I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I chat with Troubadour 2.0 Jonathan Coulton about off-roading, gongs, Giants, cruises, and more.
You can purchase all of his discs, plus other merch – as well as partake of more sonic goodness – at www.JonathanCoulton.com. While you’re over there, be sure to check out all 52 Things – and pick up his CDs. And pledge your life to him. The talented bastard.
PAHRUMP – Call it Hof Vegas. Dennis Hof of HBO’s Cathouse no longer wants me to warn readers that his Bunny Ranch empire is in only Reno and not Las Vegas. He’s bringing his style of adult fun to the outskirts of Sin City. He called up the hotline from the middle of Crystal, Nevada to spread the news. The sounds of hammering and drills came from his end of the phone.
“We’re moving around here and getting some things done,” Dennis Hof said. “I bought two 35 year old rundown, rat trap brothels. What you’re buying is the licenses.”
The two old names were Cherry Patch Ranch and Mabel’s Whore House. The new places are Love Ranch and Dennis Hof’s Cathouse. “Those are name that are synonymous with good times.”
There are no good times for the former owner. He got arrested for bribing a county official. Dennis found himself in a unique position to double up his business.
“He had to sell the place,” Dennis said. “There’s not a worse time in American history to sell a brothel. Nobody has any money. Nobody is investing in any businesses. I came in and bought the two places. I’m going through a massive renovation. I’m going to make it all work. Do my magic. I’m doing the same thing I did to the Bunny Ranch 18 years ago except I’m doing in Southern Nevada where the weather is better in the winter.”
This extremely true since it can be in the mid-80s in Las Vegas while Reno freezes. The new location also means exposure to more tourists than the number that visit the Biggest Little City in the world.
“The difference is instead of having 8 million people to draw from in Reno-Tahoe, I’ve got 40 million in Las Vegas,” Hof said. He’s realistic in his projection about how many people will want to visit his new houses. “We don’t need that much. If you got 10 percent of 40 million, you got 4 million clients. I can’t handle that. If you got one percent, it’s 400,000. I can’t handle that. If you get a tenth of one percent, that’s 40,000 clients a year. That’s fine. That’s what I need.”
For a few years there was sense that legal brothels would be allowed inside the city limits of Las Vegas. In the end the politicians couldn’t allow this vice to taint their Sin City. Hof’s two new brothels are the closest legal locations to the Strip. There’s plenty of illegal action in the casinos and hotels. The city is filled with ads for ladies promising In Room Entertainment ladies. They’re not magicians, but they will perform plenty of tricks. Of course the strangest trick is a transformation as they rarely appear as the performer promised. Is Las Vegas ready for a business where the woman on the website looks like the one you have the date with?
“I’m going to make them ready for me,” Hof declared. “My new campaign is Las Vegas: America’s Sexual Cesspool. What happens in Las Vegas, you take home to your wife. I’ve got lots of ammo to back that up. In Nevada, the legal business in 30 years of mandatory checks has never had a case of HIV. The illegal business in Las Vegas, there’s been 400 girls arrested and forced to take a test and shown to have HIV. It’s horrifying. I’m going to change all that.
“The city needs to be outed for enabling all this to happen. The mayor comes out says there’s 3,000 active pimps working Las Vegas and 30,000 girls. If you know that, do something about it. And if you don’t do something about it and your tourists are getting diseases, aren’t you responsible for it?”
Hof wants people who contract VD in Las Vegas to sue the city for refusing to allow the legal brothel system to operate in city limits while the illegal prostitution rackets thrive. “It’s a far out concept. But I don’t know if it is or not.”
He’s quite happy in his new location of the small town of Crystal. It’s not too far away from Vegas. “Depends on how you come and where you’re at,” Hof said. “If you’re close to Freemont, it’s 45 minutes. If you’re in the heart of Las Vegas and coming through Pahrump, it’s an hour.” The population is only 107, but expect that number to grow.
“We got a dozen girls now. Eight working and four on vacation. When we get more rooms done, we’ll expand to the next level,” Hof said. It’s very hard to create an intimate mood with a “Pardon Our Dust” sign above the bed.
“We want the place to look nice and the girls to be proud of where they’re working. We’re working hard on it. It’s going to be great. I don’t have the same construction constraints that I have up there. Here I can plan this paradise as a beautiful resort destination with a swimming pool, jacuzzis and palm trees.”
You should be able to watch the progress of Dennis Hof’s Cathouse thanks to his new neighbor: Heidi Fleiss. She’s helping him on the reality show about upgrading the old buildings. Extreme Ho House Makeover is the current title. Although I suggested the more direct Pimp My Brothel.
There were reports on the internet that Hof was marrying Heidi Fleiss. Hof explained how the rumored nuptials. “That goes back a few years ago when Heidi got out of Celebrity Rehab. She flashbacked on when we split up.” She thought Dennis was going to marry her, but he said he couldn’t marry someone on drugs. He told her that when she’s off drugs, they’d talk about it. “She had this flashback and put out a press release saying that we were getting married. And I’m like ‘What the fuck are you doing?’ She said, ‘You told me.’ I said, ‘You’re right. I absolutely did say that. But I’m not in the marrying mood right now.'”
This explains why you didn’t hear about them being registered at Crate and Barrel.
Hof is still a relatively single man although he’s hooked up with Cami Parker.
“Cami is wonderful,” Hof said. “She likes girls so we get along really well with that. Girlfriend in my vernacular is the girl I sleep with the most. I tend to wake up with her more than anybody.”
She’s also his second girlfriend in a row that’s found herself featured in Hustler. How did this honor come about?
“Went to lunch with her and Larry Flint and he fell in love with her,” Hof admits. ?
Air Force Amy, Brooke Taylor and Dennis ended up on episodes of Judge Jeanine Pirro. Dennis was collecting from a deadbeat client that didn’t think he had to pay for a girl-girl show. It was interesting to note that under normal legal circumstances, Dennis would be the defendant. But here he was using the law to get what’s owed.
“Ain’t that something,” Hof said. “What a turn around that is. I’ve taken this business from guilt and shame to glamour and fame. If you’re a Bunny Ranch girl now, you’re walking through an airport, they love you. Eighteen years ago, nobody would admit you worked at the Bunny Ranch.”
Cathouse favorite Air Force Amy isn’t hanging around any of the houses at the current time. “She’s gone. We have a love-hate relationship with Amy. We love her when she’s clean and sober. When the twelve step program doesn’t work, the thirteenth step is out the door. If she straightens out, we got something to talk about.”
Those interested in meeting adult superstar Sunny Lane need to make appointment. “Sunny hasn’t been working much. She’s been doing a few more movies and fell in love. This year she’s backed off some.”
The legendary Chasey Lane has signed up to work in Crystal, but there’s a hitch.
“She has not got here yet,” Hof said. “We’re taking appointments for her. We’re trying to find out what her arrest record is. She doesn’t even know. She went through a little wild child stage. We’re trying to get that all worked out. Each county in Nevada has different rules. The county by Las Vegas, if you have a marijuana arrest, it’s OK long as you haven’t gotten in trouble since then. Our county in Northern Nevada say no. We want you to wait five years. That’s the way it is. She is going to work. It’s just which place and how soon.”
Southwest Air flies to both Vegas and Reno so you can change your flight depending where she ends up.
“Whomever parties with this girl will not forget it,” Hof promised. You’ll be humming “The Ballad of Chasey Lain” by the Bloodhound Gang afterward.
Joe Pesci and Helen Mirren’s Love Ranch caused a bit of controversy when the producers attempted to go after Dennis for naming his second brothel the Love Ranch. Dennis wasn’t backing down since the screenwriter got the name from Dennis. Turns out that things worked themselves out without a protracted legal battle. Also didn’t hurt that the film completely tanked over the summer.
“It’s a shame they didn’t make some money cause I would have got a bunch of it,” Hof said. “It is my federal trademark, but I cut them some slack. (Director) Taylor Hackford acknowledged me at the premiere and had me stand up. That was nice of him.”
Dennis plans on stocking DVDs of the films in the gift shops of his two Love Ranches. He’ll probably end up making more money than the producers.
Also on the shelves of the gift shops are bottles of Dennis’ award winning hot sauce. There as hot on the label as the contents. “The Bunny of the month gets her own hot sauce. They’re turning into collector’s items. The girls sign them,” Hof said. With any luck, he’ll be starting a hot sauce of the month club for folks who want heat on their spice rack. You can get more info on the sauce by visiting Loveranch.net and bunnyranch.com.
In a time where companies are refusing to grow that Hof is doubling his business. Although by giving clients a Love Ranch in both cities, he can save money by doubling up orders of matchbooks and business cards. He’s also figuring out ways to be in two places in the same day.
