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…

On the shortlist of my absolute favorite Britcoms – alongside such luminaries as Fawlty Towers and Blackadder – I must include Father Ted. In fact, I love it so much that I re-watched the entire run of the caustically hilarious misadventures of the trio of daft priests living on a backwater island in Ireland, contained in their entirety in Father Ted: The Definitive Collection box set (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP). The set contains all three series plus bonus features including audio commentaries (with all new commentaries on series 3), interviews, rare Comic Relief, PBS spots, the Father Ted episode of Comedy Connections, and new featurettes from the 2007 TedFest celebration. If you’ve yet to experience the holy misadventures of Fathers Ted, Dougal, and Jack, you must rectify that lack of comedic bliss immediately.

We’re finally into Oscar DVD season, when the previous year’s more high profile “important” films arrive in stores, and I’d certainly include Michael Clayton (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP) in that mix. George Clooney stars as an attorney whose specializes in cases for law firms that require a deft, swift, and discreet handling. His latest involves a top litigator who’s turned whistleblower (Tom Wilkinson), and a situation that becomes life or death and he becomes a target. A very nice thriller with enough twists to keep things moving. Bonus features include an audio commentary and additional scenes.

Best known as bumbling Baldrick in Black Adder – and also as the presenter of the BBC’s Time Team and Worst Jobs In History – Tony Robinson did a one man show last year detailing his life and career, Tony Robinson’s Cunning Night Out! (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). And it’s very, very funny. The DVD features a Q&A and a sing-along.

Why has it taken so damn long to finally get a DVD release featuring classic material from the 20-year history of the US Comic Relief? It’s ridiculous, really, but at least we have the 2-disc Comic Relief: The Greatest And The Latest (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP), which culls the best moments from that long history and brings them back into your living room. To be honest, I would have preferred a box set collecting the full, unedited broadcasts, but I guess this will do for now… FOR NOW.

Just when I was about to write off Nicole Kidman after a string of abysmal flicks (Hello, Invasion!), she goes and turns in a stellar performance in Margot At The Wedding (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) as the titular razor-tongued, bitter attendee at the wedding of her much more free-spirited sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Forget all of those Oscar flicks – give this one a play. Bonus materials include a conversation with writer/director Noah Baumbach and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and theatrical trailers.

I always love tales of subcultures that are enormously full of their own self-importance. It’s even more delightful when that subculture involves Donkey Kong, and the quest for high scores. The King Of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (New Line, Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.98 SRP) tells the tale of the reigning Donkey Kong champion – an egotistical prick named Billy Mitchell, who nevertheless is revered by the gaming community – whose decades-long reign is threatened by a young teacher/family man named Steve Wiebe, whose underdog challenge runs headlong into both Mitchell’s ego and a banally corrupt series of self-appointed officials responsible for administering the title of highest scorer. Bonus materials include a pair of audio commentaries, extended interviews, an animated history of Donkey Kong, an art gallery, and the theatrical trailer.

Writer/Director Paul Haggis’s In The Valley Of Elah (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) is 99% of a very good film. It’s that final 1% – conveniently placed at the end – where Haggis’s otherwise powerful tale of a father’s quest to find out what became of his son, an American soldier gone missing after returning from a tour of duty in Iraq, just falls apart. It’s a shame, because Tommy Lee Jones turns in an arresting performance as the questing father. By all means, watch the film – but just be aware of the disappointment that awaits. Bonus features include a pair of featurettes and an additional scene.

The year is flying by, and I’ve decide to mark its quick passage with Warner’s remastered re-releases of the animated Peanuts catalogue. With the Valentine’s releases already passed, we’re now up to It’s The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). The disc also contains It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown and a brand new featurette, “In Full Bloom: Peanuts At Easter”.

That American Gangster (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) came and went from theaters in what seemed like rapid order is a bit of a surprise, considering that not only was it directed by Ridley Scott, but it starred both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. Perhaps holiday audiences just weren’t prepared to view a 2 1/2 hour plus look at the life of Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas (Washington) and the outcast cop (Crowe) who decided to bring him down. Either way, DVD provides audiences the luxury of rediscovering the pic in their own time, with the 2-disc edition featuring an extended, unrated version of the film. Bonus features include a making-of documentary, a trio of in-depth featurettes on the bringing the film to life, deleted scenes, and an alternate opening.

After 20 seasons of bad boys, what’cha gonna do? Put out a 2-disc Cops: 20th Anniversary Edition (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which celebrates the guilty pleasure viewing with a retrospective special, the original pilot with optional commentary, additional clip shows, and more.

One of the many US policy based dramas to hit screens last year, Rendition (New Line, Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP) – about a wife’s search for the husband who mysteriously disappeared on an overseas flight, which leads her to the CIA and a web of deceit – largely fell through the cracks. It’s worth a spin, if only for the performances of Jake Gyllenhaal, Alan Arkin, and Meryl Streep. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes documentaries, deleted scenes, and an alternate ending.

Always ready to learn more about the Fab Four, I was interested in giving a spin to The Beatles: Destination Hamburg (MVD, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) – a new documentary featuring rare footage and interviews chronicling the quartet’s formative years in Germany before they found success back in their home country. The DVD also features a 1968 Kenny Everett radio interview with John, Paul, & Ringo, as well as the Tony Sheridan music tracks featuring the young Beatles as backup.

Theater nerds will surely snap up their own copy of the Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), performed live at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The 2-disc set features a documentary on the making of the show and an on-screen lyrics option.

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

##

Comments: 1 Comment