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…

Watching the over-hyped, over-buzzed Cloverfield (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP), I feel not unlike how I did after seeing The Blair Witch Project – it’s cute and all, but this is all there is? The special effects that bring a monstrous creature stomping down the urban canyons of New York are largely spectacular, but the human “characters” and their “storyline” are at first forgettable, then distracting, and wind up just annoying. See it for the special effects. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, alternative endings, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, outtakes, and more.

Daniel Radcliffe leaves Harry Potter far behind in his portrayal of Rudyard Kipling’s son in My Boy Jack (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which tells of Kipling’s insistence that his extremely nearsighted son be allowed to fight in the first World War. Kipling was national treasure at that point, and was able to make sure his son got a commission, insisting that Jack be allowed to fight for the empire he fervently supported – with disastrous results. Bonus materials include cast interviews and deleted scenes.

It’s been dragged across the coals as an underwhelming parody, but I think I dug Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.96 SRP). I think it was a combination of John C. Reilly’s commitment to the Cash-like character of Dewey Cox, and Cox’s genre and generation spanning repertoire of “hits”. The 2-disc set features audio commentary, 16 full song performances, deleted/extended scenes, a Christmas song, Dewey’s commercials (with outtakes), John Hodgman, and more.

Thank goodness for DVD, which will hopefully give a second life to Charlie Wilson’s War (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) – a wonderful little political comedy that did nothing at the box office. Tom Hanks plays the title role in the true story of a congressman, a Houston socialite (Julia Roberts) and a loose cannon CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) who conspired to bring American support to the rebel struggle against the Soviets in 1980’s Afghanistan. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette and a profile of the real Charlie Wilson.

It takes a lot for a flick to come along and actually get me to enjoy it (I know, I’m so jaded), but I enjoyed Savages (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP). I think it’s a combination of incredible performances from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney – as a pair of self-absorbed siblings forced to care for their elderly father and about each other – and a witty script that mixes equal parts comedy and drama with flair. Bonus features include an extended scene, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a photo gallery.

I really wanted to love Juno (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$34.98 SRP). A part of me felt I should. Unfortunately, it all just seemed so… manufactured. It felt like it was hip in an overdesigned, easy-to-assemble fashion. It’s the IKEA of hipster cinema. By now, you probably know the story of screenwriter Diablo Cody’s rise from stripping to scripting almost as much as her tale of a high schooler (Ellen Page) who decides to happily give up her baby for adoption after unexpectedly getting knocked up after a one nighter with the tender guy classmate (Michael Cera). The 2-disc set features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, screen tests, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a gag reel, and more.

Much more than Happy Days, I can still watch Laverne & Shirley (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) and laugh at the antics of missus De Fazio and Feeney – at least until they make the move to LA. Thankfully, the 4th season is still firmly rooted in Milwaukee. The 4-disc set features all 23 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.

Following on the heels wonderful (if flawed) release of classic Match Game episodes, we get a pair of game show releases that are a whole hell of a lot of fun to pop in and kick back with. First out of the gate was All-Star Family Feud (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), featuring 13 prime time one-hour specials from the golden Richard Dawson years. Next up is The Best Of The Price Is Right (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), containing 26 episodes spanning the show’s 35-year history under host Bob Barker. The set also has Barker’s entire last week as host. So where’s my classic What’s My Line? set?

At the very least – and in my most charitable mode – I can say that Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) is better than its predecessor. Which, honestly, is not saying much, considering what an incredibly awful waste of time that turned out to be (only topped by the waste of time Freddy vs. Jason). This time, they’ve transplanted the action to a small Colorado town that becomes infested with Alien spawn after a PredAlien crash lands, with all of the collateral damage you’d expect when another Predator comes to clean up the infestation. The 2-disc unrated edition adds 7 minutes of largely useless gore back in, with bonus features including audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, galleries, trailers, and more.

The very epitome of the singer-songwriter explosion of the early 70’s was the massive success of Carole King’s Tapestry (Sony Legacy, $ SRP), King was a hugely successful songwriter during the heyday of the 60’s Brill Building era, and made her public debut with Tapestry – and it was one hell of a debut, literally packed with hits. The new 2-disc Legacy edition is fully remastered, and the 2nd disc features King’s vocal and piano demos.

Both Warners and Fox have been steadily mining their vaults for heretofore unreleased vintage flicks, and Universal has finally gotten into the act with their “Cinema Classics” line. The first quartet of titles to be get the remastered treatment are Midnight, The Major And The Minor, She Done Him Wrong, and Easy Living (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). Each film features an intro from TCM’s Robert Osborne, while all but Easy Living feature the original theatrical trailers (and She Done Him Wrong features a bonus cartoon).

Perpetually on the bubble, celebrate the renewal of Friday Night Lights (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) with the release of the second season. The 4-disc collection features all 15 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and the William S. Paley Television Festival interview with the cast.

I know they’re the beloved wards of Bob Odenkirk, and I’ve tried to understand them, but I’ve yet to laugh at Adult Swim’s overhyped comedy duo Tim & Eric. In particular, I’m left cold by their Tim And Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP), which is to sketch shows what… No, no folksy sayings – it’s just crap. For the fans, though, there’s the first season release, featuring all 10 episodes plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a bunch of other Tim & Eric-ness.

Although there have been a few hiccups here and there and small accuracy issues, I can still heartily recommend you snap up the “photo puppet” Muppet replicas that have been coming out from Master Replicas. I’ve recommended both Kermit and Animal in the past, and I’d suggest you quickly snag the latest release – Gonzo ($299 SRP) – as fast as you can, before the secondary market gouges the very life out of you. They had to make some slight modifications to him due to durability issues – most noticeably in the fabric sock-covered nose instead of naked foam as in the actual puppet – but those issues are negligible when you take in the fact that this is as close as we’ll come to owning actual Muppets. There are problems with the pupil placement on the eyes, but it’s easily fixable. Overall, though, go get this. Now.

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: None