“I’m going back and forth as needed. What I need to do is buy an airplane. I’m going to charter a plane for a while to see if I really enjoy it as much as I think I will.” The road between Reno and Vegas takes him about 6 hours versus a barely two hour trip by air.
Strangely enough there is no nickname for people who live between Reno and Vegas. Bi-vadian is my suggestion.
Hof boosted the local economy when he purchased numerous mattresses for the new locations at the locally owned Building 160.
“We want to spend money where we make it. We want to buy things in that community. We want to give back to the community. It’s been a successful formula for 18 years. I love it that way.”
The recent bedbug infestation news can have nasty consequences in an industry that relies heavily on mattresses. “One of the reason we got rid of them all is we’re scared to death of bedbugs. One of the mattresses we threw away had a sticker from 1978 on it. How much action has that mattress seen? Most of these mattresses were worn out ten years ago.”
There’s no plans yet for Hof to make a guest appearance on Pawn Stars. “I should do that,” Hof declared. “Bring some brothel memorabilia over there.” It will be TV history with the meeting of Bunny Love with Chumlee. With any luck, they’d become a reality TV could nicknamed ChumLove.
The next installment of HBO’s Cathouse is slatted for December 16. “Our ninth year. Can you believe it?” Dennis points out. “And we’re going to do a tenth year.” The show is still one of the highest viewed options on HBO’s OnDemand channel. Cathouse: The Specials comes out on DVD the Tuesday before the new episode.
In the midst of the job crisis, Dennis is getting plenty of resumes from around the country. What helps an applicant get to the top of the pile? “Personality, People skills, desire, hotness….the hotness is all subjective. People skills, personality and desire rules.”
The there are also traits that get instant rejection. “People who have substance abuse issues. Drama. If they can’t live in a dormitory-type environment,” Hof listed.
Age is not an issue. “As long as a girl takes care of herself,” Hof qualified. “Some people look pretty hot at different ages.”
While the southern version of the Love Ranch is operating, it will be a little bit longer before the grand opening of Dennis Hof’s Cathouse. “Probably six months,” he projected. “I’m working with the architect right now. When we go, we’re going big and fast with the construction.”
Will there be a Subway subs next to the new gift shop? Dennis had joked in the past that he bought the Bunny Ranch because Subway wouldn’t let him acquire a franchise. Will Jared be cutting the ribbon to open up the Cathouse?
“After all these years, Subway should be begging me to have one,” Dennis said. “I’m going to open up a restaurant in the one. It’s going to basically be a Waffle House. I love Waffle House. I think every guy does. It’s quick, clean, convenient, filling and the price is right. I’m going to open up a mini-Waffle House. Same kind of menu.”
Speaking from experience, Sunday morning waffles with the bunnies ought to be on your bucket list. It is so much better than breakfast with the Disney characters. Just be careful with what you do with the syrup.
Besides his own show and construction, Dennis is helping two productions about the horrors of prostitution in Las Vegas. The city is notorious for underaged girls and smuggled in illegal aliens from Eastern Europe.
“Once they understand the risks for disease, that’s enough to get you to drive 45 minutes,” Hof said. “When you call a girl in Las Vegas, you don’t know if you’re going to get a cop.”
We joke about him hiring any ex-female cops for clients that have a fetish about being caught in a sting.
Ultimately Dennis Hof wants to fill the void left by the death of Danny Gans. He’s aiming to be the number one entertainer. He wants to put the Sin back in Sin City without the annoying rash.
RALLY FOR A VIEW
This was going to be an amazing recap of covering the Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear. Except by the time we made it to the National Mall, we didn’t come close to having a view. The crowd was overflowing onto side streets. We struggled against a sea of humanity to barely squeeze in at 7th Street. Unlike Glenn Beck’s crowd, nobody was sitting back in their lawn chairs with footrests with personal space. It was body against body. Only a Japanese subway pervert would feel comfortable in the crush.
We didn’t have a view of the stage or the giant video screens. The speakers weren’t even close to us. It was easy to suspect the Daily Show didn’t expect this huge of a crowd. Since we didn’t pay $100 to get into the Mall, it wasn’t a moment that pissed us off. We were just thrilled to be there to know that we would be part of the little dots in the rear on the crowd shots. The place was filled with the kids who grew up reading Mad Magazine, watching the early seasons of Saturday Night Live and quoting Monty Python sketches. There wasn’t a comic book store open on the East Coast that Saturday afternoon. All the cool smarmy kids had gathered just to hang out.
Here’s a short film guide to what it’s like to take a baby to one of these events in D.C.
The two themes of the Rally came into play as we were leaving. A three story tall escalator to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station malfunctioned. People were being hurled downward like a mechanical version of a flash flood. Those of us on nearby stopped escalator reached over to grab people and pull them over to safety. It was a major mess with people sent to the hospital. It confirmed both Colbert’s belief that robots are out to get us and Stewart’s belief that only on TV and in Congress do people prove to be dicks based on stupid criteria. Those of us on the stopped escalator reached to grab people without asking them about their political beliefs. No litmus test was necessary for aid. We helped because we knew that is what you do in that situation. You don’t pontificate. You do what’s necessary for survival.
POP ROCKS AND SPACE DUST
The Obscuricon looks at vintage commercials for the two powdered treats that were rumored to be lethal.
CHRISTMAS CASH FOR CAGE
Once again, my offer to pay Nic Cage $20 to play me in my family’s Christmas morning video is under the tree. This might be the break through project to make Nic a respected actor once more. He doesn’t need a bad rug to capture the true me. As a bonus, I’m also offering Mel Gibson $20 to play my father. Unlike Todd Phillips, I’m cool with Mel making a cameo in my production. No whiney little bitches will prevent Mel from sitting in a recliner and screaming to not open anything until mom gets back from the kitchen. Tyler Perry will be playing my mother. If Cage and Gibson don’t come through, I’ll have to once more call up Marjoe Gortner and Ahmet Zappa.
GYPSY COMES ALIVE
Mystery Science Theater 3000: XIX would be worth nabbing just for the Gypsy figurine. The robot that operated all the functions on the Satellite of Love gets jumbo love. She’s the one who looked like office chairs attached to a giant plastic pipe. The figurine is suitable for a place of honor on your mantelpiece. But there’s plenty more treats outside of the toy. The four titles this time around include one of the greatest names in bad movies and a legendary matinee stinker. All are ready for to be roasted by Joel, Mike, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot. Robot Monster is another entry from the first season with Dr. Laurence Erhardt (J. Elvis Weinstein) as part of the mad scientists. Robot Monster is iconic for have a monster that’s has the body of a gorilla and the head of a deep sea diving mask made to look like a TV. The film is so short that we get two installments from the “Commander Cody & the Radar Men from the Moon” serial. Bride of the Monster battles Joel and the Bots against Ed Wood, Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson. This is a battle royale of wits and wonks. The short “Hired! Part 1” gets turned into a musical by the crew. Isn’t it about time this comes to Broadway? “Devil Doll” is an eight season entry with Mike Nelson now in control. The film is rather disturbing with a hypnotic ventriloquist and his dummy taking over London. The gang get into the evil dummy jokes. “Devil Fish” is an Italian ocean horror flick directed by Lamberto Bava. It’s an early attempt at Sharktopus. There’s a lot of beer drinking at sea from the crew in this Jaws clone. While you think the comedy dates itself, Tom Servo jokes about For Colored Girls over a decade before Tyler Perry made the film.
There are plenty of bonus features packed in this boxset. A new Introduction By J. Elvis Weinstein lets him chat more about the show. Larry Blamire Reflects On Robot Monster. He understands the joy of the giant gorilla suit. There are short films about Bride Of The Monster and Devil Doll. The big treat is an hour long panel from CONvergence 2009 with Joel, Frank and Mary Jo Pehl giving the stories beyond the screen. There’s four little posters perfect for decorating your locker at the golf club. Most importantly is that figurine of Gypsy that will fit perfectly between your Oscar and Nobel Prize. DVD SHELF
Bing Crosby: The Television Specials Volume 2 – The Christmas Specials has arrived just in time for the holidays. It wasn’t truly the holidays until the legendary crooner with his family arrived in your living room with “White Christmas.” Four complete specials from 1961 to 1977 are included in the collection. The first special has Terry-Thomas and Ron Moody in Bing’s special from England. its’ not really a holiday special outside of one song. The big surprise is Bob Hope’s cameo. The 1962 special bring color to Bing’s TV world. The show isn’t completely about Christmas. Mary Martin and Andre Previn join him for a big musical segment of Santa cheer. Don’t settle for cheap substitutes with Jessica Simpson and Clay Aiken. A bonus feature includes “Happy Holidays with Bing and Frank.” The audio track of this color short was part of my Christmas CD rotation in late December. Now the visual component can brighten up the Advent action. “Bing Crosby and the Sounds of Christmas” brings out the Crosby family in 1971. The big guest star is Robert Goulet (Atlantic City). His mustache warms me up more than any yule log. The final entry is also Bing’s last special. “Bing Crosby’s Merry Olde Christmas” takes him to England in 1977. Twiggy attempts to do more than be a model as she chirps in with the Cosby family. The most famous part of this special is the arrival of David Bowie in the middle of his Berlin era. His duet with Bing on “Little Drummer Boy” has grown in stature over the year. It’s sweet and traditional as the duo harmonize. This isn’t nearly as wild as imagined. Here’s a glimpse of Bowie and Bing’s duet.
