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…
It’s taken 20 years, but Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (Sony, Rated PG, DVD-$19.94 SRP) is finally getting the respect that it deserves. Long a favorite of discerning film fans (and kids who saw it dozens of times on HBO in the early-90’s), it had been largely overshadowed with tales of “The Curse Of Baron Munchausen” and its large budget – fittingly enough, most of the legend is lies. The truth of what happened during the making of the film (for those who haven’t read the fascinating book on its making, Losing The Light) is told in the 3-part documentary included on this new 2-disc special edition, which also include a new transfer, audio commentary with Gilliam and co-writer Charles McKeown, deleted scenes, and storyboard sequences narrated by Gilliam & McKeown. The film is also available in a Blu-Ray edition ($28.95 SRP), which features all the same bonus material, plus an exclusive enhanced graphics and trivia track. Either way, it’s a must have for any film library.
While Punch Drunk Love went a little ways toward erasing the memory of the incredibly pretentious filmmaker that followed up the likeable Boogie Nights with Magnolia, it took There Will Be Blood (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$34.99 SRP) for me to have a renewed faith in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson. An epic (if loose) adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s novel Oil – which told the tale of the oil barons that carved up the west – Anderson constructs the fictitious Daniel Plainview as the archetype of the industriousness, ingenuity, and greed that defined an age. Daniel Day-Lewis more than earns his Oscar as Plainview, if only for the way he channeled John Huston. The 2-disc set features behind-the-scenes featurettes and the circa 1923 silent film The Story Of Petroleum.
Although it’s not the version that aired on Bravo a few years back, I can still heartily recommend the new DVD of the Upright Citizens Brigade: Asssscat! special (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) – a two-hour affair featuring the UCB (Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts, & Matt Walsh) and special guests Chad Carter, Sean Conroy, Andrew Daly, Horatio Sanz, Will Arnett, Ed Helms, Jen Kirkman, Thomas Lennon, Paul F. Tompkins, and Kate Walsh. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, interviews, additional segments, and more.
Not until you get hold of Giulia D’Agnolo Vallan’s John Landis (M Press, $29.95 SRP) do you realize that you’ve always wanted a book that focus on the career of the director that brought us Blues Brothers, Animal House, An American Werewolf In London, Trading Places, Coming To America, Spies Like Us, The Three Amigos, and so many more. With this mighty tome, we get in-depth conversations with Landis and his collaborators, spanning his entire career – even the controversial bits. A must have.
Before he was House, Hugh Laurie starred in the Britcom Fortysomething (Acorn Media, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) as Paul Slippery, a man whose mid-life crises are mounting fast and furious – from a wife who may be having an extramarital affair to sons who mock him with their youth and virility. The 2-disc box set features all 6 episodes, but sadly no bonus materials.
The end of their long original run is coming to a close by the time we reach the 6th season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features all 16 episodes, but sadly not a single bonus feature.
Fog City Mavericks (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) chronicles the evolution of the fiercely independent filmmaking scene that grew up and has firmly rooted itself in San Francisco. Filmmakers chronicled and interviewed for the film include Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Saul Zaentz, Chris Columbus, John Lasseter, Phillip Kaufman, Steven Spielberg, and more.
It’s a shame that the final season of Buffy was such crap, because it taints the first collection of comics in what is ostensibly the show’s 8th season, Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Long Way Home (Dark Horse, $15.95 SRP) – which might otherwise be a fun continuation of a cancelled TV show. As it stands, it all too often flickers back to what made the series golden, before reminding us that it’s picked things up from the abysmal ending we were given when it went off the air.
I still think half of what he does in his crusading efforts to save sharks is insane and dangerous, but at least filmmaker Rob Stewart’s documentary about his efforts, Sharkwater (Warner bros., Rated PG, DVD-$19.98 SRP), doesn’t end with him being eaten by a grizzly bear. That’s good, right? Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a naval training film on shark defense, TV spots, and the theatrical trailer.
Still folksy after all of these years, Andy Griffith returned to TV screens with his instantly loveable lawyer Matlock (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), who always played like a down home Perry Mason. This 7-disc set features all 24 episodes of the show’s first season, including the TV movie that launched it all.
You know things are ramping up towards the release of the new Indiana Jones flick when something like the Indiana Jones Omnibus: Volume 1 (Dark Horse, $24.95 SRP) gets released. This initial volume collects the 90’s Dark Horse miniseries Fate Of Atlantis, Thunder In The Orient, and Arms Of Gold.
