustache is a fearsome hypnotic device. Beware its power.
It’s a shame that the 3rd (and final) season of Veronica Mars (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) dropped the ball in so many ways – largely forgoing the quirky charm of the loveable first seasons. If it had stuck to its guns and not lost its way, I’m sure the show would still be on the air today. The 6-disc box set features all 20 episodes, plus additional scenes, webisodes, the pitch for what would have been season 4, and a gag reel.
Forever trying to put more distance between himself and Summer School, Mark Harmon is still front and center in the complete fourth season of NCIS (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP). The 6-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus commentaries, interviews, featurettes, and more.
For some reason, I was delighted that Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) was cancelled. Maybe it was just how obnoxiously self-important it seemed, with absurdly “dramatic” situations and characters with more useless layers than a glass onion. The 6-disc box-set features all 20 episodes, plus commentary on the pilot episode and a documentary on the show itself.
During the 60’s, Ken Mansfield was the US manager for a little pop act called The Beatles. You might have heard of them. In The White Book (Thomas Nelson, $22.95 SRP), he recounts those wild and wooly times, as well as all the talents, faces, and events he was party to in the ensuing years – and the roster is nothing if not impressive.
It’s always a fascinating journey when you see behind-the-scenes of any venture, and such is the case with Show Business: The Road To Broadway (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$28.95 SRP), which takes an inside look at four Broadway shows – Avenue Q, Wicked, Taboo, and Caroline, Or Change. From the earliest casting sessions to the first curtain call – and featuring interviews with all of the principals involved – it’s a great watch. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, promo spots, and the trailer.
James Gandolfini is a low-key presenter of the post-injury tales of 10 soldiers and marines who found their lives torn apart by combat and must sort out their futures in the documentary Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Just check it out.
Sleuthing scribe Jessica Fletcher returns with the seventh season of Murder, She Wrote (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), as the reaper of Cabot Cove solves a whole new batch of suspicious murders. The 5-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus a featurette containing all-new interviews with Lansbury and the cast & crew.
Even if it’s largely unsuccessful, Mr. Brooks (MGM, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is worth a spin just to see Kevin Costner try and stretch a little as the titular serial killer, whose domestic home life – wife, kids, career – hides his terrible secret – is threatened by the constant goading of his alter-ego (William Hurt). Sadly, Dane Cook is in the movie. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.
The days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder, and I can think of no better time to dig into the second Mario Bava Collection (Starz, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The 6-disc set features Lisa & The Devil, House Of Exorcism, Bay Of Blood, Baron Blood, Kidnapped, Roy Colt And Winchester Jack, 5 Dolls For An August Moon, and Four Times That Night.
Make programming the music for those all-night make-out sessions much easier by picking up a copy of the 4-disc Luther Vandross: Love, Luther collection (Sony Legacy, $49.98 SRP). Album cuts, rate tracks, live performances – the whole gamut of silky smooth grooves is here for the taking.
I have absolutely no taste for the torture porn of the Hostel franchise, but I know there are enough of you out there that this has somehow become a going venture. For you, then, there are the director’s cut editions of both Hostel (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) and Hostel Part II (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$28.95 SRP). Both discs feature expanded cuts, as well as commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, interviews, and more.
I’m also no fan of gore or horror, but I know that Halloween is right around the corner and you’re probably looking for some bloody filler for your own private filmfests. Buried Alive (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) fits the bill, about a group of horny college kids who are foolish enough to spend quality time at a cabin in the middle of nowhere.
Like most of the current crop of Adult Swim fare (minus the brilliant Venture Bros. & Lucy, Daughter Of the Devil), I get very few laughs from the self-indulgently bizarre Squidbillies (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Comedy is subjective, and this show barely registers on my own personal funny meter. The 2-disc set features all 20 first season episodes, plus 6 pilot episodes (proving what a painful development process the show had), the one-off “Anime Talk Show”, Comic-Con 2004 footage, galleri4es, featurettes, and more.
I didn’t think it was possible, but the third season of Mind Of Mencia (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) proves to be less funny than the cricket fields of season 2. This is like some kind of sad, bizarro version of Chappelle’s Show. Maybe they’ll put it out of its misery one day. The 2-disc set features deleted scenes and commentary.
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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