The real freak out moment is later in the show when Bowie goes solo for “Heroes.” This is the greatest moment in holiday special history since it is so beyond the tone of anything done on the show. Bowie’s uncompromisingly modern when compared to the comfortable performances in the rest of the show. As a child, this four minutes of TV scarred me for life. I’m grateful that “Heroes” wasn’t clipped out. The transfer quality of these specials are high. This the perfect gift for any relative that moans and groans when Clay Aiken and Jessica Simpson Christmas specials clutter up the dial.
Christmas Treats 9 Heartwarming TV Classics will keep your eyes roasting with holiday episodes of classic Paramount shows. How many times have you hit the sofa in December wishing for a marathon of Santa themed sitcoms? Don’t rely on a cable channel programmer when you can pick up this collection. Things start out right with The Beverly Hillbillies‘ “Christmas at the Clampetts.” This is their second special when they wake up to experience the holidays SoCal flavored. Best part is the monkey on their new boat. The Lucy Show‘s “Together at Christmas” has her and Viv battling to see whose tradition is more powerful. Happy Days is a real wish when Richie wants to meet the poster girl of a Cola campaign. My favorite of the group is the Love American Style segment “Love and the Christmas Punch.” Henry Gibson gets abused by every member of a small Christmas party as he stumbles in on their secrets. If I have one holiday DVD wish this season, let more season sets of Love American Style be released. There’s also episodes from Petticoat Junction, The Odd Couple, Laverne and Shirley, Mork & Mindy, The Odd Couple and Cheers. Only thing missing from this nearly four hour long set is egg nog.
Beverly Hills 90210: The Final Season brings the high school fun to a big bang end. The tenth season was strange since the real star of the show had completely departed. No longer was Brandon Walsh (Jason Priestly) kicking around the zip code with his cool sideburns. However we still had all the rest of the kids for this coda. There’s just a touch more of Luke Perry and Tori Spelling. Thrill to the sight of David Austin Green before he became Mr. Megan Fox. The series wraps up with an eagerly awaited wedding. The final 27 episodes are being spread over 6 DVDs. Fans of the show might want to invest in the DVDs since SoapNET is being yanked off the cable box for Disney Jr.
The Fugitive: The Fourth and Final Season – Volume One brings the chase for Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen) into the wonderful world of color. Lt. Philip Gerard (Barry Morse) keeps up the tracking across the USA. “Death Is the Door Prize” features Ossie Davis. Folks who picked up the first season of The Bionic Woman will get a treat with Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman) playing a cop in “The Sharp Edge of Chivalry.” A really young Tom Skerritt (Alien) joins the pursuit in “Joshua’s Kingdom.” Things get extra good when Bruce Dern arrives as part of “The Devil’s Disciples.” There’s only one more release left until Kimble finally tracks down the One-Armed man. The switch to color does cut back on the ability to see Kimble sweat as the dragnet tightens around him. But at least we know his run is coming to an end.
Perry Mason: Season 5, Volume 2 wraps up the middle of the nine seasons featuring TV’s greatest trial lawyer. The 15 episodes will keep you guessing even if you know that Perry’s client isn’t the truly guilty rat no matter what Lt. Tragg (Ray Collins) and D.A. Hamilton Burger (William Talman) think. There’s plenty of future famous actors getting grilled before the jury by Perry (Raymond Burr). “The Case of the Absent Artist” brings the always welcomed Victor Buono (Batman‘s King Tut). “The Case of the Angry Astronaut” kills off James Coburn. Burt Reynolds gets the third degree in “The Case of the Counterfeit Crank.” Connie Hines (Mister Ed) is part of the action. “The Case of the Ancient Romeo” kills the lead actor during a blackout on stage. “The Case of the Promoter’s Pillbox” gets a ripped of screenwriter in trouble for the death of an evil producer. Ivan Dixon (Hogan’s Heroes) pops up.
Super Hero Squad Show Quest for the Infinity Sword Volume 2 gives another six episodes from the animated series about Marvel Heroes as little kids. They battle mini-villains around Super Hero City. This batch has the arrival of small versions of Nick Fury, the Punisher, littler Ant-Man and the Skrulls. The show gets bonus points for a referencing Rocky and Bullwinkle. The violence level isn’t close to the more graphic level of violence found in other super hero animated shows. This is all geared at kids. The big guest voice on this collection is Seinfeld‘s Wayne Knight. My mom saw him in a Ralph’s supermarket. He’s lost a lot of weight and looks great. The big bonus feature is an interview with Tom Kenny (best known as Spongebob Square Pants).
In case you hadn’t heard, a new late night talk show had premiered last week. I’m here to tell you that I liked it.
The morning after the first episode of CONAN had aired I had read a lot of reviews that seemed to all say the same thing: New show, same stuff. I’m not exactly sure why so many critics would sit there and think that upon his return CONAN would do something to shake up the late night talk show landscape. Granted the show LOPEZ TONIGHT which gracefully stepped aside to let CONAN in does already with its departure from the use of the curtain and desk and replacing it with its auditorium performance feel. JIMMY KIMMEL tried to break the LATE NIGHT mold by not doing a standing monologue, abandoning the tie for an open collar with visible t-shirt and he discovered that it just doesn’t work. There’s an old saying: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
We are all very aware of the fact that the departure of CONAN from NBC’s THE TONIGHT SHOW was awkward, uncomfortable and I’m thinking it’s a safe bet to say it was also a major blow to CONAN’s ego. He was playing the game, he was doing the dance, and he was still being chucked out to accommodate the guy that the network had previously thought they were willing to let go in order to keep CONAN. After something like this happens you really have only three choices: re-invent yourself and do something new, fade into obscurity, or find a place to do what you were doing and do it well. Thankfully TBS was willing to let CONAN do the latter. On his first show I thought he did everything just the way he should since leaving NBC and becoming a Twitter and Internet phenomenon: He let the audience adore him, he poked fun at his previously employer, he jabbed a little at his new employer to show the kids he is still hip and cool (that is what kid’s say, right?) and then he brought the talk. Yes you could tell he was frenetic and he was nervous, but after everything that he has been through I think that the show (and the remainder of the week’s shows that followed) were exactly what CONAN needed to do. It was part safety net, part ego, and after the ratings came out it was also part revenge.
I know that after the entire week played out you may say that the ratings weren’t great when compared to THE TONIGHT SHOW or THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. If, however, you factor in the fact that CONAN isn’t on one of the four major networks his numbers being over one million are actually pretty stellar. Last week he did very well compared to THE DAILY SHOW and THE COLBERT REPORT and he’s doing it all while being able to show the world that you don’t have to be on a major network to get the job done. I only hope that the ratings stay consistent into this second week as the short attention span of the world may let its fickle mind drift to something else. I’d also like to apologize to JIMMY KIMMEL since I feel that with last week’s viewings of CONAN I kind of cheated on him a little. It’s not you JIMMY, it’s me. I’ve only got so many hours of TV I can watch. I’m sorry.
THE WALKING DEAD: TELL IT TO THE FROGS (read at your own risk, mild spoilers below)
Since I last wrote about THE WALKING DEAD I did something I didn’t expect to do. The pilot episode of the show was so good that I just had to get caught up on the entire comic series that inspired the show. It wasn’t my original intent since there were 78 issues to date, but after reading the first 12 I had no choice but to press on. Reading through them all was the upside of having at least two hours a day where I sit on a commuter train.
I bring up this literarry marathon that I put myself on becuase last night’s episode of THE WALKING DEAD titled TELL IT TO THE FROGS payed homage to the source material once again while still maintaining its originality. In this third installment we see RICK GRIMES finally reunited with his wife LORI and son CARL, both of whom had believed RICK to be dead. The scene played out wonderfully both few panels of a comic book and all of the actors involved really made me feel the impact of this moment.
