While I don’t think it’s as brilliant as it’s massive box office take seems to suggest, I do think Frozen (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP) is definitely an enjoyable animated film that proves the House of Mouse has come along way from their awkward early CG days of Dinosaur and Chicken Little. I’m not entirely sure why the 3D version of the film hasn’t been released, but this special edition – featuring a making-of, music videos, deleted scenes, and the clever Mickey Mouse short “Get A Horse!” – will tide you over until the inevitable double-dip.
It’s not his best, but there’s an undeniable allure to Martin Scorsese’s latest stab at the Goodfellas formula of doomed yet despicably loveable criminals, The Wolf Of Wall Street (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which swaps mafiosos for stockbrokers. Bonus materials are limited to a featurette.
As sketch comedy series go – and it’s not an easy form to be consistently good in – there’s much more gold than dross to be found in the Key & Peele: Seasons 1 & 2 collection (Comedy Central, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP). The set sports audio commentaries, outtakes, an interview, and more from Luther (Obama’s Anger Translator). Make sure you get your binge in before the premiere of the third season.
While not as sparklingly brilliant as Armando Iannucci’s The Thick Of It, his team’s take on the US political machine, Veep (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) remains a winning satire in its much more assured second season, deconstructing the politics of the junior power position of the Vice-Presidency (ably handled by the exquisite Julie Louis-Dreyfuss). Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
Following in the footsteps of the perfectly okay but not terribly much more than that Merlin comes the latest BBC stab at a genre fantasy, Atlantis (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), which finds our hero Jason washed up on the strange shores of that fabled island and dropped into myths and adventure. Bonus materials include featurettes and interviews.
Idris Elba is just as incredible as you expect him to be playing the legendary South African freedom fighter in Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom (Anchor Bay, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which chronicles Mandela’s life from his start as a young political leader through his incarceration and finally his freedom and return to lead, and heal, his nation. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and featurettes.
First loves and sexual awakening? Sounds like the perfect recipe for a foreign film sensation, and that’s exactly what you get with Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue Is The Warmest Color (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.95 SRP), about a high schooler that finds herself swept up in a passionate romance with a female twenty-something art student in a delicately rendered tale of fiery youth. Bonus materials include a trailer, a TV spot, and the usual in-depth Criterion essay.
Lucille Ball returned to prime time television twice after her legendary series I Love Lucy, and the third and final of these makes its it to DVD in toto with Here’s Lucy: The Complete Series (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), featuring all 6 seasons of the show that united her with her real life children as a widowed mother raising her teenage son & daughter while trying to run a talent agency. Bonus materials include episode intros, featurettes, interviews, PSAs, vintage ads, and more.
Wipe the memory of the horrid live action tale of Hal Jordan with the significantly more enjoyable Green Lantern: The Animated Series (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) which, while not reaching the lofty heights of the Batman or Superman animated outings, still manages to be a satisfyingly entertaining ride.
Restored to the original broadcast length with vastly improved picture and sound, the first season of Little House On The Prairie (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$38.99 SRP) makes its high definition debut, featuring the pilot and all 24 episodes, plus a documentary and an original screen test.
Mix Deliverance, Army Of Darkness, and Shaun Of The Dead and you get the loopy redneck zombie comedy Buck Wild (Millennium Entertainment, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), that’s just as gonzo as you’d expect.
While the movie itself is disposable fluff, Vince Vaughn proves yet again that he’s eminently watchable in Delivery Man (Dreamworks, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$32.99 SRP), in which he stars as an underachiever who discovers he’s fathered over 500 children via donations he made 20 years prior. And then the affably cheeky journey towards adult responsibility ensues. Bonus materials include featurettes, bloopers, and a deleted scene.
Psychedelia is in full bloom in Wonderwall (Fabulous, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.97 SRP), a fascinating if mostly impenetrable relic of the late 60s about a love triangle, a magical world, and a memorable score from George Harrison. Bonus materials include featurettes, outtakes, and more.
Bronies – Start counting your loose change so you can pick up My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic – A Dash Of Awesome (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.93 SRP), the latest collection of the hugely popular pony-based cartoon, featuring 5 episodes plus a sing-along.
The catalogue folks at Mill Creek have teamed up with TV Guide to release branded collections culling from the properties they manage into 2-disc episode themed releases under the TV Guide Spotlight banner. Hurtle back to Benson, Good Times, Diff’rent Strokes, and The Jeffersons with TV Guide Spotlight: Groundbreaking Sitcoms Of The 70s (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). You’ve got shows like 3rd Rock, The Nanny, and That 70’s Show on TV Guide Spotlight: Great Comedies Of The 90s (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). TV Guide Spotlight: Leading Ladies Of Classic Comedy (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP) features the likes of Bewitched, I Dream Of Jeannie, Gidget, and Maude. Spin some old school law & order with SWAT, Charlie’s Angels, Starsky & Hutch, and Police Woman with TV Guide Spotlight: Cop Shows Of The 70s (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). Or you can get The Get-Along Gang, Heathcliff, and The Littles on TV Guide Spotlight: Totally 80s Toons (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). There’s more animation like Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego and COPS in TV Guide Spotlight: Super Action Animation (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP).
I’m not a big fan of horror and gore, but for aficionados of such entertainment, the DVD arrival of the complete 3 season run of Tales From The Darkside producer Richard P. Rubenstein’s anthology series Monsters (E1, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP). Featuring a roll call of guest stars including everyone from Adrienne Barbeau and Linda Blair to Deborah Harry and Meat Loaf, it’s here for fans to ingest… Probably best to do so on an empty stomach, though.
Another week, another soundtrack round up! This week, we’ve got Marcelo Zarvos’s score to Face Of Love (Varese Sarabande, $11.49 SRP), Tony Morales & Edward Rogers’s The Bag Man (Lakeshore Records, $19.99 SRP), Stephen Endelman’s Rob The Mob (Lakeshore Records, $19.99 SRP), Rolfe Kent’s Bad Words (Back Lot Music, $8.99 SRP), John Powell’s Rio 2 (Sony, $10.00 SRP), Kyle Newmaster’s Something Wicked (Lakeshore Records, $9.99 SRP), David Holmes & Keefus Ciancia’s The Motel Life (Lakeshore Records, $18.95 SRP), Nathan Furst’s Need For Speed (Varese Sarabande, $16.84 SRP), Rachel Portman’s The Right Kind Of Wrong (Varese Sarabande, $16.98 SRP), the Newton Bros.’ Oculus (Varese Sarabande, $14.41 SRP), and the compilation full of classic movie scores Play It Again, Sam: The Classic Sound Of Hollywood (Sony, $18.70 SRP).
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
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It seems we were just celebrating the 25th anniversary of the denizens of the Satellite of Love, but here we are with the sheer delight of another brand new collection featuring Joel & Mike & The Bots from the fine folks at Shout Factory. Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 29 (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP) supports another quartet of episodes – the first season episode The Untamed Youth, Hercules And The Captive Youth, The Thing That Couldn’t Die, and the I can’t believe the actually got the rights and huzzah that they did Pumaman. Bonus materials include introductions and a spotlight on his “Riffing Myself” show from Joel Hodgson, featurettes, and trailers.
