The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
Few people know that Jim Henson’s first national primetime television show wasn’t The Muppet Show, and that the first Muppet star was not Kermit the Frog. No, the first Muppet star was Rowlf the Dog, who was the folksy, funny sidekick of the country superstar (and soon-to-be sausage tycoon) Jimmy Dean. If you don’t believe me, Time Life has released two one-hour compilations of The Best Of The Jimmy Dean Show (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP each), which are full of clips featuring America’s beloved gravelly-voiced canine. Thank goodness these Muppet rarities are no longer sitting on a shelf, and I hope there are plenty more releases to come.
It’s hard to believe, but we’ve already reached a dozen of Twomorrows Publishing’s fantastically in-depth celebrations of comic book art luminaries, Modern Masters. Volume 12 turns the spotlight on Michael Golden (Twomorrows, $14.95), and is filled cover-to-cover with dozens of rarely seen and unseen art, plus a career-spanning interview with the man himself. Twomorrows has also launched a new line of books spotlighting indie talent with the same depth as their Modern Masters series, and it kicks off with Comics Introspective Volume One: Peter Bagge (Twomorrows, $16.95 SRP).
Though initial impressions might mark The Amazing Jonathan as a magician, I think a more accurate term is “gonzo magician.” There’s no better way to describe him as a performer and his act – an act captured on DVD courtesy of his Comedy Central special Wrong On Every Level (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), The disc also features his original Comedy Central special, deleted scenes, and an appearance on Premium Blend.
As the good Doctor’s 29th, post-relaunch season hits the US, so too comes the next round of classic Doctor Who adventures on DVD – Tom Baker’s Robot (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) and Sylvester McCoy’s Survival (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). Both releases feature a ton of bonus materials, including commentaries, interviews, featurettes, documentaries, and more.
People have been clamoring for years for Paramount to open the vaults and begin releasing the cross-country journeys of Dr. Richard Kimble in his quest to locate the one-armed killer of his wife – a crime for which he was framed and sent to prison for, only to escape and become The Fugitive (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). This 4-disc set contains the first 15 episodes of that premiere season, straight from the original negatives and looking mighty fine.
I can’t begin to express how odd it is to have a featurette remembering the late Kurt Vonnegut on – of all things – the new special edition of the Rodney Dangerfield classic Back To School (MGM/UA, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP). In addition to that oddity, the new edition features a behind-the-scenes featurette, a dissection of the Triple Lindy, a remembrance of Rodney, original news & sports wraps, a photo gallery, and TV spots.
The great documentaries are those that illuminate subject matter and stories you never considered, but are revealed to be fascinating when told through the deft lens of the filmmaker. Such is the case with filmmaker Malcolm Ingram’s Small Town Gay Bar (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP), which illuminates the lives and challenges of the homosexual communities located within the “Bible Belt” of the United States. Bonus features include an introduction from Ingram and exec producer Kevin Smith, audio commentary, interviews, a deleted scene, and more.
The eternal, cattish, privileged struggle amongst the Carrington family continues in the complete second season of Dynasty (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), featuring 6-discs packed with all 22 episodes of the loveable smackdowns and hair-pulling delights, with the season that introduced Joan Collins. Lets get ready to rumble!
Once upon a time, long ago, I was a fan of Aqua Teen Hunger Force. I thought it was quite funny, and the characters themselves even more so. Then, the show began to fall into a rut, relying far too much on bloody gross-out gags and surreal storytelling. And it stopped being funny. Sadly, the big screen Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is crafted like those latter-day episodes, and so left me largely cold and wishing for the halcyon days of a once-favorite show. However, I still love Master Shake. The 2-disc DVD set of the film features not only the film itself, but a full-length alternate version of the flick – plus deleted scenes, commentary, interviews, promos, featurettes, TV spots, videos… and much more. I just wish it was funny.
51 Birch Street (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is one of those documentaries that makes you squirm and feel a bit voyeuristic as you see the raw emotion of people’s private lives, but that you ultimately can’t turn off. Filmmaker Doug Block assumed that his parents’ 54-year marriage was a happy one, but when his mother dies unexpectedly and his father quickly marries his former secretary, Block decides that something is not right, and begins a journey filled with difficult discoveries.
Even if I were just judging it on its appealing design sensibility, and not its equally fun storytelling, Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender would be worth checking out. Give it a spin and see if you agree, with the fourth volume of the show’s second season, Book 2: Earth (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP). Bonus materials include audio commentary from the creators and cast on the 5 episodes featured in this volume.
As far as comedies go, you can’t get more middle-of-the-road than the baby boomer road flick Wild Hogs (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) – starring Tim Allen, John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, and William H. Macy as a quartet of suburban schlubs who embark on a cross-country Harley misadventure. It’s non-offensive, amiable, and suburban in its comedy, and is exactly the type of flick that my mother exclaims, “It was so funny!” about. She loved Norbit, too. Bonus features include an audio commentary, an alternate ending, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
Only the BBC could turn a long-running show out of the concept of a country vet, and you can experience the complete 7-season run – all 28 discs of it – courtesy of All Creatures Great & Small: The Complete Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$399.98 SRP). Bonus features include audio commentaries, interviews, a documentary on author James Herriott, and more.
For the life of me, I can’t understand why Marvel has produced an animated direct-to-video feature of Doctor Strange (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) and turned his appearance from the classic visuals of the master of the mystic arts into some emo goth goofball. Bah and feh on a shit redesign for the sake of redesign.
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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After a groundbreaking first season, it was during the sophomore season of The Muppet Show (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) that the show hit its golden age. Fozzie, Gonzo, and Miss Piggy – all brand new characters that launched with the show – are now fully the characters we know and love. The humor – under the direction of head writer Jerry Juhl – is brilliant, both sublime and visceral at the same time. And the guest stars begin rolling in – including Elton John, Peter Sellers, Julie Andrews, Steve Martin, and more. Thankfully, this time Disney did it right and got all of the necessary music clearances, which means we avoid the ugly editing that happened in the first season set. Bonus features are a mixed bag, though – with so much to choose from, and none of those gems chosen, the only real keeper is the first of the two original Muppet Show pilots, The Muppets Valentine Special. Sadly, there’s no trivia this time (here’s hoping for its return on season 3). I hope the wait for season 3 is not nearly as long, and they get a Muppet expert in there to help them realize what bonus materials should be on these sets.
It had been slowly encroaching for the past few seasons, but with was during the 10th season of The Simpsons (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) that the once unassailable really began slipping its gears. Writing that had once been innovative and fresh became inbred and derivative of itself, which would soon settle into the rut that persists to this day. I don’t know if it was exhaustion or just overconfidence, but it really is a shame. Having said that, the set is worth picking up for the usual complement of bonus materials, including commentaries on every episode, commercials, animatics, and more.
As much as I prefer reading the Harry Potter books, I’ve found Jim Dale’s audiobook performance of Rowling’s increasingly massive tomes to be nothing short of delightful, and Dale wraps up his impressive vocal feat with the final installment in the Potter saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Random House Audio, $79.95 SRP). By all means, give it a spin and marvel at Dale’s skill to bring so many characters to life.
While the UK has had their very own special edition of the early 80’s cult classic for years, it’s only now that the US has their very own remastered, feature-laden special edition of Flash Gordon (Universal, Rated PG, DVD-$26.98 SRP). The “Saviour Of The Universe” edition features a paltry clutch of bonus features – a featurette on artist and Flash fan Alex Ross, an interview with writer Lorenzo Semple, Jr., and an episode of the 1936 serial. Sadly, this is still missing some of the great bonus features from the UK edition – so you might want to pick that up, too, and keep this for the great picture quality… It’s a shame Universal couldn’t have done this one completely right.