There are many times when reading THE WALKING DEAD you will find that RICK GRIMES gets himself out of the frying pan and is more than willing to drop himself into the fire. Last week’s episode, GUTS, had the small group of survivors that RICK accidentally forced into being trapped in ATLANTA had to leave behind MICHAEL ROOKER’s character of MERLE DIXON. Not even 24 hours after reuniting with his family RICK wants to go back to attempt to rescue MERLE from his dire situation while also wanting to go back for the big bag of guns and ammunition that he left behind after being de-horsed in teh show’s pilot. RICK’s willingness to endanger himself and the travelling back to ATLANTA for guns both are lifted right out of the comic, but the addition of MERLE being stuck on a roof made the reason for going back into the precarious situation they had just left make a bit more sense for me. The attempt to save someone from dying in an extremely inhumane way is a bit more compelling and makes the going back for the guns feel more like it’s just the icing on the cake.
Another item that really troubled me in last week’s episode GUTS was the way that the relationship between SHANE and LORI was depicted. It wasn’t the intimacy that was shown so much as what seemed like the willingness for LORI to already be moving on after such short a time. Tonight, however, we discover that her reason for doing so were because SHANE flat out told her that RICK was dead. The implications of what has transpired since he told her this and the subtext of the motivation behind why he told her this lead the writers to represent a realistic rage that LORI unleashed upon SHANE near the end of the episode. In that short two minutes my ill feelings towards LORI’s actions last week were completely dispelled and I’m anxious once again to see the character more on the show.
COMMUNITY: Cooperative Calligraphy (or why I love this show so damn much)
The NBC sitcom COMMUNITY has never apologized for being  pop-culture self-aware and in the most recent episode, COOPERATIVE CALLIGRAPHY, the show clearly compensates for the bigger budget episodes by producing a “bottle episode” where the entire thing is shot in one location to save costs. Before this episode I was never even aware of the term bottle episode so I appreciate them educating me, however this isn’t why I’m so appreciative of this show.
What transpired during this episode was good character development, an interesting exploration into the study groups dynamic, but it was also subtle genius. In the episode ANNIE discovers that her purple pen has gone missing. Everyone in the group becomes a suspect. By the episode’s end we find out who took the pen. It’s a clever reveal when it happens, something that in an ordinary episode of television we would see, laugh and take the answer we were given. COMMUNITY however doesn’t want us to just accept their answer like a spoon-fed child. In this most recent episode, just as TROY makes the disturbing statement at the sight of a puppy, “Ahhhh… I want to lick it” you can actually see the pen being taken by the guilty party. It is subtle, it is fast, but considering who took the pen it is just amazing and brilliant (and you can see it here. For the record this is also something I would not have been aware of if it weren’t for the fine people of the Internet showing me that this happened.
A similar example of the writers subtle genius is in the episode “The Psychology of Letting Go” and it is something once again I would have been completely unaware of if not for the fine people of the Internet. ABED has an entire story line in the episode but it is played out in the background. If you are watching what goes on in the foreground, much the same way I was, you miss ABED befriending a pregnant girl and even helping her deliver the child. Don’t believe me? See it here.
As you can see from these two simple examples the show’s creative team is really putting out some top notch stuff. If you haven’t watched COMMUNITY before I implore you to jump on in and bask in its wonder.
Now that we’ve gotten that bit out of the way let’s see what this week holds for our viewing (dis)pleasure.
MONDAY
NBC – 8:00 PM: CHUCK is back tonight and he’s INTERSECT-less and goes through extreme counseling to try to get it back. Although I’m a big CHUCK fan I have to admit that this plot twist is a bit contrived as is the ham handed way they will be resolving with what was seen near the end of the last episode.
CBS – 8:00 PM: There’s only one thing better than knowing it’s a new episode of HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER tonight is knowing that BARNEY finds a tape of the children’s show featuring the beginning of ROBIN SPARKLES.
FOX – 8:00 PM: Smallpox seems to rock the HOUSE tonight but we all know that it’s just going to be something else. At least we get to see them use those cool hazmat suits.
CBS – 9:00 PM: No I’m not really recommending an episode of TWO AND A HALF MEN but I’d actually watch it if they had CHARLIE SHEEN‘s character do even half of the things he did in real life.
TUESDAY
FOX – 8:00 PM: First she was on the CMA’s and now QWYNETH PALTROW fill’s in when MR. SCHUSTER gets on tonight’s GLEE. At this point we just need to know when her CD drops, right?
ABC – 8:00 PM: Isn’t it a bit soon for JIM to be trying to take on a mobster on NO ORDINARY FAMILY? I thought you had to have a set arch-nemesis before you could go after the mob.
FOX – 9:30 PM: I guess it doesn’t speak well to RUNNING WILDE fans that its slot is filled with a repeat of RAISING HOPE.
TBS – 10:00 PM: So the director of VAN WILDER is one of the creators of GLORY DAZE about a group of college friends trying to get into an anything goes fraternity back in 1986. Ah, a historical period piece! CONAN must be excited about the lead in.
WEDNESDAY
FOX – 8:00 PM: Tonight marks the return of HUMAN TARGET and there’s lots of buzz over CHUCK alumn MATT MILLER taking over as show runner. Having seen the premiere episode I like the new feel of the show and new cast members.
CBS – 8:00 PM: One of the tribes comes back to camp to discover it’s been consumed by fire on tonight’s SURVIVOR: NICARAGUA. Someone didn’t listen to SMOKEY THE BEAR when they were a kid.
DISCOVERY – 9:00 PM: Tonight the MYTHBUSTER are driving backwards at top speeds. I have no idea what the myth they are busting is but I can’t wait to see this one.
ABC – 10:00 PM: Who could believe it’s already been a quarter of a century of sexy! 25 YEARS OF SEXY: PEOPLE MAGAZINE’S SEXIEST MAN ALIVE! tries to get us to relive it all with host KIM KARDASHIAN. I still don’t get how there can be a new sexiest man alive every year since they don’t kill off the old ones. They should make it more like LOGAN’S RUN and only the strongest of them all renews.
TBS – 11:00 PM: CONAN has RUSSEL BRAND and KID ROCK performs. Now THAT is a backstage I wouldn’t mind crashing.
THURSDAY
ABC – 8:00 PM: Someone tell that little round headed kid that A CHARLIE BROWN THANKSGIVING is a week too early.
NBC – 9:00 PM: Tonight’s THE OFFICE has a lot going on at once. DWIGHT puts together a hay festival in the parking lot, MICHAEL apparently has forgotten that RYAN was arrested over fraud as he tries to convince others to invest in RYAN‘s Internet company and some type of technicality stops JIM from being able to earn commission. I’m tuning in for the hay festival myself.
TBS – 11:00 PM: Tonight CONAN has JESSE EISENBERG. Hopefully he’ll mention how people tell him they loved him in SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD and the comedy circle will be complete (see MICHAEL CERA’s appearance last week on CONAN if you don’t get this).
FRIDAY
THE CW – 8:00 PM: To take the heat off of his team OLIVER registers for the VIGILANTE SUPER HERO ACT. Since he already admitted he is a vigilante I don’t know how this would actually take any heat off of anyone.
TRUTV – 8:00 PM: Want a triple-header of crazy? Take in CONSPIRACY THEORY WITH JESSE VENTURA.
TLC – 10:00 PM: HOMEMADE MILLIONAIRE lets female home inventors present their ideas to KELLY RIPPA and a panel of judges hoping to win a deal with HSN. I wonder how long until I see the MAC & COOL on there.
SATURDAY
TNT – 8:00 PM: Want some fun? Watch WHAT WOMEN WANT but play those phone message recordings of MEL GIBSON‘s to replace his dialogue.
TBS – 10:00 PM: Aw heck, why not watch TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY but play those phone message recordings of MEL GIBSON‘s as well. It’s better than most of the other options on TV tonight.
NBC – 11:30 PM: Last time ANNE HATHAWAY was on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE she killed so I’d highly recommend taking this one in as well.
SUNDAY
USA – 7:00 PM: It must be the holiday season because USA Network has started there annual over-playing of ELF.
ABC – 8:00 PM: I’m not exactly sure what the 2010 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS are but look at all the acts they have lined up: Kid Rock, Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, Pink, Usher, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Ne-Yo; Diddy-Dirty Money, and Rihanna. For some reason they also think it’s a big deal that they’ll have New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys on stage together. That WOULD be really exciting if it were still the 90’s.
E! – 9:00 PM: Tonight on THE E! TRUE HOLLYWOOD STORY they turn their attention to former AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANT ADAM LAMBERT. Didn’t this show used to be all about tragic careers? Oh wait, it still is. They’re just getting ahead of the curve on this one.
SHO – 9:00 PM: I haven’t written a lot about DEXTER this season because I tend to be in catch up mode on it but I love the direction they’ve taken after the powerhouse of a season they had last year. I’m sure tonight will be another great installment of the show.
Welcome to Hands Down, FRED’s own look into the world of the folks that frequent this sordid world of geekery. Follow Aaron, Brian and Colin (and a menagerie on the way) as they traverse the light fantastic or some such nonsense… What? It’s an online fortnightly comic strip, what kind of description did you expect?