Much like King Of Kong and its focus on the battle for Donkey Kong score supremacy, I never thought I’d be interested in the story about how the last pinball machine manufacturer tried to save a dying industry back in 1999, but Tilt (Future Of Pinball, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) won me over with the same kind of underdog verve. The 2-disc set features extra interview footage, an audio commentary, and more.
Frank Darabont has always been one of the few filmmaker’s able to do right by Stephen King (see The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, so I wasn’t surprised that he did a pretty darn good job on The Mist (Genius, Rated R, DVD-$32.95 SRP) – aka the short story about the group of people trapped in a supermarket when an evil creature-filled mist descends on a small town. The 2-disc set features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and the ability to watch the entire film in Darabon’t preferred black & white, which gives it a nice 50’s feel.
If you want a clear example of how positive the advent and entrenchment of DVD has been to the release of catalogue titles, look no further than the 3rd volume of Warner’s Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP). For an exceptionally low price, the 9-disc set contains the musicals Hit The Deck, Kismet, Nancy Goes To Rio, Two Weeks With Love, Broadway Melody Of 1936, Broadway Melody Of 1938, Born To Dance, and Lady Be Good – plus the usual complement of vintage short subjects, cartoons, audio materials, and more. Amazing.
Speaking of Perry Mason, the Perry Mason: 50th Anniversary Edition (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) contains a dozen of the uber-lawyer’s fIn reply to:2nest cases, plus interviews, featurettes, promos, galleries, rare PSAs, and much more. It’s certainly a primo primer and a bonus for fans of Mason.
I guess it should be no surprise that Cartoon Network is continuing their mad march toward showing more and more live action (Jurassic Park 3, people? Really?). Of the recent efforts, at least Ben 10: Race Against Time (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is watchable, as it translates the long-running cartoon to real life with an epic battle against Ben’s archnemesis Eon. Bonus materials include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes, a look at the LA premiere, and a chat with the cast.
Produced & narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio, The 11th Hour (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$4.99 SRP) is an alarmist portrait of a world in ecological crisis, full of discussions on what got us to this point and how we can possibly rectify matters. I’m not entirely comfortable with its tone, but there’s no denying that we are at an environmental crossroads, and a healthy discussion is always welcome. Bonus features include a clutch of featurettes elaborating on various points made within the film.
It’s hard to hate The Water Horse: Legend Of The Deep (Sony, Rated PG, DVD-$28.96 SRP). Maybe it’s because it’s a kid’s tale that’s just so earnest in its gee whiz heartstringery – revolving around a young boy who essentially adopts a baby Loch Ness monster and struggles to keep his best friend a secret as it grows increasingly larger – that it feels like a form of abuse to slap it around. Instead, I showed it to my 3-year-old nephew. And he loved it. So there you go. The 2-disc set features deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
By its 6th season, Wings (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) had settled comfortably into its niche as an affable comedy that provided an enjoyable half-hour diversion – and still featured a great comedic cast, including Tony Shalhoub and Thomas Haden Church. The 4-disc set features all 26 episodes.
Though I still think of him as the 5th Doctor, Peter Davison returns as Detective Constable “Dangerous” Davies in the 4th series of The Last Detective (Acorn Media, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). The 2-disc set features 5 full-length mysteries that are left to Davies to sort out.
It’s not exactly star-studded, but the new BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) is a lavish, faithful, and largely entertaining production. The 2-disc set features an audio commentary, interviews, a radio play, and a photo gallery.
If you’ve been a reader of this column for any length of time, you’ll know I’m a big fan of the Muppets – which includes Sesame Street. I’ve always been fascinated with puppets, and always delight in getting hold of a decent Muppet character puppet. Gund has recently been rolling out a load of Sesame merchandise, which also include 34″ full body puppets of some of the characters. I’ve recently been able to get my hands on the Grover puppet (Gund, $69.99 SRP), and it’s a fun piece of fur and stuffing. While the likeness isn’t 100% and it’s puppeteered from an entry in the back of its head (the real Grover is a glove puppet) – not to mention that the puppet features live hands, which the real Grover does not – it’s still loads of fun (as you can see in this video of me mucking around with it). Heck, my nephews love it, too.
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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Comments: 1 Comment
One Response to “Weekend Shopping Guide 4/11/08: What Will Become Of The Baron?”Leave a Reply |
April 13th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
“gee whiz heartstringery”
definitely my new favorite critic’s descriptive catch phrase