It’s time to get dangerous, courtesy of the second volume featuring that superheroic mallard of mystery, Darkwing Duck (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP). The 3-disc set features the middle 27 episodes of the series run, and is a welcome addition to my growing shelf of Disney Afternoon delights. My only hope, though, is Disney can see fit to get off their lazy asses and try to get some bonus features on these sets. If BCI can do it with Filmation shows, why is Disney so second rate with these classics?
MST3K alums Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett, and Kevin Murphy return with the second installment of their brand new skewering of schlock films, as The Film Crew tackles Killers From Space (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), which stars Peter Graves as a scientist who uncovers an alien plot to take over the Earth. The disc also features the Film Crew’s “Did You Know…?” segment and outtakes.
It’s not quite the carefree fun of the late 80’s cartoon, but the big screen CG TMNT (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$28.98 SRP) – that’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, if you don’t cotton to acronyms – is still a pretty darn faithful affair, and in many ways skews closer to the source material than the original live action flick. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, an alternate opening, a deleted scene, storyboards-to-CG comparison, interviews, and more.
If you’ve been holding off on getting your swingin’ mitts on the cinematic output of one Elvis Aaron Presley, then you’re in luck – as both Warner Bros. and Paramount have packaged the titles they control into two nicely comprehensive box sets. Paramount has the Lights! Camera! Elvis! Collection (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$69.99 SRP), featuring King Creole, G.I. Blues, Blue Hawaii, Roustabout, Girls! Girls! Girls!, Fun In Acapulco, Paradise, Hawaiian Style, and Easy Come, Easy Go. Team that with Warners’s Elvis: The Hollywood Collection (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$49.98 SRP) – containing Charro, Girl Happy, Kissin’ Cousins, Live a Little, Love a Little, Stay Away, Joe, Tickle Me – and their new special editions of Jailhouse Rock and Viva Las Vegas (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each), and you’ve got an incredible set of flicks starring the King.
Not to be left out, MGM steps up to the plate with their own Elvis: MGM Movie Legends Collection (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), containing Kid Galahad, Clambake, Follow That Dream, and Frankie And Johnny.
Also getting the star treatment is ol’ blue eyes, courtesy of the Frank Sinatra: MGM Movie Legends Collection (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring 5 of the crooners big screen efforts – The Manchurian Candidate, The Pride And The Passion, Kings Go Forth, Guys And Dolls, and A Hole In The Head.
Start saving your pennies and order your very own copy of the massive – and I do mean *massive* – biography of the creator of the classic comic strips Terry & The Pirates and Steve Canyon, Milton Caniff, R.C. Harvey’s Meanwhile… A Biography of Milton Caniff (Fantagraphics, $34.95 SRP). Clocking in at almost 1,000 pages, it’s a fascinating and comprehensive overview of the man and his work.
The cracks began to show during the penultimate 8th season of Roseanne (Starz, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), as the comedy began to dip into odder and more surreal territory, beginning the erosion of the show’s blue collar values (values that would eventually fall away during the final season’s left turn into confusion). The 4-disc set features all 25 episodes, video commentaries, and a nice new interview with Roseanne.
Oh, the cheese of youth. That’s exactly what you’ll get with the endearingly goofy Super Friends: The Legendary Superpowers (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Watching all 16 episodes featured in this 2-disc set, children of the 70’s and 80’s like myself will find the chill shivers of nostalgia running up and down their spines. Bonus features include 5 audio commentaries, a look at the cultural diversity of the show, and a look at the show’s effect on the toy industry.
If you want to demarcate the point at which Shia LaBeouf made the transition from affable teen star to bankable Hollywood darling, it would be the suburban spin on Rear Window, Disturbia (Dreamworks, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP). LaBeouf stars as Kale Brecht, who’s spending his three months under house arrest spying on his neighbors – a pastime that becomes something much more horrifying when he begins to suspect his neighbor is a serial killer. Is he right? Is he wrong? Is he next? See for yourself. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, outtakes, and more.
Turtle fans who want to relive their childhoods can do so via the just-released complete fifth season of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), with three discs containing all 18 episodes, plus character profiles and a look back.
Even though it wasn’t his best work, watching the complete first season of 8 Simple Rules (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$23.99 SRP) still made me miss the late John Ritter. Check out all 28 episodes in this 3-disc set, which features a bonus gag reel.
Though best known for their portrayal of sleuthing could Nick & Nora Charles in the Thin Man series of films, the Myrna Loy & William Powell Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) collects 5 films they did together outside that series – Manhattan Melodrama, Evelyn Prentice, Double Wedding, I Love You Again, and Love Crazy. All of the flicks feature Warners by now standard remastered prints, vintage cartoons, and shorts. Aces.
Twelve more episodes come swinging into action in The Tick Vs. Season Two (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP), a 2-disc set of Tick-y goodness that, sadly, is missing episode #15 and any bonus features to speak of. Sad, but hopefully they’ll get necessary clearances – and a budget – before the series is fully released.
We’re seven seasons into Full House on DVD (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), and still no sign of what snooty, snobbish, spoiled adults the Olsen twins would eventually become. No, they’re still the loveable Michelle Tanner here… But the clock is ticking. The 4-disc set contains all 24 episodes of awkward pleasure.
While it’s still pretty much status quo during the seventh season of Home Improvement (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$23.99 SRP), this season is at least notable for guest-starring Dan Aykroyd in what would ultimately prove a backdoor pilot to a failed spin-off series. The 3-disc set contains all 25 episodes, plus this season’s gag reel.
Best known for his groundbreaking comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland and his equally groundbreaking animated Gertie the Dinosaur, Winsor McKay also produced a little known comic strip titled Dream of the Rarebit Fiend. A truly bizarre, wonderfully inventive strip, each outing revolved around the odd dreams of anyone who partook of a Welsh Rarebit (essentially a grilled cheese sandwich). Ulrich Merkel has taken the best strips of the strip’s run (from 1904-1913) and presented them in a gorgeous, truly massive tome – The Complete Dream of the Rarebit Fiend (Available exclusively at 
There have been plenty of classic animation releases to come down the pike in the last few years, but none have been so hotly anticipated – and fraught with setbacks – as the animated adventures of E.C. Segar’s one-eyed man of the sea. All of that red tape has finally been sheared away, and it is with giddy delight that I was able to dive into the first Popeye, The Sailor Man: 1933-1938 Vol. 1 collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$64.98 SRP). Lushly restored and beautifully presented – packed with more bonus features than you can throw a Jeep at – it truly is the first class treatment that the Fleischer series has long deserved. If you don’t believe me, grab your own copy and revel in the magnificence.
It’s been a long time coming, but with the publication of the deluxe, hardcover Art Of Bone (Dark Horse, $39.95 SRP), fans have finally gotten a glorious celebration of Jeff Smith’s epic comic journey. Clocking in at over 200 pages, it’s a collection of rare childhood and college art, hard-to-find one shot stories, and more color & black and white artwork than you can shake a stick at. It truly is a must-have tome, and it makes me wish that Smith would revisit that world, post-haste.
Following up Shaun of the Dead was a tall order, but Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg succeeded in spades with Hot Fuzz (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), a fun Brit homage to Hollywood cop flicks. Pegg stars as a London cop banished to the hinterlands by jealous colleagues, who’s then teamed with a witless partner (Nick Frost) before stumbling on a series of suspicious events that uncover the dark underbelly of the seemingly bucolic village. Bonus features include an audio commentary, outtakes, deleted scenes, a featurette on the US promotional tour, and more, but there is a ton of material – including additional commentaries and Edgar Wright’s first film – that were not carried over from the British special edition. What’s up with that?