This week sees the release of the new Take That album Progress. Now, while I know nothing of the album other than the current single I am already impressed by the cover. The album sees the return of former member Robbie Williams to the group. This cover, featuring the band members parodying the scale of evolution, is poignant, clever and looks great.
This had me thinking about other album covers that I can just stare at all day. This may be hard to do on an iTunes screen but I still buy CDs so I can appreciate them. Here’s a list of some of my favourites.
The Beatles have had plenty of iconic album covers and while For Sale is a lot simpler in comparison to Revolver or Sgt Pepper’s I think its an awesome image in the true definition of the word. And as Paul McCartney has pointed out before, George’s turnip hair is a thing of beauty.
Supergrass were an essential 90s band. They kept going through the 00s but for me it was the 90s that they hit their musical heights. This album cover is a wonderful tongue-in-cheek nod after the success of their debut I Should CoCo. Also, it doesn’t hurt that there are some stonking great tunes on it too.
I have a storied history of love/hate with this band. Snow Patrol now are nothing more than elevator music but there was a time that they were a great indie band. This album is one of those times. And while the title is a bit of a ramble and indicative of a young band, the Icarus style photo is timeless.
This came out when I was relatively young (8 years old to be precise) and my older brother, who I shared a room with, had bought the album. I remember staring at it for hours, being fascinated by the design. The title Blood Sugar Sex Magik contributed to peak my interest, no doubt. It stayed with me and I grew up to buy it myself.
Pearl Jam’s No Code isn’t my favourite of their albums musically. It’s not bad but it’s definitely not my favourite. However, if we’re talking album covers that you could stare at all day, this is definitely one. This motif continues to the back and in-sleeve. It is fascinating and I spot something different every time I browse it.
I could go on all day with this and the above are certainly not a well considered Top 5 but they’re the first ones that jumped to mind. I may revisit this theme someday but for now I’ll leave it with this.
If you have any favourites yourself, please comment and include them below!
– Aaron Poole is the last savior of Sunday mornings. He is also more acurately an editor for FRED and rarely leaves the house. If you like what you read here, or more likely want to leave him some hate message, check out his blog http://aaronfever.blogspot.com
The biggest and most pleasurable surprise I have had at the multiplex this year is the astonishing crop of unique, stylistic and transgressive romantic comedies to hit theaters. Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami’s France-set Certified Copy used his typically metafictional approach to undermine the entire genre even as he tapped into the core of pain and anxiety that propels the conflicts not only of romantic comedy but romance itself. 87-year-old legend Alain Resnais used his own fourth-wall breaking effervescence to bypass the emotion to get to the sexual lust of love in Wild Grass.
I knew Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would be no less aesthetically daring when the opening credits warped the dimensions of the apartment where the titular protagonist and his band practice, suddenly playing hyperkinetic colors cascading over the screen, matching the sort of industrial indie grind belted out by the band, Sex Bob-omb. In a flash, Wright uses some of the first moments of the film to recall the great experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage, a man who took film form to new heights when he ceased filming and simply painted and scratched on film stock. What I noticed upon re-watching Scott Pilgrim was how much the seemingly random swirl of neon actually reveals about the characters, from the faint etching of “One! Two! Three! Four!” on Allison Pill’s credit or the straight edge exes for Brandon Routh’s.
What I did notice the first time I watched the film but saw even more clearly now was how much Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a logical progression from Wright’s breakthrough, the Britcom Spaced. Spaced, a British — read: funny – update on Friends with a dash of Three’s Company, used the conceit of two friends posing as a married couple to live in a nice, affordable flat to explore feelings of Gen-X ennui and idle. Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson (now Hynes) wrote characters who dreamed of being artists, only to toil away in minimum wage jobs and watch the same geeky movies and shows over and over without purpose.
Wright and co. turned the sitcom into a surreal masterpiece, using one episode to launch a zombie invasion, another to pit characters in Robot Wars-like combat, and so, so much more. Through it all, the crew never lost track of why they put so much focus into seemingly gimmicky, absurd episodes: in doing so, they captured the mentality of Generation X, social alienation that offered no cultural touchstone upon which to build an identity. So, they built it on the artifice of pop culture. For the first time, movies defined a generation, and the ones that did were typically filled with allusions to previous generation’s cinema. As funny as Spaced was, the central dramatic arc of the series concerned the characters bumping up against the limitations of that worldview, as critical of getting trapped in adolescent geek worship as it was gleefully accepting.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World jumps Spaced forward a generation, shifting the cultural bedrock from slacker cinema to the millennial age. The film’s frenzied, luminescent aesthetic befits a generation raised on the Internet, diagnosed with ADHD in disturbing numbers. Match cuts jump characters through time and space as Scott’s scatterbrain wonders off in conversation, only to pick up consciousness hours later; it’s a testament to how pointless everyone’s conversations are that each line can run into a later chat without any discrepancy.
Casting Michael Cera was a masterstroke on Wright’s part, and he did it for the exact right reason. He said he wanted someone who “audiences will still follow even when the character is being a bit of an ass,” and Cera has that quality in spades. But Scott is such a self-absorbed character that, paradoxically, his myopia breaks Cera of the increasingly narrow range in which he works. Cera manages to play his usual, endearing geek, only to then pit that type against itself. Wright has an underappreciated ability to draw out the stunted emotions of his male characters and the subtler maturity of his equally regressed females. The latter is particularly important because so many filmmakers take the easy way out and make their women not only the moral core of the work but the mental one. There’s an admirable lack of Madonna/whore complexes in Wright’s work, and every time he brushes up against that dead horse, he veers off magnificently as if a showboating pilot buzzing a tower.
When he turns his attention to Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), literally the girl of his dreams, we find that she’s not that much better. She’s had her own experiences with breaking hearts, and in her more revealing moments, she seems just as lost and confused by her place in the world as Scott, even if she is maturing faster than him. She’s just moved from New York to Toronto to get away from her life, but neither her change of location nor her constant skating through subspace can give off the impression that she’s going anywhere in life.
“Everybody has baggage,” she tells Scott, but hers comes in the form of seven evil exes who challenge Scott to duels to the death. Each battle has its own fighting style, from a warped Bollywood dance to a showdown between bassists to a battle of the bands fought through amps. Wright ingeniously changes up color palettes to ensure that not only the fighting differentiates from other battles, but the look of the film itself shifts too.
Underneath the brilliance of these fights, however, is a nagging question: why are these jilted lovers fighting Scott? None of them seem that hung up on Ramona, and even the ringleader, Gideon (Jason Schwartzman) never cared about her when they were together. O’Malley and Wright make the exes more a projection of Ramona’s guilt and aimlessness than people in their own right. Rather than portray her as just a femme fatale who dates someone just long enough to break his (or her) heart. By unloading her hang-ups onto Scott, she brings him into her world, the dark, nebulous transition from Scott’s obliviousness and adulthood. When Knives, who blames Ramona for Scott dumping her instead of the boy, starts to stalk and attack Ramona, we see how Scott has his own baggage that he can’t own up to. Like Spaced‘s Daisy, Ramona may be a bit more mature than the men in her life, but she’s just as mired in listlessness and feelings of inadequacy.
But let me back away for a moment to discuss why Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is not just insightful but, quite simply, the most damn fun I had at a theater this year. There isn’t a single scene that tries to be funny and fails. Wright and Michael Bacall’s script fluidly adapts O’Malley’s comics, which struck a balance between early Kevin Smith, Pegg and Stevenson’s writing on Spaced, and even a heaping dose of Tarantino circa Kill Bill. One-liners fly so fast that I’m still finding one I hadn’t yet heard on a third watch: when her ex-girlfriend joins the fray, Ramona excuses that aspect of her past by saying it was just a phase. “You had a sexy phase?!” asks Scott incredulously. Nearly everything Scott’s gay roommate, Wallace (Kieran Culkin), says will make you double over in laughter.
Then there’s the matter of Wright’s visuals. There haven’t been as many sight gags in American comedic cinema in, oh dear, decades? His penchant for reference humor finds its most frenetic outlet, quoting liberally from classic video games, action movies, Natural Born Killers (the use of a laugh track in one sequence, which also plays the Seinfeld bassline) and the split-cell design of comic books. Gideon is openly modeled after the vile, demonic producer Swan from Brian De Palma’s woefully under-seen music industry musical Phantom of the Paradise.
De Palma could be seen as the overriding influence on Wright’s film, and Scott Pilgrim at times resembles what the elder director might make if he could get his hands on a sizeable budget again. Wright puts digital animation over the movie, scribbling onomatopoeic words like “Ding-dong” for doorbells or adding action lines and lighting bolts to communicate the “epic epicness” of the film’s tagline. The use of split-screen makes the film more like a comic book, but it also carries De Palma’s stamp through and through, as do some of the more complicated camera movements and the odd use of iris. Wright has his team throw in objects such as a “pee bar” that hovers over Scott and drains as he empties his bladder, depict the battle of the bands between Sex Bob-omb and the Katayanagi twins as a duel between beasts summoned from the power of rock (and house) music. It bewilders me even now to think that the film cost less than $100 million when it contains more ingenuity and more dazzling effects than Michael Bay’s Transformer movies.
