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…
Over the past few years, beginning with their landmark Complete Peanuts, Fantagraphics has set the standard for how collections of classic comic strips should be done. In addition to Peanuts and Dennis The Menace, they’ve been giving the A-level treatment to E.C. Segar’s sailor man supreme, Popeye. The third collection of Segar’s Thimble Theater has just hit – Popeye Volume 3: “Let’s You And Him Fight!” (Fantagraphics, $29.99 SRP). Pick it up, and join me in counting the days until we finally the start of their Complete Pogo.
After the pain of the live action Grinch and Cat In The Hat, it’s with so, so much delight that the CG Horton Hears A Who! (Fox, Rated G, DVD-$34.98 SRP) manages to capture the visual feast of Dr. Seuss and the wonderful charm of the story itself, while still bringing modern audience to the table. It’s funny what happens when filmmakers understand why a story has had enduring appeal, and decide to trust in it. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted footage, copious behind-the-scenes featurettes, screen tests, and an all-new Ice Age short. A Blu-Ray edition is also available ($39.99 SRP) with the same bonus features, as well as the Blu-Ray exclusive ability to watch the film with a Who.
What kind of world do we live in when the new installment in the Mummy franchise is a better flick that the new Indiana Jones. It’s sad, but true that The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is fun and thrilling without being idiotic or just plain embarrassing – unlike the recent outing of that guy with the Fedora – as the O’Connell family journey to China to face the rejuvenated dragon emperor (Jet Li) who decides to enslave the world after a 2,000-year-old curse is broken. The 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary, deleted/extended scenes, making-of featurettes, and more.
Like an ersatz Brady Bunch, two forty-something layabouts are forced to live together after their parents get married, leading to the kind of immature territorial tit-for-tats one would expect from ten-year-old Step Brothers (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP). However, when their bickering tears the marriage apart, they join forces to bring to try and bring their parents back together. As Brannan and Dale, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly manage to pull of what could have been easily dismissable broadly comic roles by bringing a welcome component of actual emotion. The 2-disc set features an unrated cut of the film, plus an audio commentary, line-o-rama, deleted scenes, job interviews, therapy sessions, featurettes, a gag reel and more.
After watching the disappointing first theatrical adaptation from The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, I wasn’t exactly eager for Prince Caspian (Walt Disney, Rated PG, DVD-$39.99 SRP). Yes, the canvas is much larger and the action is much bigger, but it still suffers from the ho-hum malaise that crippled the first film. The 3-disc set features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, bloopers, and more. A 3-disc Blu-Ray edition ($40.99 SRP) adds an exclusive Circle Vision Interactive look behind-the-scenes of the castle raid.
It may be singing its swan song this year, but go back to the good ol’ days of Law & Order: The Sixth Year (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) – and boy, is it good to see Jerry Orbach again. This is the season that added Benjamin Bratt as Detective Rey Curtis, and featured the crossover with Homicide: Life On The Street. Thankfully, the sole bonus feature of the 5-disc set is that episode of Homicide.
Many saw the fourth season of Lost (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) as a return to form after the narrative freefall of the 3rd season. Personally, the show lost me years ago, but at least this was an embarrassment. Bonus features include numerous behind-the-scenes featurettes, a live performance of the score, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, and more. This is also the first season to get a Blu-Ray edition ($96.99 SRP), which contains all of the standard edition bonus materials, plus more cuts from the live symphonic performance, a more in-depth version of the standard edition’s “Definitive Flash-Forwards”, and a SeasonPlay feature.
I know there are some diehards out there, but I never enjoyed Joss Whedon’s ill-fated (and short-lived) TV space opera Firefly. It attempted to present an anachronistic future that relied heavily on the often awkward imitations of the camera techniques of the old spaghetti westerns, with characters that were difficult to like and a mission that was nebulous at best. Sadly, the show was neither fish nor fowl, and suffered from the creative burnout that eventually led the final season of Buffy to a disappointing end. Still, I know there are fans out there, and you’ll be happy with the entire 14 episode run, uncut and presented in anamorphic widescreen, is now available on Blu-Ray with the 3-disc Firefly: The Complete Series (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$89.96 SRP) set. There’s commentary on select episodes (“Serenity,” “The Train Job,” “Shindig,” “Out of Gas,” “War Stories,” “The Message,” and “Objects in Space”), 3 behind-the-scenes featurettes, 4 deleted scenes, a gag reel, audition tapes, and even Joss singing the show’s theme song, as well as a brand new cast roundtable discussion.
Sgt. Carter’s frustration with a certain Marine comes to an end with the release of the fifth and final season of Gomer Pyle, USMC (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 4-disc box set features all 30 unedited episodes, but my desire for a Jim Nabors commentary has been completely disregarded. Shazam, indeed!
