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 a pleasant surprise to find just how much I look forward to each new installment of The Complete Peanuts (Fantagraphics, $28.95). We’re now up to the volume that spans the years 1967 to 1968, and short of Marcie and Woodstock (even though we’re seeing the proto-bird with Snoopy), the cast is locked, the art is in full bloom, and the humor holds up incredibly well. In addition to Snoopy fully engaging his Flying Ace persona, these were the years that introduced Franklin and Snoopy’s first owner. This volume’s introduction is by filmmaker John Waters.
Based on the lackluster American iteration, I’ve largely avoided the show Trigger Happy TV. That proved to be foolish, as I just should have sought out the infinitely more intelligent – and dada funny – British original created by Dom Joly. It’s like an absurdist Candid Camera, and Joly is a compelling social observer. Drop everything you’re doing and pick up the Best Of Season One, Best Of Season 2, and Best Of Season 3 collections (Channel 4, Region 2, Not Rated, DVD-£19.99 SRP each). Bonus features include bonus footage, commentaries, and more.
It seems there’ve been a dozen collections over the past few years, but Absolutely Fabulous: Absolutely Everything (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$129.98 SRP) claims to be the end all, be all compilation. The 9-disc set features all 5 seasons, “The Last Shot”, “The New York Special”, “White Box”, the “How To Be Ab Fab” featurette, “Absolutely Fabulous: A Life”, the original French & Saunders sketch, (plus two additional F&S sketches), the pilot episode for “Mirror Ball”, audio commentaries, outtakes, and more. Will there be another set? I guess that depends on whether Jennifer Saunders writes another series.
As with any potentially long-running DVD release, I feared that the first volume of the chronological Three Stooges might very well be a one-off. Thankfully, my fears have been allayed with the arrival of The Three Stooges Collection: Volume 2 (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP). This 2-disc set covers the span from 1937-1939, and contains 24 shorts, fully remastered. Bring on the next set!
Nothing makes a weekend pass faster than having your own private Modern Marvels marathon, and you can certainly do that with Modern Marvels: Engineering Disasters (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). As the title suggests, this 5-disc set features unfortunate occurrences ranging from the MGM Grand Hotel fire to the failure of the levees in New Orleans – even the Exxon Valdez oil spill. You know you want this.
Even though I thought the flick was abysmal, I enjoyed reading through the massive The Complete Making Of Indiana Jones (Del Rey, $35.00 SRP), which takes readers behind-the-scenes of all four films. An in-depth making-of for Indy has been a long time coming, and I’m pleased that this one pretty much lived up to my expectations… Sad that the latest flick couldn’t.
Unfortunately, much like the film itself, there’s not much to get excited by with John Williams’s score to Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull (Concord Records, $19.98 SRP). Much of the score is a rehash of the earlier films, and there’s no new theme that takes you by the lapels and slaps you across the face (which, at the very least, you got from all three of the previous films – even Crusade).
It’s a damn shame that he’s still largely unknown in the US, but I’d recommend you rectify that by picking up Tommy Tiernan: Something Mental (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), the latest stand-up DVD from the best Irish comedy export since Dylan Moran. The DVD also features an interview, a featurette, and outtakes.
Long before V or The X-Files, producer Quinn Martin gave us The Invaders (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP), which found architect David Vincent discovering that aliens are infiltrating Earth en masse. It’s a punchy little series well worth checking out – although you’ll keep expecting Rowdy Roddy Piper to show up with a pair of glasses at any moment. The 5-disc set features all 17 first season episodes, plus an extended version of the pilot, a new interview and episode introduction from star Roy Thinnes, an audio commentary on the episode “The Innocent”, and more.
Slowly but surely, the DVD releases are catching up with the current episodes. The 2-disc Mythbusters: Collection 3 (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) contains another 12 episodes, though I’m not sure why we still don’t get any bonus features. Surely there are bloopers, deleted scenes, or interviews to be had. Hell, a commentary would be much appreciated.
The subjects of their quests are still as mythical as they ever were, but Monster Quest (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) is still a fascinating dive into cryptozoology – and the fallacies, misconceptions, and misidentifications that keep the “field” going. The 4-disc set features all 13 first season episodes, with the addition of a behind-the-scenes featurette.
As someone who was not particularly ever a fan of the original Rambo films, Stallone’s resurrection of the Reagan-era icon in Rambo (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP) does not exactly warm any particular personal pop culture cockles. His big screen return, however, is a spectacularly and unapologetically violent turn, with more blood, gore, and guts than you can imagine. The special edition features an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes.
While everyone remembers the sinking of the Titanic, my enduring interest in early 20th century shipwrecks extends to the sinking of Cunard liner Lusitania, which was torpedoed by a German U-Boat in 1915, and was one of the pivotal, galvanizing moments in the first World War. The Discovery Channel special Sinking Of The Lusitania (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) brings the events leading up to the tragedy – and the sinking itself – to dramatic life through an engaging mixture of talking heads and reenactments.
Get in a martial arts mode (just in time for the release of Kung Fu Panda) with a new pair of releases from the “Dragon Dynasty” label – Come Drink With Me and Heroes Of The East (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP each). Both discs feature audio commentaries, featurettes, interviews, and more.
Ride ’em in! Get a view of classic Clint Eastwood with the first volume of Rawhide: Season 3 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), starring Clint as two-fisted western cowboy Rowdy Yates. The 4-disc set features 15 episodes, but nary a bonus.
Meanwhile, Marshall Matt Dillon continues to keep the crooked in line in the second volume of Gunsmoke: Season 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP), with the remaining 19 episodes to round out the season. The 3-disc set also contains the original sponsor spots for the episodes.
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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