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…)
I admit, I went into JJ Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) not wanting to like it, based on my less than enthusiastic view of Abrams’ previous work and a healthy level of fondness for Trek (when it was done right – not in the crap Berman/Braga/Voyager/Enterprise/latter-day films era). So yes, I had to be won over to the whole reboot-in-continuity thing, and I must say – overall, I *was* won over. I still think that wrapping it all in the flag of Nimoy’s Spock was a bit half-assed (and don’t get me started on the design, particularly that engine room lifted from the RMS Titanic), but there was enough fun and energy amongst most of the story and the majority of the cast that I got swept along. Regardless of my qualms, on a technical level, the Blu-Ray does look and sound pretty damn snazzy, and is made to show off your home theater system. Bonus materials include 30 behind-the-scenes featurettes, an audio commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a Blu-Ray exclusive 360-degree tour of the Enterprise and the Narada.
Another in the long line of comedy gems cancelled way too soon, Shout has given a nice, comprehensive special edition collection to Andy Barker, PI (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Co-created by Conan O’Brien and starring Andy Richter as a mild-mannered accountant who finds himself thrust into the shady world of private investigation, it’s a must-see piece of funny whose six episodes are just a sweet taste of what could have been. Bonus features include audio commentaries, a pair of featurettes, and a gag reel.
Including JJ Abrams reboot, I still stand by my assessment that Galaxy Quest (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is the best modern Star Trek film there is. Its parody is from a perspective of love for not only the high-flying adventure of the original Trek, but also the larger-than-life actors that brought it to life. This new high definition edition contains behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a Thermian audio track, and the theatrical trailer.
Though he’s been painted with a “grim” and “dense” brush, you’ll realize within a few pages of the Tom Strong Deluxe Edition: Volume 1 (DC Comics, $39.99 SRP) that Alan Moore really does love the silver age of comics, and this is his (along with artist Chris Sprouse) energetic, and downright fun, tale of the greatest hero of the 20th century. This is a beautiful, hardcover presentation, and I look forward to the other two volumes collecting the first 12 issues of the series.
For the 10th anniversary of Sandman – waaaaay back in 1999 – Neil Gaiman teamed with P. Craig Russell and Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano for a unique, beautiful tale featuring the King of All Night’s Dreaming, and the result was The Dream Hunters (Vertigo, $24.99 SRP). Now, 10 years after its original release, it’s gotten a facelift and re-release with bonus covers and sketches.
The high-def brigade has struck again, delivering a trio of Kevin Smith flicks into the single, aptly-titled Kevin Smith 3-Movie Collection (Miramax, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$89.99 SRP), collecting the extant Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back with brand-new special editions of Clerks & Chasing Amy, contains new featurettes and audio commentaries. The real gem of the set is the feature-length documentary Tracing Amy, which upholds the tradition of stellar behind-the-scenes looks into the View Askewniverse. So yes – get this.
It’s not the animated Batman, but I’ve been enjoying the animated adventures of ol’ webhead, the latest collection of which is now available as Spectacular Spider-Man: Volume Five (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$19.94 SRP). The disc contains a quartet of episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
Though some might consider the 22 shorts contained in The Three Stooges Collection Volume 7: 1952-1954 (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP) to be lesser lights from Shemp’s tenure (he suffered a minor stroke in late 1952 which some claim slowed him down, and the budgets of the latter-day Stooge shorts were drastically cut), there’s still plenty of comedy to be had in this penultimate set. Take a gander for yourself.
It’s not as polished or memorable as his early 70’s work, but the seeds were clearly planted in the eponymous debut album David Bowie (EMI, $24.98 SRP), with its iconic opening track “Space Oddity”. The new, fully remastered 2-disc set contains a slew of bonus material, including demos and alternate takes.
I thought it was a pretty good gimmick flick when it first came out, but I don’t find Fincher’s Fight Club (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) holds up to repeat viewings. Still, it’s a beautifully shot movie, which really shines in high definition. And for fans, there’s quite a surprise on the new Blu-Ray edition, which also includes audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted/alternate scenes, trailers, TV spots, PSAs, galleries, and a music video.