Long a web-exclusive, now fans can pick up their very own Mythbusters: Collection 1 (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) at their favorite outlet of choice. The 4-disc set features the first 12 episodes of Adam & Jamie’s mythbusting exploits, tackling everything from exploding toilets to the legendary killer penny drop. The set also contains the special “Mythbusters: Revealed” episode. Now, where’s my second collection?
Though not often held in the same high esteem as the output of studios like Disney and Warner Bros., I will admit that my childhood was brightened by many a cartoon produced by the Walter Lantz studios, many of which featured his most famous star, Woody Woodpecker. The Woody Woodpecker and Friends Classic Cartoon Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) contains 75 remastered cartoons featuring Woody, Chilly Willy, Buzz Buzzard, Wally Walrus, Andy Panda, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, plus featurettes, clips from the Woody Woodpecker Show, and more.
Warners dishes another steamy serving of cinema’s dark underbelly with their second Film Noir Classic Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), featuring 10 more flicks to watch during a night in with your favorite dame. The dime of essentials this go-round include Act Of Violence, Mystery Street, Crime Wave, Decoy, Illegal, The Big Steal, They Live By Night, Side Street, Where Danger Lives, and Tension. Each flick features commentary and featurettes. Warner, dey treat us film saps real good.
Why has it taken so long for the wonders of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week to make it to DVD? Imagine my surprise to discover (no pun intended) to learn that the venerable celebration of the ocean’s compelling killers is celebrating its 20th year, as the appropriately titled Shark Week: 20th Anniversary Collection (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) illuminates. What more can you ask for on a lazy summer day than 4-discs full of classic Shark Week specials?
Little known in the US (and that’s a damn – but correctable – shame), Rik Mayall’s Alan B’Stard is the consummate politician on the rise – backstabbing, manipulative, egotistical, corrupt, and loveably despicable. His rise through the British political landscape is chronicled in The New Statesman (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP), the complete series of which is now available in the US, and is a must-see for any fan of British comedy or political satire. If you love The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or Black Adder… Well, you must pick this up. So do it.
Digitally remastered and featuring a much lower price point than the original megaset release, if you’ve been waiting for the right time to snap up Gerry Anderson’s Space: 1999, the 30th Anniversary Megaset (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$99.95 SRP) is certainly the time to finally act on that impulse. Featuring all 48 episodes and beautiful transfers, the 17-disc set also sports the original promo spots, vintage interviews, galleries, trailers, rare footage, fan-produced episodes closing up the series’ storyline, and much more. Get it. Now.
As if it weren’t easy enough for lazy schoolchildren to skip reading books and just cram for class by watching the films based on the book, Fox & MGM have taken it one step further by releasing their adaptations bundled with honest-to-gosh Cliff’s Notes of the book – literally one-stop shopping. The initial releases include Lord of the Flies, Anna Karenina, Inherit The Wind, Moby Dick, Henry V, and Jane Eyre (Fox/MGM, $14.98 SRP each).
Nothing makes a lazy Saturday afternoon go by more enjoyably than a classic Ray Harryhuasen flick – especially one that has been as lovingly restored and presented as the 50th anniversary edition of 20 Million Miles To Earth (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP). I’m not really interested in the color version, but the original black & white looks simply fantastic, and the bonus features include a commentary with Harryhuasen, (along with Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, and Arnold Kunert), a retrospective documentary, Tim Burton interviewing Harryhausen, an interview with Joan Taylor, a look at the music, galleries, and more.
It’s a veritable CG-bloodbath in director Zack Snyder’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300 (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP), which feels like nothing more than an overproduced, ultimately hollow flick full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. It basically uses the tale of the ancient Battle of Thermopylae – in which 300 Spartans supposedly held their own against the massive Persian army – to provide an effects demo reel. Sad, really. The 2-disc collector’s edition features audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a spotlight on adapting Miller’s graphic novel, additional scenes, webisodes, and more.
For more on the true story that Frank Miller drew upon, check out the History Channel’s Last Stand Of The 300 (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), which examines the origins of the legend behind that epic holding action in 480 B.C.
Flush your mind of all the summer popcorn cinema with BBC’s Henrik Ibsen Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), a collection of 10 Beeb adaptations of Ibsen’s plays. The 6-disc set features Brand, A Doll’s House, Ghosts, Peer Gynt, Emperor and Galilean, The Pillars Of Society, Hedda Gabler, Rosmersholm, A Meeting In Rome, John Gabriel Borkman, and When The Dead Awaken, plus 8 bonus radio adaptations.
After the middling Crusade and the pathetic Rangers, it was with trepidation and a small amount of desperate hope that I greeted the announcement of Joe Straczynski’s plans to revive the beloved Babylon 5 franchise with a series of direct-to-video adventures dubbed Babylon 5: The Lost Tales (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). All I can hope, after viewing the disc, is that Joe cares enough about his creation to just leave the damn thing alone. Cheap, sparse, and poorly written, it’s like a sad mockery of what made B5 such a fantastic show. Please Joe… Please… let it go. You created a fantastic universe and memorable characters – stop shitting on your legacy.
Brush up your Shakespeare with a decidedly modern take courtesy of Shakespeare Retold (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), featuring a quartet of the Bard’s classics – Much Ado About Nothing, MacBeth, The Taming Of The Shrew, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
You can’t get a more flamboyant start to a season than Southfork being in flames to ring in the start of Dallas: Season 7 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Pour some lemonade and watch JR earn his title as the most magnificent bastard ever to grace the TV landscape. The 5-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus a featurette on the show’s music.
McGarret & Dano are back on the surfside beat in the second season of Hawaii Five-O (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), featuring 24 episodes of Pacific crimesolving that ranges from saboteurs and vigilantes to the villainous Wo Fat. The 6-disc set features all 24 remastered episodes, plus the original episode promos.
While not as fun as the first season, there was still a spunky charm to be found in the second season of Sabrina The Teenage Witch (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). Much to Melissa Joan Hart’s dismay, I’m sure, it was pretty clear by now that the true star of the show was Nick Bakay, who provided the voice for Salem the Cat. Never work with animals. The 4-disc set features all 26 episodes.
It’s time to catch the funny kind of yellow fever, as we all get geared up to head to our respective moving picture houses to gander and gape at the big screen adventures of The Simpsons. While we’re still a few weeks off from the release of the 10th season on DVD, you can get a trio of great books to tide you over, and help feed your cravings for our favorite family. First and foremost is the deluxe, hardcover Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips From The Pros (HarperCollins, $39.95 SRP), which goes in-depth on the design and construction of the family proper, as well as Springfield’s most popular residents, with detailed visual breakdowns and drawing instructions, plus color cel-overlays. If you want some oversized fun, check out theSimpsons Masterpiece Gallery (HarperCollins, $17.95 SRP), which features dozens of big-scale film poster parodies, comic scenes, and portraits. Last – and the most fun you can have at a cheap price – is Greetings From The Simpsons (HarperCollins, $12.95 SRP), which contains a whole slew of fun postcards to mail to all your friends and family.
One of my favorite shows to watch during the 80’s – when I wasn’t getting my fill of Family Ties or Silver Spoons, or an endless stream of syndicated reruns – was Benson (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). It is genuine elation that I can finally hold in my stubby mitts the complete first season of Robert Guillaume’s star turn as the only man able to bring order to the confused household of Governor Eugene Gatling. This 3-disc set contains all 24 episodes, plus a video intro from Guillaume, a featurette on the Governor’s mansion, and more.
With the final episodes of Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law – featured, conveniently enough, on the 3rd volume, now available (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) – the only remaining show from Adult Swim’s inaugural line-up is Aqua Teen. I admit, I’ll miss Harvey – it was the most consistently funny entry of that line-up, and its absence will be hard to take. The 2-disc set features deleted scenes, a joke timeline, an X the Eliminator comic book, and more.
