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 seems like forever and a day since the release of the last season of Cheers (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) on DVD, but after (literally) years of waiting, we finally get season 9 – leaving only two more to go before the whole thing is in our grubby mitts. This is the season that found Rebecca engaged to Robin Colcord, Frasier and Sam fighting, Carla entering the “Miss Boston Barmaid” competition, and more. The 5-disc set features all 26 episodes, but STILL no bonus materials. Why????
While Warners Golden and Hanna-Barbera Collections and Disney’s Treasures get all the publicity, kudos must be given to Universal for their treatment of the Walter Lantz library in the second of their Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). The 3-disc set features 75 theatrical cartoons starring Woody, Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, and more, plus some Oswald The Lucky Rabbits. Bonus features include 12 behind-the-scenes segments with Lantz from the Woody Woodpecker Show, a full-length Woody Woodpecker Show episode, and a pair of rare Lantz TV pilots.
Proving that their premium collector’s imprint – The Miriam Collection – wasn’t just a one-off fluke, the next collector’s edition has been released, featuring a restored presentation of The Fall Of The Roman Empire (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$39.92 SRP). The 3-disc set features an audio commentary, a making-of documentary, looks at the real history and comparisons to the Hollywood version, a collection of historic films about Ancient Rome, the 1964 promotional film, the theatrical trailer, and more.
Though they had the chance to do a nice restoration of both Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros (one of my favorite films), Disney instead opted to do just a quickie dump job on the new single-disc Classic Caballeros Edition (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Saludos Amigos is still in it’s PC-edited form (minus animation of Goofy smoking), and the bonus materials – a pair of shorts, a featurette on Disney south of the border, and an exert from a CBC interview with Walt – don’t quite make up for the lack of restoration and the still-present editing. A shame, really.
The decade-spanning adventures of Young Indiana Jones (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$129.99 SRP) come to a close with the third and final volume. The 10-disc set contains the final clutch of episodes, and wraps things up with over 15 hours of bonus featurettes, going both behind the scenes of the series as well as the historical periods through which it travels.
The city of London is endlessly fascinating to me, so a book like Necropolis: London And Its Dead (Simon & Schuster, $24.95 SRP) is a real page turner. Essentially, it’s a history of London’s treatment of its deceased going all the way back to the bronze age, with the revelation that the city is essentially a century-spanning mass grave.
It’s by no means a great film, but First Knight (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.94 SRP) is an entirely watchable flick that used to be a cable staple (must be the presence of Connery). Well, now it’s got a new special edition, featuring a pair of commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes that will almost make you forget Richard Gere’s “eh” performance.
There was a very good film to be made from the first book Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, The Golden Compass (New Line, Rated PG-13, DVD-$34.99 SRP). Sadly, that film does not exist. Instead, we get a bloated, annoyingly muddled CGI snoozefest that limped into theaters like a wounded fighting polar bear. Think I’m wrong? Just try and wade through this cinematic molasses. Pullman’s series was (until the third book, anyway), a brilliant set of books. This is just… feh. The 2-disc Platinum Edition features an audio commentary, featurettes on the novel, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
Twomorrows’ excellent Modern Masters series reaches its 16th volume with the release of their spotlight on Mike Allred (Twomorrows, $14.95 SRP). If he had only created Madman, his place in comics history would be in hand, but when you add The Atomics, Red Rocket 7, and the various big company series he’s illustrated to the list accomplishments, he more than merits the title of Modern Master.
To see the early 20th century in color is an odd, odd thing. It somehow seems less real than the common black and white footage of the era – almost as if we’re viewing a reenactment instead of the genuine people of the period. Well, there’s plenty of rare, disconcerting, and ultimately fascinating footage to be found in The British Empire In Color (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Check it out.
Light and frothy and entirely harmless, 27 Dresses (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is the kind of romantic comedy that depends entirely on the supposed chemistry of its lead (Katharine Heigl) to carry the lightweight script through to the finish line. Heigl stars as Jane, a perpetual bridesmaid whose private crush on her boss (Edward Burns) becomes complicated when her younger sister (Malin Akerman) begins courting him. As you can expect, this forces Jane’s hand, and would you guess what happens next? Can you? Bonus features include deleted scenes and a quartet of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Some may consider them WC tomes, but I enjoy the trivia found in the books Black Cats And April Fools (Metro, $14.95 SRP) and Ancient Obscenities (Chalford Press, $14.95 SRP). As the subtitle states, Black Cats And Old Fools tells the “origins of old wives’ tales and superstitions in our daily lives”, from throwing salt over your shoulder to opening an umbrella indoors. Ancient Obscenities basically is an overview of antiquity’s views on sex and the off-color, revealing many a lost or purposely obfuscated joke or representation.
Not only am I a sucker for historical documentaries, I’m also a sucker for a good contemporary documentary, and this week’s recommendation in that category is War Dance (Image, Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.98 SRP). In a nutshell, it’s the story of a group of children in war-ravaged Northern Uganda whose love of music and dance elevates their spirits above the horrible realities of the world around them, eventually bringing them to a musical competition in the nation’s capitol. Bonus features include deleted/extended scenes and the theatrical trailer.
I still won’t forgive him for providing the foundation upon which George Lucas has built and incredibly infuriating ego, but there’s still some interesting insights to be found in Joseph Campbell’s Mythos II (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). The 2-disc set features 5 programs exploring Campbell’s theories, hosted by Susan Sarandon.
The seventh season of The Waltons (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) finds the wholesome family dealing with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the arrival of war, which certainly sends the mountain clan into a tizzy. The 3-disc set features all 23 episodes. Sadly, Warners has begun using those crappy double-sided discs again. Why, Warners? Why?
Put the news of the upcoming remake out of your mind with the complete fourth season of Beverly Hills 90210 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), a glorious 90’s time capsule of big hair and big sideburns. The 8-disc set features all 31 episodes, plus retrospective featurettes. If that wasn’t enough Aaron Spelling soapiness for you, then be sure to pick up the 4th season of Melrose Place (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) as well – the 9-disc set of which features all 32 episodes.
If HBO’s recent biopic miniseries chronicling the political life of John Adams has made you curious about the Adams clan through American history, then you might want to check out the DVD release of the 1976 PBS miniseries The Adams Chronicles (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP). The 4-disc set contains all 13 programs that span the Revolutionary War of John Adams to the Gilded Age of Charles Francis Adams, Jr.
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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