Like De Palma, Wright never lets the joke get in the way of a deeper sincerity, but where De Palma’s vision is fundamentally cynical, Wright’s is more optimistic. It shows in the greater rapport he has with actors, whom he trusts, and the giddy playfulness he brings to his work. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with the ending the first time I saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, feeling that it arrived too quickly off of a climactic fight that didn’t calm things down enough. Now, however, I find it as clever as anything else in the movie. As with Spaced, Scott Pilgrim ends an resolved note, but an ambiguous one. The characters have only finally made it to a breakthrough, but we won’t get to see them at last move into the next phase of life. It’s perhaps the most touching moment in Wright’s canon so far, proof that after he’d made bromance so affecting with his last two features, he could finally do love with adroit skill. It’s easy to get caught up in how fun Edgar Wright’s movies are, because they have all held up to all the repeat viewings I can give them. But it took me a while to see just how much empathy he has for his characters, and how fluidly he can make the personal work of another artist (O’Malley) his own. Armed with a perfectly chosen cast, a deft script and a touch of brazen visual surrealism that surely damned the film by making it ahead of its time, Wright has shattered the boundaries between film, video game, comic book and cartoon. What’s more impressive is how effortlessly he does it.
Blu-Ray Specs
Universal’s AVC-encoded 1080p transfer looks magnificent. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a mixture of dazzling effects and lo-fi, indie-music-as-visual-aesthetic cinematography, thus creating a possible quality leap between the brilliant, popping colors of the animated effects and the drab look of snowy Toronto. Fear not, this transfer handles the juxtaposition almost flawlessly, presenting a healthy, natural amount of grain and an eye-popping presentation of the more striking visual aspects of the film. Black levels are incredible too, and the shot of Scott silhouetted in total darkness as he wears a blue parka looks perfectly crisp, not washing out the blue in the black at all.
As for the audio, well, I had to keep turning the volume down because the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is so overwhelming I was afraid neighbors would come knocking even in the middle of the afternoon. The combination of the film’s garage/indie soundtrack, overwhelming Foley effects in fights and subtler use of sound gave Scott Pilgrim one of the better mixes of any film this year, and it’s all been ported over to the home theater. There are as many gags on the soundtrack as there are in the visuals, so the audio quality is especially welcome in unpacking the film’s numerous treats.
Special Features
Edgar Wright has never been one to let his work hit home video without copious extras, but he outdoes himself here. First up, he offers a whopping four commentaries: 1) Wright, co-writer Michael Bacall and Byan Lee O’Malley; 2) a technical track with Wright and cinematographer Bill Pope; 3) cast commentary with Cera, Winstead, Wong, Schwartzman and Brandon Routh; 4) a second cast commentary with Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Kieran Culkin, and Mark Webber. I have not had the chance to listen to all of them yet, but the first cast commentary is light while insightful and the snippet I listened to of the second promises some goods as the supporting players are all hungover from the premiere they attended the night before.
Elsewhere, we get:
Deleted scenes: 21 deleted and extended scenes, almost all of which would have been a welcome addition to the film. Wright also throws in the original ending which seemed the more logical and appropriate choice when I first watched the movie but now that I actually see what was proposed, I agree with the choice ultimately made.
Alternate Footage.
Blooper Reel.
Documentaries: four docs on various aspects of the film, the highlight of which is a 50-minute broad overview of the movie’s production.
Pre-Production: An 85-minute look into the long and studious pre-production process on the film, from casting to rehearsal to set design.
Visual Effects: A more in-depth look at some of the more impressive animation sequences in the film.
Soundworks Collection: A sadly brief examination of the masterful sound editing on the feature.
Music Promos: Includes music videos, remixes and montages set to the film’s music.
Adult Swim: Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation: An animated short made for Cartoon Newtork.
Blogs: Wright’s production diary
Galleries: Production stills and press kit material.
Trivia Track: A pop-up feature with tidbits. Somewhat unnecessary given the presence of four commentary tracks.
U-Control: Offers Picture-in-Picture storyboards.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the Censors: Re-loops the dialogue to avoid swears.
Theatrical trailers and TV spots.
And if that’s not enough, the disc is also BD-Live enabled.
Final Thoughts
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is Edgar Wright’s third straight masterwork in a row (fourth if you count Spaced). With a fraction of the usual summer blockbuster budget, Wright has delivered the most inventive mainstream film in years, but also one that develops the same themes that have occupied him his whole career. It changed my opinion of Cera, deepened my appreciation for Winstead (who is one of the best young actresses working) and Culkin, and gave us a fantastic newcomer in Wong. Some say Scott Pilgrim is destined to become a midnight movie, which I’m sure would send Wright over the moon. I think that’s probably true, but I also believe that the film is cleverer than midnight popcorn fare. As much as I still love to cheer on its lunacy, I find myself increasingly affected by its ideas and more and more able to see myself, and my friends, in the characters. Wright was already ahead of the curve in terms of making riotous, reference-heavy genre film with heart, but here he not only transcends genre, he transcends art form. He’s so ahead of everyone now that he’ll have to take the next few years off just to let people catch up. That is, if he wants them to at all.
– Jake Cole is a journalism student at Auburn University, where he regularly avoids people in favor of writing about film, television and music on his blog, Not Just Movies. When he is not writing movie reviews, he is inevitably writing something else and will continue to do so until he runs out of excuses not to go outside.
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…)
It was with some trepidation that fans entered the 5th season of Doctor Who (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$89.98 SRP) – Not only were we losing fan-favorite David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, but the 11th Doctor would be the ridiculously young unknown Matt Smith. Surely this would be when the new series stumbled. Well, no. No it didn’t. In fact, Matt Smith is a wonder in the role, and has more than made it its own, and new companion Amy Pond puts all former Nu-Who companions to shame. Add to that some brilliant writing and a true sense of fun (Remember when sci-fi wasn’t just maudlin navel-gazing?), and you have a brilliant season. Bonus materials include newly-filmed short interludes between episodes, video diaries, Doctor Who Confidential, in-vision commentaries, Monster Files, outtakes, teasers, and trailers.
If you’re keen on the environment but also really, really like to make a lot of noise, why not try the reusable EcoBlast Air Horn ($29.99 SRP), which allows us to use a simple air pump to refill a plastic bottle with air – and believe you me, this thing makes one hell of a loud noise.
Another could-have-been-a-disaster moment turned out to be gold with Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss’s modern take on Sherlock Holmes, Sherlock (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), which managed to make the mythos current without undermining the essence of what has made the character a perennial. My only regret? That the first season is on 3 feature-length episodes long. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, a making-of featurette, and the original pilot episode.
It’s a been a few months, and you know what that means – a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 set! Continuing their yearly tradition, this holiday period box set comes packed with another bot action figure, and this times it’s the absolutely massive (and wonderfully accurate) Gypsy. If that weren’t enough, the movies contained in the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection: Volume XIX (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$69.97 SRP) are the 1st season episode Robot Monster (with a Josh Weinstein intro), season 4’s Bride Of The Monster, and the Sci-Fi era Devil Doll and Devil Fish. Bonus materials include featurettes on Bride & Devil Doll, a look at the “Invention Exchange”, a panel from CONvergence 2009, and trailers.
No one but Edgar Wright could have made a film quite as eccentrically experimental yet firmly rooted in pop culture geekery as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s genre-blender comic series about a 22-year-old going-nowhere bass player that falls head-over-heels for Ramona Flowers, a girl with Seven Evil Exes bent on destroying Pilgrim. Yeah, that about sums it up. And yes, you’ll want to get the Blu-Ray, loaded with commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, music videos, the Adult Swim animated short, bloopers, and more.
They’re absolute classics and seasonal must-haves, and now the Peanuts: Deluxe Holiday Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$42.98 SRP) has made its debut in high definition. The 6-disc set contains It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, & A Charlie Brown Christmas, each of which contains bonus specials and making-of featurettes, as well as standard DVDs.
A few months has gone by, which means that the BBC vault has opened and another pair of classic Doctor Who releases have made their way out – specifically the Tom Baker years Revenge Of The Cybermen & the Sylvester McCoy Silver Nemesis (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP each). Both contain the usual plethora of bonus materials, including audio commentaries, featurettes, interviews, galleries, and more.