If you’re just killing time until the Star Trek: The Next Generation megaset streets this Fall (just in time to suck your holiday cash away), you can snag the latest “Fan Collective” release. Captain’s Log (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). This time, the 17 episodes of the set feature one episode from each series – TOS, TNG, DS9, Voyager, & Enterprise – chosen by their respective captains. That’s right – not only do the fans get their picks, but so do William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, and Scott Bakula. Bonus features include intros from the Captains, and 5 newly produced featurettes. Where were all these bonus features when the original sets came down the pike?
Cool off from the summer swelter by taking a dip into Carl Barks’s classic “The Golden River”, the lead story in this month’s issue (#367) of Uncle Scrooge (Gemstone, $7.99). And why not follow it up with Donald Duck battling the elements at sea in the latest issue (#682) of Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories (Gemstone, $7.99).
Long before he conquered America as Dr. House, Hugh Laurie had earned his place amongst Britain’s comedic firmament alongside the brilliant Stephen Fry as the dynamic duo Fry & Laurie. After long years of waiting and hoping, the complete four season run of their sketch series A Bit of Fry & Laurie (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP each) has made its way to DVD. While the bonus materials on the first season is technically limited to the rarely-seen pilot, the second season features the documentary Footlights: 100 Years of Comedy, featuring early Fry & Laurie material. Unfortunately, seasons 3 & 4 lack any bonus materials whatsoever. Still, if you’ve never seen the show, rectify that glaring oversight immediately.
David Fincher turns down some of his more off-putting cinematic tendencies for an engaging thriller that evokes a touch of the Hitchcockian with Zodiac (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$28.99 SRP), which plays off the infamous San Francisco serial killer to tell the tale of those in law enforcement and the press who desperately tried to track him down and put an end to his killing spree. Bonus features are complete nonexistent, so we can all expect the eventual deluxe edition.
The cast has fluctuated through the years, but the essential core concept of Stargate SG-1 (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) is what allowed it to reach a rare, nearly unprecedented (save for Doctor Who feat for a sci-fi series – lasting a full 10 years. The 5-disc 10th season box set features he final 20 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, galleries, and more.
It’s Halloween in July with the release of the 6th season of Tales From The Crypt (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). This was the season that featured the Zemeckis-directed sleight of hand that resurrected Humphrey Bogart, plus episodes guest-starring John Lithgow, Hank Azaria, Isabella Rossellini, Isaac Hayes, and more. It’s 15 fright-filled episodes sure to darken your summer day.
Available separately in the past, you can now snag three classic Hudson/Day romantic comedies in the 2-disc Doris Day and Rock Hudson Comedy Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), featuring Pillow Talk, Lover Come Back, and Send Me No Flowers.
We still haven’t gotten the Saturday morning live action adventures of Captain Marvel, but we’re one step closer with the complete collection of The Secrets of Isis (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), the good Captain’s companion show. The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes of the show’s two season run, plus an audio commentary, interviews, rare footage, galleries, a bonus episode, and more.
Cursed with a keen sense of smell that dictates how he perceives the world, a young French peasant (Ben Whishaw) becomes enraptured by the passing perfumed scent of a young woman in Perfume (Dreamworks, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP). Desiring nothing more than to capture that essence, this tale of passion and perception turns into a far darker affair. Hey, with a cast that includes Alan Rickman and Dustin Hoffman, it’s at least worth a spin, right? The sole bonus feature is a behind-the-scenes documentary.
In their continuing effort to revisit and enhance their catalog through newly remastered and restored high definition prints, Criterion turns their eye towards Jean Cocteau’s Les Enfants Terribles (Criterion, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP), and the results are definitely with the double-sip. Not only is the print nothing short of stunning, but the bonus features remain intact – including an audio commentary, interviews, galleries, and more.
Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, and Fred Astaire are just a few of the stars that light up the second volume of Classic Musicals From The Dream Factory (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), which pulls together another 7 musicals from the MGM vault – The Pirate, Words and Music, That’s Dancing, That Midnight Kiss, The Toast Of New Orleans, The Royal Wedding, and The Belle Of New York. Bonus features include vintage shorts, classic cartoons, outtakes, commentaries, featurettes, and more.
I was never a fan of the comic, so the animated adaptation of Todd McFarlane’s Spawn was never of interest to me. Still, there are plenty of fans who will want to flock to their favorite DVD emporiums for a copy of the new Spawn: 10th Anniversary Signature Edition (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) features all 18 episodes, digitally remastered, plus a quartet of commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, character profiles, and an interview with McFarlane himself – all in a collectible metal case.
Fans of John Woo’s classic Kong period will want to snag their own copies of a pair of special edition re-releases of The Last Hurrah For Chivalry (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) and Hard Boiled (Genius, Rated R, DVD-$24.95 SRP). Hard Boiled is a 2-disc affair, featuring commentary, featurettes, interviews, and more.
Made during his wilderness days post-Dracula, Francis Ford Coppola brings a nice crackle and flair to his adaptation of John Grisham’s The Rainmaker (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$14.99 SRP), which gets the special edition treatment with a brand new commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, screen tests, and more.
Call it kitsch, call it overkill – frankly, cal it anything you’d like – but there’s no denying that it’s hard to take your eyes off of John Milius’s memorable 80’s “what if?” war flick Red Dawn (MGM/UA, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP). Previously available as a rather mediocre bare bones DVD, those cries of “Avenge me!” must have finally reached the right ears, because the film has been treated to a 2-disc special edition, fully remastered, with a newly-produced cast & crew retrospective and behind-the-scenes featurettes. Other than the pathetic “carnage counter” feature – who in the hell thought that was a good idea? – the flick finally gets the edition it deserves… Even if they missed a goldmine of greatness by neglecting to get a commentary track from Milius.
Though short-lived, I don’t think I ever missed an episode of Voyagers! (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) during my misbegotten early-80’s childhood. I think the time-traveling adventures of pirate Phineas Bogg (Jon-Erik Hexum) and 12-year-old orphan Jeffrey Jones (Meeno Peluce) inspired my love of the concept of time travel. It’s not a great series by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly is a fun romp, and you can snag all 20 episodes in one handy-dandy box set.
Long the objects of postmodern ridicule by Cartoon Network and then Adult Swim, the complete, original, unvarnished adventures of both Space Ghost and Birdman are finally getting their go on DVD with the 2-disc sets Space Ghost & Dino Boy and Birdman and The Galaxy Trio (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP each). Each set features all 20 episodes of their respective series, plus a special documentary on the contributions of legendary artist Alex Toth.
Give it enough time and everything will eventually be collected and reprinted, and such is the case with the first quite welcome volume of classic Harvey Comics, starting with Casper the Friendly Ghost (Dark Horse, $19.95 SRP). Collecting over one hundred tales, it’s a beautiful start to what I can only hope is a genuine commitment to re-presenting these tales.
DVD has been a boon to studios eager to try and resuscitate the marketability of old, little-remembered TV series. Case in point is the release of the complete first season of The Rookies (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), an early 70’s series that features a trio of young police officers from the “Southern California Police Department”, mixing both their on and off-duty lives, and brought to you by the legendary TV producers Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. The 5-disc set features all 23 first season episodes.
Hollywood’s original mermaid queen gets the Warners spotlight treatment via the 5-film collection Esther Williams: Volume 1 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Those 5 films are Bathing Beauty, Easy To Wed, On An Island With You, Neptune’s Daughter, and Dangerous When Wet – the last of which features an animated sequence with Tom & Jerry, similar to Anchors Aweigh. Bonus features include featurettes, trailers, vintage cartoons, and more.
