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…
For years, I’ve been getting the scattershot collections of random Three Stooges shorts, wondering every time why we haven’t gotten a chronological release of their entire run. Well, someone at Sony must have heard the pleas of all those Stooge fans, because they’re finally doing that. The Three Stooges Collection: Volume One (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP) contains the first 19 shorts, spanning the years 1934-1936. As if that weren’t enough, Sony’s gone back to the original film elements and restored and remastered them for high definition, presenting them completely uncut and looking better than ever. Nyuck nyuck nyuck!
Witness the evolution of a rock legend when a folkie dared to go electric courtesy of The Other Side Of The Mirror: Bob Dylan Live At The Newport Folk Festival (Sony Legacy, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which presents not only the pivotal 1965 electric set, but also his previous appearances at the venerable showcase. While you’re at it, why don’t you also snag the newly remastered 3-disc greatest hits collection Dylan (Sony Legacy, $49.98 SRP).
It’s been piecemealed and teased with half-hearted releases over the years, but patience is a virtue finally awarded with the definitive “Gold Box” edition of Twin Peaks (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP), featuring all 29 episodes, plus both the domestic and international versions of the pilot. The episodes are all fully remastered with 5.1 audio (purists need not worry, as the original 2.0 is also an option). Bonus features include deleted scenes, the Log Lady intros, a feature-length documentary, featurettes, promos, a music video, rare documents and photos, and the SNL parody featuring Kyle MacLachlan. Was it all worth the wait? I’d say so.
Round and round and round he goes, and wherever he stops, I’ll definitely be glued to the telly to watch, as a classic Michael Palin travel documentary finally gets a US DVD release. Around The World In 80 Days (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) finds the Python-alum circumnavigating the globe in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg. The 3-disc set features an exclusive interview with Palin.
You know, I don’t care what anybody thinks – I actually enjoyed the end of The Sopranos (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP). I think creator David Chase was perfectly clear that the series was going to go down unexpected paths, and the final season bears that out – right up until the controversial end note. The 4-disc Season Six, Part II contains the final 9 episodes, plus a featurette behind-the-scenes of the fictional horror flick Cleaver, a look at music in the series, and a quartet of audio commentaries.
I love a show like Cities of the Underworld (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$44.95 SRP), which journeys into the little-seen but utterly fascinating subterranean worlds that exist below cities like New York, Paris, Rome, London, and more. From sewers and catacombs to ancient cities, there’s a history below your feet, and this show serves it up on a silver platter. The 4-disc set features all 13 first season episodes, plus the original pilot (“Istanbul”) and additional scenes.
I still think that the writing is scattershot, but the second season of Robot Chicken (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is certainly an improvement, and the hit to miss ratio definitely is swinging in the right direction. The 2-disc set features deleted scenes & audio, the Christmas special, promos, animatics, meetings, video blogs, commentaries, and more.
There haven’t been very many documentaries on the crisis in the Sudan, but The Devil Came On Horseback (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP) is a sobering look at the situation in Darfur using first-hand testimony from former US Marine Brian Steidle. The disc also contains a bonus short.
It’s always a rather heart-wrenching affair when a show you loved suddenly derails creatively, and you’re left to helplessly watch the ensuing carnage. Such is the case with the 6th season of Scrubs (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). Gone was the brilliant mix of comedy and pathos, replaced with a smug, out-of-control gag-reflex style of surreal comedy more fitting on Family Guy. It’s a shame, but at least we have those early seasons to remember it by. The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries, a spotlight on Judy Reyes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and a piece on the musical episode (containing interviews that originally shot for – and run – on our very own Scrubs blog).
After promises that the long-running show was coming to an end, the end of The Vicar of Dibley – starring Dawn French as female vicar Geraldine Granger – has actually come to that conclusion with a two-part finale that find Gerldine walking down the aisle after years of chasing love. Those specials and the entire 3 series run can be found in the 5-disc Vicar Of Dibley: The Immaculate Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP).
The best thing about the seventh season of Magnum P.I. (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) is the nifty crossover episode featuring Murder, She Wrote‘s Jessica Fletcher (the episode of Murder is also on the set). The 5-disc set features all 21 episodes, plus a featurette on the crossover.
The Wendell Baker Story (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.98 SRP) is one of those flicks that quietly makes its way on to DVD and runs the risk of being lost in the tidal wave of larger titles with more marketing dollars. It would be a shame to let it slip away, though, because it’s a great, funny film about a con man named Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson) who’s alienated his girlfriend (Eva Mendes), best friend, and dog after landing in prison. During his stint behind bars, though, he vows to turn his life around – first be taking a job at a local retirement home, where he’s befriended by the residents. They advise him on how to pull his life back together and win back his sweetheart, and he helps them to take down the evil head nurse (Owen Wilson) and his major domo (Eddie Griffin). Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, audio commentary, deleted scenes, and more.
Like Bilko in the south Pacific, McHale’s Navy (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) was a classic military sitcom with larger than life characters and memorably bombastic performers – including Ernest Borgnine, Tim Conway, and Joe Flynn. The complete second season set features all 36 black & white episodes, plus an interview with Borgnine and Conway. Bring on season 3!
Spider-Man 3 (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$36.95 SRP) is a schizophrenic flick in search of itself. I still think Tobey Maguire is a bland Peter Parker/Spider-Man, but Spider-Man 2 at least gave us an interesting Doc Ock and some nice action sequences. In the third outing, however, the Spidey franchise goes down the same path as the floundering Batman franchise of the 90’s, trying to cram multiple villains into a single flick, and servicing none of them. If they had stuck with Thomas Haden Chruch’s Sandman, we probably would have gotten a solid, well-focused story – but no, they had to shove in both Venom AND Harry Osborn’s skyboarding X-Games reject. It’s sad, and unfortunate, and may prove to be a last gasp before the webspinning equivalent of Batman & Robin. The 2-disc edition features audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a music video, bloopers, and more.
It took far too long for my personal comic book animation guilty pleasure to finally hit DVD, but I’ve finally got The Super Powers Team: Galactic Guardians (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Darkseid, baby! The 2-disc set features 10 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette.
Say goodbye to another show’s journey to DVD, as the seventh and final season of Tales From The Crypt (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) arrives. The 3-disc set features all 13 episodes, plus plenty of ghoulish tales for darkened nights.
And, after years of ridicule, the lord of the seven seas gets his due in The Adventures of Aquaman: The Complete Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features all 36 episodes, plus a brand new retrospective featurette.
Tooling around the backroads of Britain with Robbie Coltrane in a classic car, on the lookout for the real culture of the UK? That’s exactly the amiable, affable journey you’ll take with Robbie Coltrane: B-Road Britain (Contender, Not Rated, DVD-£19.99 SRP). It may be a Region 2 import, but it definitely should be on your shelf.
Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be any more footage to be found featuring the Fab Four, a release like The Unseen Beatles (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) comes along, delivering more film footage, photographs, and home movies – and new interviews. Bonus materials include extended interviews, footage of the Beatles in Jersey, and a photo gallery.
The CSI of sunny climes and ginger lead – CSI: Miami (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP) – returns with its 5th season of crime-solving procedural nerdiness. The 6-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus audio commentaries on 5 episodes, and 5 behind-the-scenes featurettes.
I think the nicest thing that I can say about License To Wed (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.98 SRP) is that it’s a largely inoffensive romantic comedy starring Mandy Moore, The Office‘s John Krasinski, and Robin Williams as the couple’s minister – who has an incredibly invasive procedure to make sure incompatible couples don’t get married. Bonus features include additional scenes and a couples Q&A.
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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