Push Clooney & Pitt out of your mind for a moment and revel in the HD glory of The Rat Pack’s grand heist, as the 50th anniversary edition of Ocean’s 11 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP) significantly upgrades the picture and sound in what remains a mostly swinging relic of a bygone age. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, an interactive Vegas: Then & Now map, casino vignettes, and a segment of Angie Dickinson appearing on The Tonight Show with guest host Sinatra.
It’s the holiday season, and Warners has added to their set of deluxe holiday Ultimate Collections (previous entries include A Christmas Story & Christmas Vacation) with the Elf: Ultimate Edition (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP). Not only does it feature the film’s high definition debut (with commentaries, featurettes, and deleted/alternate scenes), but also a stocking, present tags, a soundtrack sampler CD, and a magnetic picture frame, all packed in a collectible tin.
Fans of the recent direct-to-DVD DC animated fare will no that many of those came with bonus shorts starring other characters within the DC universe. Well, extended versions of those shorts have been collected with a brand new one – that new one being the titular Superman/Shazam!: The Return Of Black Adam (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). Bonus features include audio commentaries on all 4 shorts.
It’s a shame that Secret Origin: The Story of DC Comics (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) wasn’t independently produced, because it then could have told the real story about how a once-great company full of iconic characters has pissed away a publishing empire and lost generation after generation of new readers with blinkered incompetence at the highest executive levels who insist on pandering to wank-happy fanboys by destroying those selfsame iconic characters that built the company. Shame, that.
As a film, it’s a big mess, but there’s plenty of fun still to be had in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (MGM, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), even if – with its inferior Sherman Brothers songs and Dick Van Dyke – it seems like a poor man’s Mary Poppins. Still, it’s a beautiful Blu-Ray restoration and hey! Flying car! And a ridiculously infectious title song. Bonus materials include retrospective & vintage featurettes, and galleries.
They might not be as popular or prevalent as they once were, but there’s still something alluring to life under the big top – a life which is explored in the documentary Circus (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP), which follows the Big Apple Circus on its 350-show tour. Bonus materials include additional footage and profiles.
Economize your high definition kiddie-slick purchase with the Scooby-Doo 1 & 2 Collection (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which brings together both live action big screen outings, with bonus materials including audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and music videos.
Where the US version of the UK’s middle-age male crisis dramedy Manchild never got past pilot, the similarly themed Men Of A Certain Age (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – starring Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula – seems to be going strong. The first season set contains audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
The big screen version may be moving in fits and spurts, but the BBC’s live action adaptation of The Chronicles Of Narnia (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) has now been collected into one complete set, complete with featurettes, outtakes, and a 2003 reunion of the cast.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I’m not a fan, but I know may out there will have been champing at the bit for Metalocalypse: Season 3 (Adult Swim, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). And for them, there’s all 10 episodes in high definition, plus a bucketload of bonus features.
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…
Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and FRED’s Ken Plume set out to have a literate conversation between two pals, but inevitably devolve into a verbal, and funny, free-for-all full of bickering, infighting, and the special kind of male bonding that comes from conflict expressed through the podcast medium.
Actor/comedian/raconteur Dana Snyder, you’re certainly aware, is Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Shake, Squidbillies‘ Granny, Minoriteam’s Dr. Wang, and The Venture Bros.‘ Alchemist. Available for weddings and bar mitzvahs (bat availability pending), you can keep tabs on him via his website, www.eyeofthesnyder.com.
Ken Plume is the editor-in-chief here at FRED. He is a friend of Dana’s, as well as his arch-nemesis.
KEN P.D. SNYDECAST #160: Scratch Fever – Ken & Dana return with a rant about poor driving skills, mixed with a rant about poor parking skills. Basically, nobody should be allowed to drive, ever.
[CONTENT WARNING]:This podcast may contain some foul language and horribly off-color jokes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Movies. Comic Books. Pot. The important things in life.
Matt Cohen has spent twenty five years amassing a gorgeous head full of useless information… and now, he’s sharing it with you. Live. On a weekly basis.
Lucky…
Join Matt, his friend Brendan Creecy, and a special guest host as they ponder and pontificate the finer points of existence… and generally offend a whole bunch of people.
Sometimes funny. Sometimes poignant. Sometimes naked from the waist down.
Always,
Bagged & Boarded
BAGGED & BOARDED #77: The Ghost Of Carol Lombard –In which Matt and Brendo are joined by special guest Taylor Negron to discuss 80’s films, working for Lucille Ball, and the general mysteries of the universe. You NEED to hear this one.
[CONTENT WARNING]:This podcast may contain some foul language and horribly off-color jokes. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at FRED. Every week, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Wednesday, December 1st.
The muscular set — the 4th most requested unreleased show at TVShowsonDVD.com ““ is housed in ultra-collectible packaging sporting an audio chip and eye-popping 3-D lenticular artwork. Across 40 DVDs, the complete series features all 100 digitally-preserved hour-long episodes ““ including three presented in their original 2-hour broadcast versions — all of which have been remastered from the original, uncut broadcast versions. The set also contains more than 17 hours of all-new bonus material specially created just for this collection, highlighted by new, in-depth interviews with Lee Majors (Col. Steve Austin) and Richard Anderson (Oscar Goldman) among others. Also included will be the three pilot TV movies (“The Six Million Dollar Man”, “Wine, Women and War”, “Solid Gold Kidnapping”), the three reunion TV movies (“The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman”, “Bionic Showdown” (featuring Sandra Bullock) and “Bionic Ever After?”) and the never-before-released cross-over episodes of The Bionic Woman, all of which have also been digitally restored from the original source material. Additionally, for the true completist, the set also contains the alternative syndicated edits of the pilot and reunion TV movies, which, when added together, makes for more than 30 unbelievable hours of bonus programming.
Filed under: FREDagator — UncaScroogeMcD @ 4:24 am
Did you ever hear about the comedy film RETURN OF THE EWOK, shot during production of RETURN OF THE JEDI and starring Warwick Davis alongside a bevy of famous co-star cameos?…
If you’ve been a long time reader of this column (if so, my condolences) than you know that I’ve had a mixed relationship with the show SMALLVILLE. There have been times in the past I’ve loved SMALLVILLE and there have been times in the past where I’ve detested it. It has been a very uneven show that has strayed far away from its original concept in the fight to stay viable.
For those of you that may be completely unaware of what SMALLVILLE is still the premise is really simple: It’s a revised version of the life that CLARK KENT lives leading up to becoming SUPERMAN. The show started as a hybrid version of THE X-FILES and ROSWELL with a monster-of-the-week theme while the young CLARK learned about his powers and abilities. As the years have passed the monster-of-the-week theme stuck but the developing Supes story also merged with MELROSE PLACE along the way as characters slept with other characters and Kryptonian story lines furthered to muddy the waters of comprehension.
With SMALLVILLE entering its tenth and final season I wasn’t sure if I was going to stick with it, which is pretty much what I’ve done each year for at least the past five seasons. Thankfully I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what the creative team behind the show has done with the stories thus far and with the direction that the show is headed. They know that this is the final season and they seem to be guiding us into the final transitional chapter of CLARK KENT finally putting on those tights and becoming the protector of mankind.
A few seasons back the show did what I considered the unthinkable in the offing of SUPERMAN’s greatest foe, the corrupt and powerful LEX LUTHOR. The move was one the show had to do since Michael Rosenbaum decided it was time he move on from the role. In this final season it would seem that they’ve come up with a way to remedy this in a way that I find acceptable both creatively and conceptually.
The most important part of this final lap that SMALLVILLE is taking is the solidification of the relationship between LOIS and CLARK. In the past the relationship wasn’t one that I was able to buy between the two actors but this season the chemistry between TOM WELLING and ERICA DURANCE is more palpable. I can finally believe them as a couple and I’m ready to see them move towards the closing of this story.
My only gripe right now is the VIGILANTE REGISTRATION ACT story line that they also are playing out. I suppose the MARVEL COMICS CIVIL WAR is still too fresh in my mind to have this topic retread but I’m not sure if the comic reading uber-geek is really the core audience of this show any more and I may be speaking in the minority. It’s also been a few episodes since we’ve had to deal with DARKSEID but I’m sure he’ll be cropping up some time in December just in time for a winter break cliffhanger.
Enough about SMALLVILLE though, let’s get to the nitty gritty.
MONDAY
NBC – 8:00 PM: Quick note to NBC, if you want to get out of last place running DECISION POINTS: A Conversation with George W. Bush opposite… well… anything on the schedule… won’t help you. Another bad decision may also come back to haunt you later tonight at 11.
CBS – 9:30 PM: Tonight on MIKE & MOLLY it turns out MIKE‘s snoring may be an issue. Oh yeah, there nothing more of a knee slapper than sleep apnea.
TBS – 11:00 PM: Seriously, is there anything else on tonight that is more noteworthy than the premiere of CONAN? TBS is going to have their highest late night ratings tonight. This isn’t a prediction, it’s a fact. The real question: how long will the ratings wave last? Yes I’m petty and yes I hope the ratings stay high just long enough for the execs atNBC to REALLY regret their decision.