Weeds (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is one of those quirky, loveable shows that you just can’t help but become addicted to. Mary-Louise Parker’s suburban pot dealer Nancy Botkin is one of those performer/character combos that simply clicks, and anyone who’s yet to check it out, now’s the time to do so with the release of the second season. Bonus features include commentaries, featurettes, a gag reel, and more.
Put on the Willie Nelson as we head back out on the road again with David Banner, wandering the American byways and hoping that someone manages to make him angry… Because he’s really cool when he’s angry. Yes, it’s the complete second season of The Incredible Hulk (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – a 5-disc set featuring all 22 episodes, plus commentary, an introduction from producer Kenneth Johnson, and a bonus episode from season three.
I’m still convinced that their existence has ultimately proved to be more harm than good for the industry, there’s no denying the influence that the debut of Image Comics had. The formation and legacy of the company – and its founders – is examined in George Khoury’s Image Comics: The Road To Independence (Twomorrows, $34.95 SRP).
It’s been available previously in via half-assed collections of public domain episodes, but you can finally snag yourself the complete first season of Gunsmoke (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), starring James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon (no word on what Kevin was up to in the Old West). The 6-disc set features all 39 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
Moving beyond all the Dylan controversy that threatened the film’s release, Factory Girl (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$28.95 SRP) stands on its own as a fascinating, often disturbing look at 1960’s “It” girl Edie Sedgewick’s rise and eventual fall within the coterie of moons circling Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce) . Sienna Miller give a performance that is as poignant as it is all-too-realistically desperate. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a deleted scene, a making-of, a look at the real Edie, Guy Pearce’s video diary, Miller’s audition tape, and the theatrical trailer.
Even if Quentin Tarantino & Robert Rodriguez’s Grindhouse homage met with mixed reception, at least it spurred on the release of a new double feature line collecting some of those so bad they’re… well, still bad – but interesting grindhouse flicks of yore. The first two releases in the Welcome To The Grindhouse line (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$12.95 SRP each) are Pick-Up/The Teacher and Black Candles/Evil Eye. Grind on…
If you’ve been missing Mystery Science Theater 3000 and need more of MST3K-alums Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, then you’re going to be giddy about their latest venture – The Film Crew. As three working schlubs tasked with providing audio commentaries for every obscure, not-terribly-good flick, you’ve essentially got, for all intents and purposes (and due to various issues), the closest thing to new MST that you’ll be able to lay your grubby little mitts on (heck, there are even host segments!… bust sadly, no ‘bots). The first film getting the Film Crew treatment is Hollywood After Dark (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), a horrid, stagnant little gem from 1968 that features – I kid you not – a stripping Rue McClanahan. The only thing that makes it all tolerable is the on-target riffing from Mike, Kevin & Bill, who are still in the groove after all these years. Three more Film Crew discs are on track for release this year, and if you haven’t checked out Mike’s *other* venture, RiffTrax, you should head over there now.
It wasn’t until about halfway through the first season that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s sophomore effort, Extras (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), finally clicked for me. Since then, I’ve enjoyed his look at working actor Andy Millman and his best friend and fellow “extra”, Maggie (Ashley Jensen) – not to mention his loveably useless agent, Darren Lamb (Merchant). The second season kicks things up a notch by making Andy a commercial success as the creator and star of a hit BBC series… But one that he completely sells his creative soul for, in a Bizarro-version of the events and process that gave the world The Office. The 2-disc set features all 6 episodes, plus a behind-the-scenes documentary, a featurette on Gervais’s abuse of his poor editor, a look at “corpsing”, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
While I definitely less than enthused by what’s currently passing as comic book storytelling today, we are in a wonderful period of wonderful, overdue releases of classic material in high-quality form. The first of four hardcover volumes of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus (DC Comics, $49.99 SRP) – collecting, in chronological order, The King’s classic world-building in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen, Mister Miracle, New Gods, and Forever People – certainly fits the bill, and it’s definitely a must-have addition to any comics fan’s library.
One of the delights of the Harry Potter series, as we usher in the latest installment, has been to see the troupe of young actors find their sea legs as thespians, and branch out into non-wizarding projects. I’ve long predicted that Rupert Grint would be the Potter actor most likely to develop into a long-term, and interesting, career, and Driving Lessons (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$24.96 SRP) is certainly a step in that direction. Grint stars as 17-year-old Ben, a shy teenager chafing under an oppressively conservative home life personified by his high-strung mother (Laura Linney). When he’s employed by a former actress naked Evie (Julie Walters), the family gets its Harold & Maude on (sans the whole love angle) as the eccentric and invigorating Evie shows Ben that there is a brighter, happier, more interesting future in store if he becomes his own man. Bonus features include a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
It is without a trace of hyberbole that I praise the beauty – in both visuals and storytelling – that is Jeff Smith’s comic book epic Bone. Massive in scale but intimate in character, the adventures of the Bone cousins – Fone, Phoney, and Smiley – in a mysterious valley soon under the sway of war, besieged by Rat Creatures and the machinations of an ancient evil, The Lord Of The Locusts. Originally self-published by in black & white by Smith’s own company, Cartoon Books, Scholastic has been re-releasing the 9-volume saga with beautiful coloring by Steve Hamaker. The latest release is Volume 6, Old Man’s Cave (Graphix, Hardcover-$19.99 SRP, Softcover-$9.99 SRP), and the action is hot and heavy as we barrel towards the final chapters. If you’ve never read Bone, snap these up as soon as possible. If you’re an old fan, these additions are well worth picking up.
For all the fun of the fifth season of Bewitched (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP), it’s also a bittersweet batch of episodes, as it marks the final season featuring Dick York as Samantha’s put-upon husband Darrin. The 30 episodes also features guests like Jonathan Harris, Henry Gibson, Danny Bonaduce, and Isabel Sanford.
Second only to endless documentaries about the Nazis and WWII, one of the most addictive shows to hit the History Channel has been the how-to/how-does explorations of Modern Marvels. Criminally absent from DVD shelves for years, that oversight has been rectified with another 8-disc Modern Marvels: Architectural Wonders box set (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). The set features all you could ever want to know about the pyramids, the Hoover Dam, the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Great Wall of China, Mount Rushmore, and the St. Louis Arch.
The Astronaut Farmer (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$27.95 SRP) is one of those quirky little flicks that come down the pike every so often, that are just charming enough to skirt by and avoid any real harsh criticism. Such is the case here, about a man (Billy Bob Thornton) who decides to build himself a rocket into space – in his back yard. Think of it as the astronaut version of Field of Dreams, and you’ve pretty much got the idea. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a conversation with NASA astronaut David Scott, and bloopers.
HBO’s late night revelations returns to its roots in Taxicab Confessions: New York, New York (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), taking to the streets of the Big Apple for more awkward moments than you can shake a stick at.
It whipped John McClane’s ass last week, and now you can own the soundtrack to Die Hard killer – and latest Pixar flick – Ratatouille (Walt Disney Records, $18.98 SRP), by composer Michael Giacchino. It’s bright, it’s peppy, and it’s a fun spin.
Say goodbye to Crockett & Tubbs with the fifth and final season of Miami Vice (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), a show nobody thought would ever get released with all the original music intact, but dammit if they didn’t find a way to do it. Pay your last respects with these last 21 episodes, featuring guest stars John Leguizamo, Pam Grier, Michael Chiklis, and Rita Moreno (of course, only Moreno and Grier had any real career at the time).
For far too long, we’ve been taunted by the glaring lack of complete seasons of The Powerpuff Girls. No more! Now, you too can hold tightly your very own copy of The Powerpuff Girls: Season 1 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), featuring all 13 episodes, plus animatics, promos, Craig McCracken’s original student film, and more! Get this! Now!