It’s largely a mindless actioner adapted from a videogame, but there’s a shameless exuberance to Wanted (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP), starring James McAvoy as a workaday schlub who finds out from Angelina Jolie that he comes from a long line of assassins belonging to the mysterious Fraternity, and he must avenge the death of his father. But hey, there’s lots of fighting, and Morgan Freeman. Th 2-disc set features an extended scene, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
Brenda is long gone and Val is firmly entrenched in the 6th season of Beverly Hills 90210 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), as Kelly descends into the rabbit hole of drugs, Dylan proposes marriage, and there’s even a porno! Oh, the humanity! The 7-disc set features all 31 sudsy episodes.
It’s a button pusher, but watching Home Alone (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) during the holiday season is still one of those annual traditions that I adhere to – only this year I got to watch it in high definition. The bonus features of the new Blu-Ray edition are the same as the recent standard special edition, with an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes/alternate takes, a blooper reel, and more.
The fourth season of Happy Days (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$40.99 SRP) exists in those still happy days prior to the show being taken over by Joanie and Chachi, as the stories still revolved around Fonzie schooling the awkward trio of Richie, Potsie, and Ralph. This season, though, is the one that found Al Delvechhio taking over as the new owner of Arnold’s. Whydya leave us, Pat Morita? The 3-disc set features all 23 episodes, plus the 3rd Anniversary Show.
I’m not entirely sure who was clamoring for a new X-Files film outside of the die-hards and creator Chris Carter. It’s a shame that The X-Files: I Want To Believe (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) still doesn’t deliver what the first mythology-heavy film didn’t – a nice, old school, standalone X-Files yarn full of creeps, gallows humor, characters, and atmosphere. Not even Billy Connolly can raise the bar on this flat production. Shame. The 2-disc special edition features both the theatrical and an extended cut of the film, an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a making-of documentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and more. The Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) also sports a picture-in-picture video commentary.
Oh, and X-Files fans will probably also want to pick up a copy of X-Files: Fight The Future in high definition (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) at the same time. Bonus features are nearly identical to the recent standard special edition, including an extended cut, audio commentaries, featurettes, and the Blu-Ray exclusive picture-in-picture video commentary.
Wrap up the second season of The Streets Of San Francisco by picking up Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring 12 episodes packed with Karl Malden’s nose (and some young guy named Michael Douglas).
The pop songs are lamentable, but John Powell’s wonderful score is more than enough reason to pick up the soundtrack to Disney’s new in-house, non-Pixar CG film Bolt (Walt Disney Records, $18.98 SRP). It’s got humor, it’s got drama, and it’s got some nice moments of bombast – just like the film.
Like some kind of weird time travel experiment, you can watch two different ages of William Conrad in the second volumes of both Cannon and Jake and The Fatman‘s first seasons (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$37.99 SRP each). The 4-disc Cannon set features 13 episodes plus episode promos, while the 3-disc Fatman set features 11 episodes and episode promos. And both feature William Conrad. ‘Nuff said.
I’m almost happy that Louis C.K.’s HBO comedy Lucky Louie got cancelled, if only because he’s since rededicated himself to his caustically brilliant stand-up. He’s in fine form on his new album, Chewed Up (Image, $13.98 SRP). Give it a spin.
The 5th season of Hawaii Five-O (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) sometimes feels like an episode of The Love Boat, considering how many guest stars there are running around the islands of the 50th state. See how many you can count in the 6-disc set, featuring all 24 episodes full of kidnapping, blackmailing, con men, and killers… And surf. Lots and lots of surf.
If you’re looking for some last minute gifts for the comic fan in your life (or, you know, just yourself), an easy recommendation is the fine books put out by those preeminent comics fans/scholars at Twomorrows. First up is the latest volume in their artist profile series, Modern Marvels: Mike Ploog (Twomorrows, $14.95) As always, it’s got an in-depth interview as well as loads and loads of rare artwork. The other is the latest in their series examining the complete history of various characters and comics, The Hawkman Companion (Twomorrows, $24.95 SRP). Could you guess that this one focuses on Hawkman?
Fast-forward Mad Men ahead a decade and move it out of the office and into the suburbs, and you’d probably get Swingtown (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$40.99 SRP), a look at a trio of couples who share more than a fence line in the Chicago suburbs of 1976. The 4-disc set features all 13 first season episodes, audio commentaries, a pair of featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
The lion of the law returns in the 2nd volume of the third season (whew!) of Perry Mason (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). Come for Raymond Burr – stay for those always wonderful courtroom confessions. The 4-disc set features the 14 remaining season three episodes.
James Arness is back in the saddle as Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke: The Third Season – Volume 1 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$37.99 SRP) – although I find myself watching it almost as much just for Dennis weaver as Chester B. Goode. The 3-disc set features the first 19 episodes of the third season, plus the original sponsor spots.
Ride ’em in, count ’em out – it’s Rawhide: The Third Season Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$40.99 SRP), and boy do I think this is a clever opening line. Okay, maybe not – but you can still get all 15 episodes starring Clint Eastwood as Rowdy Yates.
Reformed juvies Pete, Julie, and Linc are back on the undercover beat in The Mod Squad: Season Two Volume 1 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The “issues” handled in the episodes come off as a bit heavy-handed by today’s standards, but that’s half the fun of watching them now. The 4-disc set features the first 13 episodes of season 2.
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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