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…
(Also, please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
The year 1971 brought the still-developing sister of Charlie Brown – Sally – and made her a fully-realized character, which is why her face adorns the cover of The Complete Peanuts: 1971-1972 (Fantagraphics, $28.99). This volume also brings a young brother to Linus & Lucy Van Pelt (Rerun), Marcie, and even Snoopy as Joe Cool.. This series continues to be a wonderful exercise in still fresh comedy and childhood nostalgia.
When just about every device you can think of requires some kind of battery – particularly those quickly devoured AAs – having a top-notch rechargeable battery system is an economic must. To that end, I present the La Crosse Battery Charger with LCD Display ($39.99), an all-in-one kit that not only charges your batteries, but can refresh rechargeable batteries that you may have thought were doomed to the bin. If that weren’t enough, the kit includes 4-AA, 4-AAA, and 4 “C” and 4″D” size adapters that allow you to use rechargeable AA batteries in devices using those sizes. How cool (and useful) is that?
Graham Linehan – with Arthur Matthews – is one half of the creative team behind the legendary britcom Father Ted. With The IT Crowd (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), he’s done for tech support nerds what Ted did for Catholic priests… In other words, he’s made a surreal, sublime, goofily funny show that only gets better as it goes along. The series focuses on the world of corporate IT drones Roy (Chris O’Dowd) & Moss (Richard Ayoade), whose male clubhouse deep in the basement is upset by new boss Jen (Katherine Parkinson)… And, well, just do yourself a favor and pick up the first season set, featuring all 6 episodes, plus deleted scenes, outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a short film.
We were given a tease of them a few years back in the big ol’ Superman box set that came out, but now the fully restored official release of Max Fleischer’s Superman cartoons (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP) is here, containing all 17 theatrical shorts produced by the Fleischer Studios from 1941-1942. They look positively STUNNING, and were worth the wait compared to the inferior public domain releases over the years. The 2-disc set also features a pair of featurettes on the cartoons and the Superman myth.
My absolute favorite iteration of the Justice League continues to get the nice, prestige treatment it deserves (even if the characters aren’t getting it in current DC continuity) with the snazzy hardcover release of Justice League International: Volume 4, which collects issues #23-#30 of the Giffen/Dematteis/Maguire/Templeton run. If you haven’t been picking these up, you’re missing a lot. A LOT! And you’re not my friend. Rectify that.
Warner Bros. has an immense catalogue of titles. Thousands and thousands of them. And even with their aggressive DVD release schedule, there’s no way they can get to all of them – and, economically, some of the titles have such a small appeal that it’s just not viable to do a wide release on them. Those who thought their chances of picking up some of those obscure titles were nil can rejoice in the introduction of Warner’s new Archive Collection – www.warnerarchive.com. Essentially, it’s DVDs on demand, allowing you to purchase either a physical DVD-R copy (for a flat $19.95) or an instantly downloadable digital copy (for $14.95) of an ever-increasingly library of titles from the Warner vaults. Where else are you going to be able to get everything from Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery in Private Lives to Paul Simon’s One Trick Pony?
Warners and TCM turn their spotlight to another actor for a themed box set, this time delivering the Doris Day Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The set contains 5 features starring Day – It’s A Great Feeling, Tea For Two, Starlift, April In Paris, and The Tunnel Of Love, plus vintage shorts, cartoons, and the theatrical trailers.
You’ve seen all of the wonderful production art behind their feature films, well now you can pick up a handsome volume looking at The Art of Pixar Short Films (Chronicle Books, $40.00 SRP). It’s put together similarly to all of the other wonderful Pixar Art Of books that have come out in the last few years, and the artwork featured is just as impressive (and the volume belongs on your shelf just as much).
There’s something about seeing classic musicals in full high-def that brings the energy, music, and production design to the fore. For a good example, check out the new editions of An American In Paris and Gigi (Warner Bros., Not Rated/Rated G, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP each) and their stunning picture and sound. Bonus features are the same as those found on the special edition DVDs, including an audio commentary, featurettes, shorts, a cartoon, trailers, and – in the case of Gigi – the original 1949 version.
I thought Click was amiable fun, so I found myself enjoying the latest in Adam Sandler’s family-friendly fare, Bedtime Stories (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), wherein Sandler plays an uncle whose grand stories for his niece and nephew start coming true in real life… But he’s not in control. My nephew loved it – of course, considering it rains gumballs at one point, that’s almost a given. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and bloopers. As with most of the recent Disney releases, the Blu-Ray edition also comes with a standard DVD of the flick.