Add Joan Collins to the list of stars with their own themed sets, as the 5-film Joan Collins Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) hits shelves with a career-spanning gathering of the catty siren’s big screen outings. Included in the set are The Girl In The Red Velvet Swing, Rally ‘Round The Flag, Boys!, Sea Wife, Seven Thieves, and Stopover Tokyo. Bonus features include audio commentaries, galleries, trailers, restoration featurettes, vintage pressbooks, and more.
Filmation’s ersatz (and original) Ghostbusters returns with a second volume (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) featuring the final 33 episodes of the ‘busters battle against the ghoulish Prime Evil, plus interviews, an audio commentary, rare footage, image galleries, and more.
Wrap up the final episodes of the Black Sheep Squadron’s first season with the second volume of Baa Baa Black Sheep (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), starring Robert Conrad as ace pilot Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington, leader of the misfit squad of pilots tasked with some of the most difficult aerial combat missions of WWII.
As insultingly awful as the second Fantastic Four film was, one of the only bright spots of Rise of the Silver Surfer was John Ottman’s score (Sony Classical, $18.98 SRP). It certainly deserved to be attached to a better movie.
It may not be Disney’s tale as old as time, but the small screen love affair of Vincent and Catherine is a much more beloved cult version of Beauty and the Beast (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$50.99 SRP). The 6-disc second season features all 22 episodes, plus video introductions on select episodes by Linda Hamilton and Ron Perlman.
Just when the withdrawal is starting to set in and the worry that securing release rights for the films involved has finally reached an insurmountable wall, Rhino is able to pull together another wonderful Mystery Science Theater 3000 collection. Volume 4 (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP) is mostly a Joel-centric affair, with season 2’s Ring of Terror and season 4’s Indestructible Man & Tormented, with the sole Mike outing being season 10’s Horrors of Spider Island. Bonus features include a Tormented reunion and the episode’s “Jack Perkins” host segments from the short-lived syndicated MST3K Hour, the original theatrical trailers, and the second “MST3K Jukebox”. More, Rhino, more!
Though Neal Gabler’s massive Walt Disney: The Triumph of The American Imagination was hailed as the definitive biography of one of the 20th century’s most fascinating personalities, it’s animation historian Michael Barrier’s much more concise and researched The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney (University of California Press, $29.95 SRP) that truly deserves the title. Utilizing almost 40 years worth of his own personal interview archives, and those of associates, he presents a much more accurate representation of a complicated creative visionary and businessman as a regular human being full of quirks, foibles, failings, and genius that never falls prey to any of the prevailing myths and clichés that have attached themselves to Disney like barnacles over the years.
The 12 films comprising Warners new 4-volume Cult Camp Classics line (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP each) certainly live up to the “Cult Camp Classics” moniker. Arranged according to genre, Volume 1 features a trio of “Sci-Fi Thrillers” – Attack Of The 50 Ft. Woman, The Giant Behemoth, and Queen Of Outer Space. Volume 2 is “Women In Peril” – The Big Cube, Caged, and Trog. Volume 3 brings “Terrorized Travelers” – Hot Rods To Hell, Skyjacked, and Zero Hour! (the film that inspired Airplane!). And finally, there’s “Historical Epics” – The Colossus Of Rhodes, Land Of The Pharaohs, and The Prodigal. Bonus features in the sets include “expert commentaries” (from the likes of Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Tom Weaver, and more), plus the original theatrical trailers. More! Must have more!
Even though I thought his no-holds-barred HBO sitcom, Lucky Louie, was a bit hit-or-miss, Louis C.K.’s stand-up is brilliant. And by “brilliant,” I mean very funny and very, very filthy. If you think I’m being hyperbolic, check out Louis C.K.: Shameless (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) for yourself and see. The disc also features his original HBO Comedy Half-Hour special.
While many dismissed it and it did nothing at the box office, Black Snake Moan (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is one of those sweaty southern cinematic gothics (like Wild Things before it) that are either overblown trash or sublime trash. Either way, it’s got Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci in an unlikely friendship that involves sex, chains, and the blues. Intrigued, no? Bonus features include an audio commentary, a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Well gooooollyyyy, it’s another season of Gomer Pyle, USMC (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). The second season, to be exact, featuring all 30 episodes jam-packed with Jim Nabors aw-shucks hick icon and his nemesis, Sgt. Carter.
If you’re anything like my good friend Dana and are enamored with Tiki culture, then you’ll want to pick yourself up a copy of Tiki Road Trip: A Guide To Tiki Culture In North America (Santa Monica Press, $16.95 SRP). As the title suggests, it’s a complete overview of the burgeoning Tiki movement, featuring art, prose, poetry, drink recipes, and Tiki restaurants and landmarks worth a stop.
Previously available separately, the critical reviews of both Queen and Bob Dylan are now available via a pair of career-comprehensive box sets (Chrome Dreams, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP each), and are worth picking up if you’re a fan, if only for some of the rare footage featured in each.
There’s nothing quite like the joyously salty experience of pure, unadulterated, uncensored R. Lee Ermey, and that’s exactly what you’ll get in Mail Call: S.N.A.F.U. (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP), a one-hour collection of foul-ups from Ermey’s History Channel show. You get the option of viewing it in either family-friendly or “Xtra-salty” versions… You know which one is better.
Now that the Bruce Timm animated DC universe has been fully released on DVD, Warners has dipped into the vaults to release older series starring Batman & Superman. First up is The New Adventures of Superman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), the 1966 Filmation treatment of the Man of Steel that ran for 36 episodes, all of which are contained here (with a bonus “Superman in ’66” featurette). The second title is The New Adventures of Batman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), which took its cue from the live action series, and featured the voices of Adam West & Burt Ward. The 2-disc set also contains a retrospective featurette, “The Dark Knight Revisited”.
While it’s a fair bet that you’re aware of Lucille Ball’s iconic role as Lucy Ricardo in the classic sitcom I Love Lucy, her feature film work is less well known. You can easily rectify that with Warners new Lucille Ball Film Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which contains 5 of the faux-redhead’s flicks – The Big Street, Critic’s Choice, Dance, Girl, Dance, Du Barry Was A Lady, and Mame. All the flicks sport vintage shorts and cartoons.
Yeah yeah yeah, I’m an old school Nintendo geek. Even though it could never be called stellar, there was a goofball fun about the animated tie-in to Super Mario Bros. 3 (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP), even if it was an unashamed long-form commercial . All 26 episodes are contained in the 3-disc box set. And while it’s not Nintendo, the only Sega game I ever had any affinity for was Sonic – so it’s no surprise that I’d also mention that the complete run of the animated Sonic The Hedgehog is also available now (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP).
Sergio Leone’s films have just gotten a nice box set, and the perfect complement to those flicks is the documentary The Spaghetti West (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), which chronicles the history of the Italian westerns, and the filmmakers and stars that brought them to life.
If you’re feeling like a bit of martial arts action this weekend, give a spin to the new Masutatsu Oyama Trilogy box set (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), featuring Sonny Chiba in Karate Bull Fighter, Karate Bear Fighter, and Karate For Life.
Fans of muscle-bound, long-haired criminal catchers will probably want to pick up the new Dog The Bounty Hunter box set (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP), which collects all 3 previously released best-of collections from seasons 1-3, plus the wedding special.
Put another notch in the post, as Pinky & The Brain wraps up its DVD release with the third and final volume (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) of attempts at world domination. The 4-disc set features the final 22 episodes, plus a featurette focusing on the show’s fans hosted by Pink & The Brain themselves, Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche. At the same time, make sure you snag the penultimate 3rd volume of Animaniacs (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), which brings us 25 episodes closer to the toon trio’s wacky finale. The 5-disc set also contains a featurette on the art of the show, as well as a tribute to composer Richard Stone.