TUESDAY
FOX – 8:00 PM:SAM and FINN find an unconventional way of controlling their urges on GLEE. Does it have anything to do with guys bursting out into song spontaneously or singing show tunes? That’s a mood killer for me any day.
NBC – 8:00 PM: Instead of just yelling at the contestants on THE BIGGEST LOSER to work them to death in the gymBOB and JILLIAN also confront them on issues they can’t overcome. I’m sure that’s just what you want when you’re muscles have turned to jelly and your coated in sweat.
ABC – 8:00 PM: It’s always hard when the in-laws drop in, but imagine if you’re NO ORDINARY FAMILY and you have to hide your powers. Even worse, imagine you can read minds and your grandma is in the room checking out your grandpa. Eeeewwww!
WEDNESDAY
ABC – 8:00 PM: I’ve never watched the CMAs before but tonight onTHE 44th ANNUAL CMA AWARDS we’ll get to see GWYNETH PALTROW make her live country music debut. Anyone who’s seen DUETS has to be as excited as I am for this (I’m not).
NBC – 8:00 PM: At press time I’ve yet to watch a single episode of UNDERCOVERS. According to the ratings I’m not alone.
FOX – 8:00 PM: Tonight on HELL’S KITCHENit’s the men v… oh, who cares. I’ve never watched a single frame of this show either. It’s just filler at this point isn’t it?
THURSDAY
HBO – 9:00 PM:JAMES GANDOLFINIinterviews men of the service and their families to examine the lingering effects of battle in the gripping documentary WARTORN: 1861-2010.
NBC – 9:00 PM:ERINand GABEhost a viewing part of GLEEon THE OFFICEand I’m at a total loss that a competing network show gets this kind of coverage. Oh those whackey OFFICE writers!
USA – 10:00 PM: It’s the mid-season return of BURN NOTICE and MICHAEL WESTON still continues his quest to find the people who burned him. Shouldn’t he just find a good therapist at this point and let it go? He’s got a pretty decent ‘protector for hire’ business going on, why not just be happy doing that? Oh yeah, then there’d be no angst to the show.
FRIDAY
THE CW – 8:00 PM:TERI HATCHER returns to a super-themed show tonight onSMALLVILLEas she shows up as LOIS LANE‘s mom only thirteen years after she herself played the character. That’s gotta not feel too good for the ego.
CBS – 8:00 PM: Weird stuff happens on MEDIUM, same as it ever does. I only mention it because the network cut the show’s order down to 13 episodes so this may be one of the final five episodes of MEDIUMever.
FOX – 9:00 PM:JACKand LIZ try to get away to a romantic Bed & Breakfast and I’m sure DAN won’t do anything to ruin it on tonight’s episode of THE GOOD GUYS.
SATURDAY
BBC AMERICA – 6:00 AM EST: An all day marathon of the last season of DOCTOR WHO is kicked off with the final TENNANT installment THE END OF TIME. You’ve only got to endure two hours to get to MATT SMITH, and it’s well worth it. Since this season was also available on home video November 9th I’m sure you’ll see plenty of commercials to buy it as well during the run today.
NBC – 8:00 PM: The series finale of OUTLAW airs proving once again that Saturday night is where cancelled shows go to die.
HBO – 10:00 PM: TRACY MORGAN: BLACK AND BLUE tries to continue the time honored tradition of a hilarious Saturday night HBOcomedy special. Yes, I said tries.
SUNDAY
ABC – 8:00 PM:CARRIE UNDERWOOD, LEANN RIMESand KEITH URBAN help the EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION team rebuild a school. Yes, HOME EDITION rebuilds a  SCHOOL. I guess they’ll be brushing up on reading comprehension while they are there.
TLC – 9:00 PM: Because we just haven’t gotten enough of her the good folks at TLC decided we really needed to see SARAH PALIN’S ALASKA. I’m sure it is majestic, beautiful and filled with at least 10 minutes of political crazy talk.
PBS – 9:00 PM: In a way it is sort of fitting that the woman who did the most notorious SARAH PALINimpersonation is honored and it airs opposite her TLC premiere with tonight’s counter-programming of TINA FEY: THE MARK TWAIN PRIZE. Talk about going rogue!
Adult Swim’s Dana Snyder and FRED’s Ken Plume set out to have a literate conversation between two pals, but inevitably devolve into a verbal, and funny, free-for-all full of bickering, infighting, and the special kind of male bonding that comes from conflict expressed through the podcast medium.
Actor/comedian/raconteur Dana Snyder, you’re certainly aware, is Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s Master Shake, Squidbillies‘ Granny, Minoriteam’s Dr. Wang, and The Venture Bros.‘ Alchemist. Available for weddings and bar mitzvahs (bat availability pending), you can keep tabs on him via his website, www.eyeofthesnyder.com.
Ken Plume is the editor-in-chief here at FRED. He is a friend of Dana’s, as well as his arch-nemesis.
Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp
SKYLINE – Screening and Giveaway
I am genuinely excited to get people jazzed about a movie that looks like a such a high budgeted action film but was shot for a lot less than you would imagine.
The trailers have shockingly been mum on what is going on here with the movie and why people seem to be sucked up like a vacuum cleaner picking up dust bunnies but that is even better for me. If you’re a fan of sci-fi and can worship at the altar of special effects masters like the Strause brothers then this is the movie for you.
The screening will take place at 11 pm on the 11th at the Harkins Tempe Marketplace so if you would like to go, hit me up and I’ll make sure you get entered to win some tickets. As well, I have a few Skyline prize packs to give out. I’ve got hats, posters, and boxes of candy (what relation this has to the film I haven’t a clue but everyone in the world loves candy so embrace it) so if you want to be loud and proud with your love for this little film that could by all means drop me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and let me know you want something.
Good luck to everyone out there and here’s to hoping this movie can jump start my interest in the fall movie season.
About the film:
SKYLINE: In the sci-fi thriller Skyline, strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles, drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth.
Skyline is directed and produced by the Brothers Strause (Alien vs. Predator: Requiem), whose company Hydraulx has provided visual effects for Avatar, Iron Man 2, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and 300.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I knew Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World would be no less aesthetically daring when the opening credits warped the dimensions of the apartment where the titular protagonist and his band practice, suddenly playing hyperkinetic colors cascading over the screen, matching the sort of industrial indie grind belted out by the band, Sex Bob-omb. In a flash, Wright uses some of the first moments of the film to recall the great experimental filmmaker Stan Brakhage, a man who took film form to new heights when he ceased filming and simply painted and scratched on film stock. What I noticed upon re-watching Scott Pilgrim was how much the seemingly random swirl of neon actually reveals about the characters, from the faint etching of “One! Two! Three! Four!” on Allison Pill’s credit or the straight edge exes for Brandon Routh’s. 
It was with some trepidation that fans entered the 5th season of 
If you’re keen on the environment but also really, really like to make a lot of noise, why not try the reusable 
Another could-have-been-a-disaster moment turned out to be gold with Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss’s modern take on Sherlock Holmes, 
It’s a been a few months, and you know what that means – a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 set! Continuing their yearly tradition, this holiday period box set comes packed with another bot action figure, and this times it’s the absolutely massive (and wonderfully accurate) Gypsy. If that weren’t enough, the movies contained in the 
No one but Edgar Wright could have made a film quite as eccentrically experimental yet firmly rooted in pop culture geekery as 
They’re absolute classics and seasonal must-haves, and now the 
A few months has gone by, which means that the BBC vault has opened and another pair of classic Doctor Who releases have made their way out – specifically the Tom Baker years 
Push Clooney & Pitt out of your mind for a moment and revel in the HD glory of The Rat Pack’s grand heist, as the 50th anniversary edition of 
It’s the holiday season, and Warners has added to their set of deluxe holiday Ultimate Collections (previous entries include A Christmas Story & Christmas Vacation) with the 
Fans of the recent direct-to-DVD DC animated fare will no that many of those came with bonus shorts starring other characters within the DC universe. Well, extended versions of those shorts have been collected with a brand new one – that new one being the titular 
It’s a shame that 
As a film, it’s a big mess, but there’s plenty of fun still to be had in 
They might not be as popular or prevalent as they once were, but there’s still something alluring to life under the big top – a life which is explored in the documentary 
Economize your high definition kiddie-slick purchase with the 
Where the US version of the UK’s middle-age male crisis dramedy Manchild never got past pilot, the similarly themed 
The big screen version may be moving in fits and spurts, but the BBC’s live action adaptation of 
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I’m not a fan, but I know may out there will have been champing at the bit for 
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I am genuinely excited to get people jazzed about a movie that looks like a such a high budgeted action film but was shot for a lot less than you would imagine.