It’s one of the most unique animated series ever made for TV – a collaboration between French writers and Japanese animators – and there’s some fun nostalgia in tripping through the complete run of The Mysterious Cities Of Gold (Fabulous, Not Rated, DVD-$79.95 SRP). The 6-disc set features all 39 episodes fully restored, deleted scenes, featurettes, documentaries, interviews, singalongs, biographies, and more.
I’m reminded of the old days of videocassette (and my old videodiscs) when I see Disney deciding to get back into the habit of releasing themed collections of their animated shorts under the Walt Disney Animation Collection banner. The first trio are Mickey And The Beanstalk, Three Little Pigs, and The Prince & The Pauper (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each), and my nephews love the lot.
Explore the life and death of the 16th president with a pair of fascinating documentaries – Looking For Lincoln and The Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP each). The former looks at many of the controversies surrounding Lincoln’s views, while the latter examines the ramifications of Lincoln’s death.
It’s no Pixar flick, but The Tale Of Despereaux (Universal, Rated G, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is still a charming, often lovely fairy tale about a mouse with oversize ears living in the kingdom of Dor who dreams of becoming a knight, who is banished for his goals and winds up – you guessed it – having quite an adventure. The sole bonus feature worth mentioning is a making-of featurette. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available with identical bonus materials.
You know those type of “prestige” pictures that have the word “PRESTIGE” attached to a club that they bludgeon the audience with, in order that we fully understand that we’re watching a “PRESTIGE” film? Doubt (Miramax, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) is one of those – based on an award-winning play, an uber-serious subject matter (the titular doubt thrown up by a prim nun when the parish priest takes an interest in a troubled boy), and weighty stars (Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis). Bonus features include an audio commentary and a quartet of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
And one Oscar nominee brings an Oscar winner out on Blu-Ray, with the release of the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men (Miramax, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP). Bonus features are identical to the standard release, with featurettes, interviews, and more.
Blake & Krystle get married as – would you believe it? – Alexis schemes in the first half of Dynasty: The Fourth Season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features the first 14 episodes of season 4.
Elmo gets a new color scheme that Kermit would find familiar in the environment-centric Being Green (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP), where the hyper Muppet learns a thing or two from Abby and Mr. Earth (Paul Rudd).
As much as I disagree with the loss of Christopher Robin, my nephews do like the CG My Friends Tigger & Pooh and the latest release, Tigger & Pooh And A Musical Too (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP). As you can guess, it finds the denizens of the Hundred Acre Wood putting on a bit of a show.
On the surface you could say that Jim Carrey covered much of the same ground in Liar Liar as he does in Yes Man (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$34.99 SRP) – about a man who decides to change his life by saying “yes” to everything and everyone that crosses his path – but while Liar was pure farce, this is actually a nice comedic look at how many things we say “no” to, sometimes with good reason. Bonus features include featurettes and music videos. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) adds an interview with British comedian (and author of the original book) Danny Wallace, and two additional featurettes.
Rejoice, parents and recreational drug users! A new release of everyone’s favorite bizarre kiddie show comes to DVD with Yo Gabba Gabba!: New Friends! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), featuring a quartet of episodes but sadly no bonus features.
After only seven years, it’s finally senior year on Beverly Hills 90210 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), and there’s diplomas to be gained, virginity to be lost, mental illness, and even pregnancy. The 7-disc set features all 31 episodes, but nary a bonus feature.
Wrap up the first season of Ben 10: Alien Force (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) with the third single-disc volume, featuring episodes 10-13, plus a villains database.
There are collectibles that you look at and are nonplussed. There are those you view with “ooohs” and “ahhhhs”. Lastly, there are those that, on laying eyes upon them, you are gobsmacked by sheer, unadulterated, geeky awe. Such was my reaction after taking in Sideshow Collectibles’ incredible Speeder Bike and Scout Trooper Premium Format Figure ($799). First of all, you’re struck by the scale – at almost 3 feet long, the Speeder Bike itself is MASSIVE. Almost intimidatingly so. Once you take in the size, the next “wow” factor is the level of detail and fidelity to the big screen source material (specifically the model work of ILM). In fact, you could have told me this piece came out of the ILM archives, and I wouldn’t have batted an eye. Hell, the 1/4-scale Biker Scout is pretty much icing on the cake – the figure is accurate, the pose is dynamic, and the display is incredible. I can’t stop gushing about this thing. I know the price may seem steep in this economy, but you absolutely are getting your full value for the money, and with an edition size of only 1,500 pieces, once this is gone, the aftermarket is going to be insane. Here – let the pictures below sell you on just what a big WOW this is (and for scale, I’ve placed the 3.75″ R2-D2 and C-3PO figures on the Speeder Bike’s dash in the final pics)…
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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