Double your fun at the expense of the less-than-professional officers of the Reno Sheriff’s Department with the one-two punch of the complete 4th season of Reno 911! (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) and the big screen Reno 911!: Miami (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP). The 4th season set features all 14 episodes, audio commentaries, officer profiles, and an extended scene. Meanwhile, Miami sports a trio of audio commentaries (two of which are in character), extended scenes, PSAs, footage from the premiere, and more.
When he’s at his best, David E. Kelley is responsible for some damn fine, often quirky, often funny, and genuinely human dramas. Two of those notches in the “excellent” column are making their DVD debut – the complete first season of Picket Fences (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) and the first volume of episodes from The Practice (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 6-disc Picket Fences set contains all 22 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette with interviews from Kelley and the cast. The Practice set contains the first 13 episodes of the show’s inaugural season, as well as a retrospective featurette.
The 80’s really were the age of John Lithgow. The World According To Garp, Buckaroo Banzai, Footloose, 2010, Harry And The Hendersons – the decade was literally littered with Lithgow cinema. One of the most memorable cable staples had to be The Manhattan Project (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which featured the wonderfully 80’s story of a bratty, genius teen rebelling against his mother’s nuclear physicist boyfriend (Lithgow) by building a nuclear bomb for his science competition project by stealing plutonium from her boyfriend’s lab during a daring nighttime raid involving a remote controlled truck, swapping said plutonium with Prell shampoo mixed with aluminum foil. Whew! And now, this classic is a special edition DVD, with an audio commentary, a trio of retrospective featurettes, a trivia track, and the original theatrical trailer.
Raymond Burr’s legendary (and not yet hefty) lawyer returns in the first volume of episodes from the second season of Perry Mason (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). The 4-disc set features 15 episodes, but not a single bonus feature in sight. Justice is not only blind, but cheap.
Jim Broadbent turns in another memorable performance as Frank Aungier Pakenham, the 7th Earl of Longford, in Longford (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP) – the true story of the respected Earl’s attempts to fight for release and rehabilitation of the convicted child killer Myra Hindley (Samantha Morton), and the consequences his altruistic campaigning had on his reputation. Bonus features include a featurette about the actual “Moors Murders” and an audio commentary.
Watching Lindsay Anderson’s If… (Criterion, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP), it’s hard not to imagine Stanley Kubrick viewing Malcolm McDowell’s intense performance as violent, anarchic boarding school student Mick Travis – central to this electric portrait of the odd, Draconian pecking order that permeates those famed Brit school institutions – and not making the decision there and then that McDowell would be perfect for his not-yet-produced A Clockwork Orange. This new 2-disc edition of If… features an audio commentary with film critic & historian David Robinson and McDowell, a TV special spotlighting the film, a video interview with actor Graham Crowden, the documentary Thursday’s Children, and a behind-the-scenes booklet.
John McClane is about to blast back on the big screen, which is why now is the time to make sure you have the new Die Hard Collection set (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring the special editions of the first 3 films, plus a bonus 4th disc containing a brand new retrospective documentary and a preview of Live Free Or Die Hard.
All good things must come to an end, and that applies two-fold to the third and final season of Deadwood (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP), as both an incredible series and the lawless, frontier era of the town itself come to an end. The 6-disc set features all 12 episodes, plus a quartet of audio commentaries, a historical featurette, a spotlight on the relationship of Swerengen & Bullock, and a photo gallery of the historical Deadwood.
Long before you needed to wash his mouth out with soap due to his expletive-soaked performance in Deadwood, Ian McShane starred as antiques dealer and part-time detective Lovejoy (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The 80’s were truly a golden age of moonlighting detectives who obviously couldn’t find a safer hobby. The 3-disc set features all 10 first season episodes, plus an interview with McShane.
Also hitting shelves is the first volume of the penultimate third season of Irwin Allen’s Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features 13 episodes, plus a David Hedison interview. But why oh why does Fox insist on continuing to release some of their TV product on accursed double-sided discs?
Before “Hoo-has” became his acting style, there was a much more nuanced Al in days past. Case in point is a pair of newly-released catalogue titles, The Panic In Needle Park (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP) and Author! Author! (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP). This is not to say that he’s incapable of good work in recent times, as a trio of overlooked flicks in the Pacino: An Actor’s Vision collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP) will attest, featuring Chinese Coffee, The Local Stigmatic, and Looking For Richard. The set also contains a bonus disc with the documentary Babbleonia, Pacino’s self-produced retrospective of his own career.
It may be unassuming and saccharine, but there is a nice simplicity to Miss Potter (Genius, Rated PG, DVD-$28.95 SRP), which stars Renee Zellweger as the titular author of the children’s classic The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The story revolves around the romance of the sheltered Beatrix and her publisher, played by Ewan McGregor. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a music video, and the theatrical trailer.
Continuing the well-established legacy of the Disney Double-Dip, here comes a new special edition of The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP). At least it is nicely remastered, and bonus materials include a making-of featurette and the classic short A Day For Eeyore.
Atlantic Records 60: The House That Ahmet Built (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is literally a rarity, performance, and interview-filled documentary about the founding and legacy of Atlantic Records and its founder, Ahmet Ertegun. It’s a wonderful trip down memory lane, and the music on show – including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Eric Clapton, and more – proves what an amazing legacy it is.
No dry museum tour, Simon Schama’s Power Of Art (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) is an electrifying journey into the creative process, venturing back to the events, politics, environment, and personality that big banged out eight iconic pieces of art. The 3-disc set features audio commentaries and a interview with Schama.
Has it really been over 10 years since the two Traveling Wilburys albums went out of print? A glorified garage band featuring pals George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, and the underappreciated Jim Keltner on drums, it’s a rocking, relaxed jam amongst friends and equals, whose sole intent was to have a great time making music on the fly. It’s just that wonderful effortlessness that comes to the fore while listening to the newly remastered 3-disc special edition of The Traveling Wilburys (Rhino, $29.98 SRP), which contains both albums plus a bonus DVD featuring rare home video footage from the recording sessions, as well as all the band’s videos. I wish more musicians could rediscover the fun of making music with your mates… and I miss the Wilburys.
As good as the first Hellboy Animated film was – and it was wonderful – Hellboy Animated: Blood & Iron (Starz, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) trumps it just in its sheer storytelling weight. Harpies, hellhounds, a werewolf, a vampire, a goddess, and even a haunted house – plus the addition of John Hurt reprising his big screen role as Professor Bruttenholm – all of that and more await you in this fantastic small screen adventure with big screen sensibilities. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, and an audio commentary.
What better way to show off dad’s new high definition TV than with the HD editions of Planet Earth (BBC, Not Rated, HD-DVD-$99.98 SRP, Blu-Ray-$99.98 SRP). The BBC’s massive documentary series Blue Planet was a truly impressive, stunningly beautiful exploration of our natural world. Planet Earth, however, easily trumps it. Spanning every continent and natural environment, it truly is the definition of jaw-dropping. From the summit of Everest to the open ocean, it’s… well, it’s incredible. I can’t get the scene of a great white shark literally jumping out of the water to seize prey out of my eye. This is also the first release to come along that I think truly merits purchase on either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, as it was shot entirely in HD, and the already mind-blowing visuals positively pop off your screen. Really, if stores were smart and wanted to move HD-Players, they’d put this series on a loop. Bonus features include over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, plus a 150-minute documentary that explores the possible future of the planet.
Or maybe your father would be happy with a dose of classic Carson, namely a pair of new releases featuring more classic Johnny moments from the king of late night (R2, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP each). The Best of The Tonight Show: Stand-Up Comedians is 2 discs worth of legendary stand-up acts that graced the Tonight Show stage, while The Best of The Tonight Show: King of Late Night packages the bonus specials originally found in the Classic Carson collection. Hi-yo!