I’d like to say that Sacha Baron Cohen does it again with Bruno (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), but I found the style that served Borat so well to wear thin with the far more grating titular character. It’s a shame, because some of the scenarios Cohen drops the character into are stronger than those in Borat. Bonus features include deleted/alternative scenes and an interview with Lloyd Robinson.
Based on the history of the show, you know that It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) isn’t going to be your regular, everyday holiday special. And it’s not. Let’s just say that the gang’s run-in with Santa is a keeper. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a featurette, and a sing-along.
Not given the love of stablemates like The Sopranos and Deadwood when it aired, Rome (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) finally gets the deluxe special edition that its epic tale of love, betrayal, and empire deserves. In addition to all 22 episodes, the set also sports audio commentaries, a quartet of featurettes on Roman history, a quintet of behind-the-scenes featurettes, an interactive historical guide, and more. A lovely looking Blu-Ray edition ($139.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features but with a much more incredible picture.
A perfect companion piece to Wizard Of Oz‘s recent beautifully remastered anniversary release is Warner’s other gem of 1939, Gone With The Wind (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$24.98 SRP). In addition to the sparkling print, the 2-disc edition contains an audio commentary by historian Rudy Behlmer.
I was about to try defending Devlin/Emmerich’s Godzilla (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.95 SRP) as just mindless, goofball, monster fun – but it’s still a wrongheaded mess of a movie that really would have been smarter not calling itself, well, Godzilla. It is still a glorious enough mess in high-definition to be worth giving a spin, just to see a bunch of special effects on your nice TV.
I tried numerous times to get into Farscape, but could never get past its overly artificial, manufactured sci-fi feel, but I know it has a massive, rabid fanbase who are probably counting their pennies for the immense, comprehensive Farscape: The Complete Series (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$149.95 SRP). The 26-disc set contains all 88 episodes, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, documentaries, interviews, promos, and much more. Over 15 hours worth of bonus materials in all. Does that make you Farscape fans happy? I certainly hope so.
While it was a step up from the bewilderingly awful seventh season, the eighth season of Scrubs (ABC Studios, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.99 SRP) didn’t go far enough in recapturing the charm and grounding that marked its brilliant early seasons – which is a shame, as this was the swan song for the cast as it had stood from the show’s inception. Ah well, at least we have those early DVDs. The 3-disc set features all 19 episodes, plus alternate lines, webisodes, a featurette, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
With Prohibition on the way out, the final 12 episodes featured in The Untouchables Season 3: Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) finds Eliot Ness focusing on gambling, prostitution, and narcotics in that big-shouldered city, Chicago.
It’s trickling out, but another volume of Ben 10: Alien Force (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) has his the ground. The 5th volume contains a quartet of episodes, plus a sneak peek at the live action movie.
Yes, Nash Bridges (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) – the only reason I ever watched you was to see costar Cheech Marin be Cheech Marin, which is always worth seeing. The 5-disc set contains all 23 3rd season episodes, but not a single bonus feature. Not even Cheech Marin.
I never sparked to Drawn Together (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). Based on a pretty solid concept for comedy – about a motley crew of various cartoon character parodies thrown together into an animated Big Brother house – but its writing always fell flat for me. Still, there were fans, and they’ll probably want this complete series box set, containing all 36 episodes.
I’ve long been a fan of the work being done by the fine folks at Electric Tiki, as they always manage to do some of the most glorious design and sculpting work for their licensed maquettes. With that in mind, it’s understandable that I was delighted to hear they had picked up a license from the Mouse House to do a line of maquettes under the banner of the Walt Disney Showcase Collection. The first couple of these have just hit US shores, and are worth every single penny it takes for you to make one your own (which may be difficult, as these are ridiculously low edition sizes of just a few hundred each). The initial batch – all standing around 7″-10″high – are Darkwing Duck (Sideshow, $99.99), the Rescue Rangers, Gadget, Chip, & Dale ($124.99) and Jessica Rabbit (Sideshow, $124.99), sporting an abandoned outfit designed for the short subject Rollercoaster Rabbit. As you can see from the photos below – tres magnifique.
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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