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…
(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Yeah, so, one of my absolute favorite Disney films I their live-action/animated hybrid musical Pete’s Dragon (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP), which has languished for years on home video in sort of a 70’s bastard child status. Thankfully, the studio has finally seen fit to give it a nice special edition treatment, giving it a behind-the-scenes featurette, a deleted storyboard sequence, demo recordings, a quartet of promotional pop recordings, and more.
This week’s Thinkgeek recommendation is a piece of cool kit that always seems to be out of stock. It’s just that popular. However long it lasts, it’s now back in stock, so run and pick up your very own Cocktail Chemistry Set ($39.99). As then name implies, this is a cocktail set containing a quartet of shot-and-swig-worthy test tubes, an Erlenmeyer flask, a shaker, a glass mixing rod, and a metal bottle rack. Because yes – mixology is a recognized science, and now you have the kit to prove it.
Seeing as how my nephews are addicted to Nickelodeon (particularly the yellow crack that is Spongebob), it’s inevitable that I’d have to see the programming on offer. One of the shows that I actually enjoy quite a bit – and believe is just as well-scripted as the sitcoms on network TV, better even – is a favorite of my 5-year-old nephew, iCarly (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). I’m sure that the Season 2, Volume 1 DVD will get plenty of plenty of play. The 2-disc set contains 11 episodes (including an extended cut of “iSaw Him First” and the feature-length “iGo To Japan”), plus a pair of featurettes.
I can’t be the only one who was completely blindsided by the announcement that the 4th season of Everybody Hates Chris (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) would be the show’s last. A victim of a shoddy network with no vision, I was a fan of the fictionalized tales of Chris Rock’s NYC childhood, and its cast in particular. This 4-disc set contains all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries, webisodes, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
If you’ve ever watched the UK series Skins and thought to yourself “My teenage years were nothing like that sex party bacchanal,” then The Inbetweeners (Channel 4, Not Rated, £29.98 SRP) is the show for you, because its motley quartet of teens that live awkward, banal, unintentionally funny reality the majority of us experienced. It’s like a Brit Freaks & Geeks – and there’s no higher praise I can give it. The box set contains both Series 1 & 2, plus audio commentaries, documentaries, video diaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
Well, now that we’ve reached the 12th season of The Simpsons (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), we’re fully into the territory of seasons that were a very pale, quite sad imitation of the show’s former brilliance. The characters have now veered sharply into slapstick, sacrificing the balance of real/cartoon comedy that marked the show’s earlier high notes. Now, it’s easy jokes and an overwhelming number of them self-referential. Sad, really. Still, these sets are at least still worth picking up for the audio commentaries and featurettes that remain packed to the rafters.
It’s double-crosses, mysteries, and intrigue in The Beast (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP), which stars Patrick Swayze as FBI vet Charles Barker – a rather unorthodox expert in undercover operations who believes an internal FBI conspiracy may be afoot, who’s also saddled with a new partner who’s got an ulterior motive. I don’t believe it got a second season pick-up, which is a shame as it’s looking like it will most likely be Swayze’s swan song, and it hadn’t quite hit its stride. The 3-disc set contains all 13 episodes.
Like most modern horror remakes, the new Last House On The Left (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) tries just too damn hard for its scares, thoroughly eliminating any of the ghoulishly low-rent charm of the original for the sake of slick “gore scares” and atmosphere-less cinematography. A shame. Bonus features include a featurette and deleted scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.
I know there are devotees who think it’s the second coming of Undeclared, but I have yet to find the appeal of Greek (ABC Family, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). Still, there’s a fanbase out there, and they’re sure to be picking up the third season set, which contains audio commentaries, a 20 questions featurette with the cast, and a blooper reel.
So, in short, Total Drama Island (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP) is an animated parody of reality shows which finds 22 teens sent to a remote, run-down Canadian summer camp who must endure inane challenges and hope to avoid elimination if they hope to win a grand prize. Sound confusing? Well, check out the complete first season set and all will be made clear. Bonus features include the reunion special and cast interviews.
After an awkward, sometimes rudderless second season, things were largely back on track in the 3rd season of Dexter (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$42.99 SRP), as a new relationship with the Miami DA office leads to some interesting developments in Dexter’s modus operandi. The 4-disc box set contains all 12 episodes, plus interviews and the first 2 episodes of The United States Of Tara. A Blu-Ray edition ($57.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus material.
The second season of Gossip Girl (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) finds the East Siders in their senior year of high school, applying for colleges and spinning in hormonal circles. The 7-disc set contains all 25 episodes, plus deleted scenes, featurettes, webisodes, and a gag reel.
It’s not exactly intellectually stimulating, but using the beautiful high-definition of Blu-Ray to take aerial journeys around the world is certainly worth a look see to me, and that’s exactly what you get with both Visions Of Britain & Ireland and Visions Of Italy (Acorn, Not Rated, Blu-Ray $49.99 SRP each) – high-def aerial tours.
After her ridiculously self-confident appearance on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, I was at least curious about Hannah Montana: The Movie (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP). Not curious enough to go see it, mind you – I’m not its audience, and everything I’ve seen of the show has been awkwardly written. Still, there are Hannah/Miley fans aplenty who will snap up the 3-disc Blu-Ray set, which contains an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and bloopers, as well as a standard DVD copy of the flick.
You may remember that I heaped heavy praise upon Hot Toys’ Iron Man Mark III a few weeks back, as I was utterly delighted by its movie-perfect sculpting and snazzy light-up features. Well, it may be hard to believe, but I think I like the Hot Toys 12″ Iron Man Mark II ($159.99) even more. While the sculpt is nearly identical (save for the addition of the rivets), the faux-polished metal paint job is a wonder to behold – it really does capture the look to a “t”. The light feature is identical as well, featuring LED-lit eyes, chest, and repulsors. There’s also a swappable head featuring the in-helmet likeness of Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark. In the pics below, you’ll also notice the inclusion of the LED “trophy” heart, which is also screen accurate. Really, you need to head over to Sideshow and get this before you regret missing it.
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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