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 FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Overlooked at the box office, I will declare here and now that Ricky Gervais’s The Invention Of Lying (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.98 SRP) is a comedy that is destined to become as beloved a cult classic as Office Space before it. Think I’m wrong? See it for yourself, as Gervais creates a world wherein the act of lying does not exist – until it’s discovered by Gervais’s character and proves to be a world-changing superpower. Bonus materials include video podcasts, a prequel, behind-the-scenes featurettes, additional scenes, and a gag reel. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
You may not know this about me, but you certainly will now. “What is it? What is this secret?” you ask, breathlessly. C’mere, and I’ll tell you…. Closer… Closer… Okay. I like playing with magnets. I think they’re cool. I’ve thought magnets were cool ever since I was a kid. I also like money. Sadly, US coinage is non-magnetic, so I was never able to combine my two loves, Reese’s style. Until now. The Magic Penny Magnet Kit ($19.99) contains two powerful magnets and 24 British coins (they’re magnetic!), as well as a US penny (for comparison) and a book full of pretty nifty tricks you can do and sculptures you can make. Dreams do come true.
I never thought I’d see the day when Kingdom Of The Spiders (Shout! Factory, Rated PG, DVD-$19.99 SRP) – that Saturday afternoon schlock staple starring jobbing-in-the-70’s Shatner – get a special edition. But here it is, with an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes footage, a featurette with spider-wrangler Jim Brockett, and a brand-new interview with Shatner.
Michael Adams took a bullet for us all when he decided to sit down for a year and watch some of the worst movies ever made, and provide not only a chronicle of that feat, but also analyses and perhaps even an appreciation for crappy filmmaking. Of course, perhaps he didn’t take the bullet too soon, as I’ve seen many of the flicks in Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies (It Books, $13.99), but it’s Adams’ insights that make reading the book worth it.
For anyone that came out of the tepid Funny People hoping that they had instead been able to see more of Aziz Ansari, your prayers have been answered with the DVD arrival of his debut stand-up special – Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). The stand-up is strong, and there’s even an encore performance as his Funny People character, plus 30 minutes of additional material. A CD ($12.98 SRP) is also available.
It’s mindless action, yes, but it’s a shame to see Gerard Butler and Michael C. Hall slumming it in the B-movie actioner Gamer (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$29.95 SRP), about a condemned criminal forced to play in a real-life video game, as prisoners are controlled in a death arcade by remote players. Will Gerard’s Kable make it out when he decides enough is enough? Bonus features include an audio commentary, featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.
Glaringly absent from the high definition catalogue up until now, you can put a check mark beside a pair of much-requested Paul Thomas Anderson flicks – Boogie Nights & Magnolia (New Line, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP each). Both transfers are sparkling, as you’d hope. Boogie Nights features a pair of audio commentaries, additional scenes, “The John C. Reilly Files” extended sequences and outtakes, a music video, and the theatrical trailer. Magnolia sports a video diary, the Frank T.J. Mackey Seminar, the “Seduce & Destroy” infomercial, a music trailer, TV spots, and the theatrical trailer.
Shot as he was covering his final murder trial for Vanity Fair – that of Phil Spector – Dominick Dunne: After The Party (IndiePix, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) is a fascinating portrait of the writer, Hollywood outcast, and defender of victims’ rights in a career that spans over 50 years. The 2-disc set contains an audio commentary, additional/extended interviews, home video, photos, and more.
The first two Bourne films arrive in high-definition as the inaugural entries in Universal’s new line of flipper single-disc Blu-Ray/DVD combos. I loathe flipper discs with a passion, so even though I understand the cost-cutting thought behind it, I can’t get behind the concept. Looking at the Blu-Ray side, The Bourne Identity (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP) features a load of featurettes, an audio commentary, an alternate opening/ending, deleted scenes, and a music video. The Bourne Supremacy (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP) contains an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes. Great content, great flicks, shame about the flippers.
If fans of English costume drama were to do a dream casting session, they probably would arrive at the cast that was assembled for Cranford – Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, Eileen Atkins, and Imelda Staunton. Cranford revolves around the ruling ladies of the titular town in 1842, for whom etiquette and custom reign supreme but are a thin veneer over secrets and change. Think a corseted Desperate Housewives. Your best bet is to pick Cranford: The Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which contains not only the original series, but also the Return To Cranford follow-up.
It was like a poor man’s Guy Ritchie (which is odd, since he’s already filled that role himself in recent years), but there was a sliver of fun to have from Smokin’ Aces (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP), which hits hi-def with audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and an alternate ending. Even less enjoyable, though, is the nobody asked for it sequel, Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), containing an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.
Instead of abandoning release of the shows in mid-stream due to sales issue for niche fan-favorites, Shout! Factory has taken the welcome step of making new season sets of the shows in question available directly from their website. This makes the economy feasible and fans happy – especially since the discs are identical in quality to their store-bought predecessors. The first sets to get the direct-purchase treatment are Mr. Belvedere: Season Four ($29.99), Ironside: Season 3 ($49.98) and Room 222: Season Two ($34.98). Make sure to snag yours so this fan-friendly program can continue.
And in this weeks soundtrack round-up, we’ve got John Murphy’s score to Armored (La-La Land Records, $17.99 SRP), Joseph LoDuca’s score to the series Leverage (La-La Land Records, $17.99 SRP), John Frizzell’s Legion (La-La Land Records, $17.99 SRP), and The Hurt Locker (Lakeshore Records, $18.98 SRP), by Marco Beltrami & Buck Sanders.
The disc-on-demand Warner Archive continues to live up to its name and promise by releasing a little-seen TV movie, adapted by Richard Matheson from his short story – Dying Room Only (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.95). Starring Cloris Leachman, Dabney Coleman & Ned Beatty in a nice chiller about an LA couple who wander into a hostile small town where things quickly go to hell.
Nancy Botwin is full ensconced with her business south of the border in the 5th season of Weeds (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which finds her in awkward territory after getting pregnant via a high-powered politician turned drug lord. It’s just another in the long line of complications that make the series a continued must-see. The 3-disc set contains all 13 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, and bloopers. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
A co-ed crew exploring the solar system gets up to sudsy scientific exploration in the first season of Defying Gravity (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which stars Ron Livingston as veteran astronaut Maddux Donner, who leads his fellow crewmembers on a journey none of them expected. The 4-disc set includes 5 unaired episodes, plus a featurette and deleted scenes.
The 12th season of Dallas (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) features everything you want in the wild world of the oil baron Ewings – most of it featuring the trials, tribulations, double-dealing, and womanizing of rotten patriarch JR Ewing. The 3-disc set contains all 26 episodes (which are, unfortunately, still presented on those damnable flipper discs).
It dips into melodrama occasionally, but for the most part Thirtysomething (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) holds up as a rare late-80’s drama that provided a well-written, grounded look at the trials and tribulations of Americans coming to terms with aging and family life. And now that I’m of that age, is rings even more true. Scarily. The 5-disc second season contains all 17 episodes, plus audio commentaries and new cast interviews.
Using none of the original voices and sub-par animation, there’s nothing much about Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) that I liked as a kid. However, as a pathetic completionist, I’m happy that the complete series is being released on disc. That’s 13 episodes, plus a making-of featurette, galleries, and storyboards.
It’s not something I would have made a night out for, but watching Whiteout (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is a nice little home video flick. Its tale – of a murder at Antarctica’s remote Amundsen-Scott Research Station , which leaves a U.S. Marshal (Kate Beckinsdale) a limited time to solve the case before being stranded in six months of winter darkness with the killer – is perfect home video fare. Bonus features include additional scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) is also available, which adds a pair of exclusive behind-the-scenes featurettes.
There was a constant fear it might stumble in its first season, and there’s always fear of a sophomore season fail, but Damages (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) came through its second season even stronger than it started, which is in no small part to a wonderful balance between strong writing and the performances by leads Glenn Close & Rose Byrne. The 3-disc set contains all 13 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, character profiles, and featurettes.
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
##
Comments: None
Leave a Reply |