Just in time for Paul Newman’s latest announcement of his intention to retire from acting comes a pair of 2-disc special editions of some of his finest work – The Hustler and The Verdict (Fox, Not Rated/Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). Filled with audio commentaries, featurettes, photo galleries, scene analyses, trailers, and more, it’s enough to make Minnesota Fats look like a toothpick.
The fine folks at Twomorrows publishing have proven themselves again and again to be the torchbearer for those who love comics, and they’ve added to their already impressive celebratory catalogue of ever lovin’ comics appreciation with a much-deserved spotlight on inker Joe Sinnott (the man who was just a vital part of the early success of Marvel as Kirby and Lee). Brush Strokes With Greatness: The Life & Art of Joe Sinnott (Twomorrows, $17.95 SRP) is packed with more art than you can shake a Ben Grimm stogie at, plus an interview with the man himself, tributes from his colleagues and fans, an intro from Stan Lee, and a piece at the end from Mark Evanier. 
While the films have been available previously, they weren’t completely remastered and packed with bonus materials (including a previously unavailable flick, to boot). The set in question is the must-have Sergio Leone Anthology (MGM/UA, Rated R, DVD-$88.98 SRP), containing the entire run of Clint Eastwood’s gunslinging “Man With No Name” – A Fistful Of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, and Duck, You Sucker. Get it!
The Duke’s birthday may have passed, but there’s still tons more releases to feature, and they make the perfect Father’s Day gift for dear old dad. Case in point is both volumes of the John Wayne Collection (Republic Pictures, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP each), contains eight classics your pa will love to have on his shelf, including Sands of Iwo Jima, Flying Tigers, Wake Of The Red Witch, The Quiet Man, Dakota, A Lady Takes A Chance, Rio Grande, The Fighting Kentuckian.
Just 8 years after her first novel in 1930, Nancy Drew leapt top the big screen with the first of four films starring Bonita Ganville as the intrepid young sleuth. All four of those films – Nancy Drew: Detective, Nancy Drew: Reporter, Nancy Drew: Trouble Shooter, & Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase – are features in The Original Nancy Drew Movie Mystery Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The 2-disc set also features the theatrical trailers for all 4 adventures.
Fox has raided the vaults for a ton of quite sweet titles for their “Cinema Classics Collection” – Don Ameche & The Ritz Brothers in The Three Musketeers, Jack Benny in Charley’s Aunt, Ernest Borgnine in the deep sea odyssey The Neptune Factor, Irwin Allen’s Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea & Fantastic Voyage, and Danny Kaye & Gene Tierney in On The Riviera (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). All of the discs feature bonus materials like audio commentaries, vintage promotional shorts, featurettes, trailers, and more.
Not to get up your nose with a rubber hose, but the complete first season of that Sweathog odyssey, Welcome Back, Kotter (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) has now entered the digital age. The 4-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette and the original screen tests. Truly, it’s more John Travolta and Gabe Kaplan-y goodness than you can possible imagine.
For a moment, let’s imagine a perfect world, where world peace reigns, children are happy, and Michael Bay’s Transformers doesn’t exist. It’s far easier to imagine a wonderful world like that while listening to the 20th anniversary edition of the original soundtrack to Transformers: The Movie (Sony Legacy, $11.98 SRP), in all its glorious 80’s cheesiness. From Stan Bush’s “You Got The Touch” and “Dare” to composer Vince DiCola’s score (in all seriousness, his “Unicron’s Theme” is a great piece of music), it’s almost enough to wipe Bay’s crap away.
A decidedly mustachioed Dick Van Dyke is a very disturbing thing, as his continual attempts to inject some kind of folksy levity into the homicide cases that litter the 2nd season of Diagnosis: Murder (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes of Van Dyke as the sleuthing Dr. Mark Sloan and his homicide detective son (played by Barry Van Dyke). Why can’t we have an audio commentary or two?
While the ads made it look like Blood Diamond, Primeval (Hollywood Pictures, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is actually a “based on a true story” horror flick about a 25-foot-long man-eating crocodile that cut a bloody swath through the African jungle. Here, a foolish news crew sets out to uncover it. Did I mention they were fools? But c’mon… Giant crocodile. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurette, and deleted scenes.
Chris Cooper is compelling as real-life double agent Robert Hanssen, whose long term deceit funneled U.S. Intelligence secrets to foreign enemies and made Hanssen wealthy. In Breach (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP), Ryan Phillipe plays Eric O’Neill, who is assigned to Hanssen and is determined to draw him out and expose him in a potentially lethal tete a tete. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a featurette on the true story, and deleted scenes.
Leaving Magnum behind, Tom Selleck returns as police chief Jesse Stone in a pair of TV movie adaptations of author Robert Parker’s best-selling Jesse Stone mysteries, Night Passage & Death In Paradise (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP each). New to the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts, Stone soon has his hands full, and Selleck is in top form.
Chuck Norris returns just in time to fulfill all of your Texas Rangering needs with the complete third season of Walker, Texas Ranger (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 7-disc set features all 26 episodes in glorious Norris-vision.
I still don’t know how I feel about filmmaker Eric Steel’s documentary The Bridge (Koch Lorber, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which documents over two dozen suicides from atop to Golden Gate Bridge, plus plenty of near-fatal moments, that were all captured on film. Even though the piece features interviews with families, friends, witnesses, and even those who attempted the plunge, the whole affair leaves a bad, voyeuristic taste in my mouth. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette.
They certainly don’t hold a candle to the original theatrical shorts, but the new adventures featured in the second volume of the Tom & Jerry Tales (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) certainly aren’t as offensive as some of the latter-day revivals of classic characters tend to be. Honestly – they’re not nearly as bad as you think they are.
Suspend the soapiness of Melrose Place at 35,000 feet and you have the loveably trashy UK “drama” Mile High, whose second season is now available via a pair of box-sets (Koch, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP each). Each 4-disc set features 13 episodes, for a total of 26 stories featuring the crew of Fresh Airlines.
The 80’s were a brilliant golden age of movie comedies unlike any before or since – well, in my view, anyway. And no, I’m in no way denigrating comedies prior to or after that, but there was a special brand of comedy plied in the 80’s, and two of the best films of that era were Trading Places and Coming To America (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$14.99 SRP each) – both directed by John Landis, and both starring Eddie Murphy. Best of all, these two films have gotten the special edition treatment, featuring newly-remastered prints, retrospective featurettes, vintage featurettes, trailers, and more. Now where’s my special edition of Spies Like Us? And yes, I’m serious…
It’s been a long gap since the last Seinfeld set (one can presume that it might have been delayed to let the Richards matter fade a bit), but we can finally dig into the seventh volume, featuring the penultimate 8th season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP). This was the season of “Yadda Yadda” and “Bizarro Jerry,” plus the season following the departure of co-creator Larry David. In addition to all 22 episodes, the exceptionally high amount of bonus material has been maintained, with commentaries, bloopers, behind-the-scenes featurettes and interviews, deleted scenes, “Sein-imation” scenes, and a documentary on the production of season 5 (“Jerry Seinfeld: Submarine Captain”).
Finally, the crimefighting Colt Severs – the unknown stuntman – is on DVD. The hay that he winds up in may be only hay, but this Lee Majors vehicle The Fall Guy (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) was a childhood favorite, most of it due to the legendary theme song (sung by Majors himself). The 6-disc set features all 22 first season episodes, plus a retrospective featurette. I can’t tell you how pathetically thrilled I am that there is actually a featurette that focuses solely on the theme song.
How many of you remember that on April 9, 2000, George Clooney produced a live version of the Cold War nuclear meltdown film Fail Safe (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP)? Presented in two separate performances on the East and west coast, it was a star-studded tour de force that gave a wonderful (and black & white!) slice of what the golden age of television might have been like, and after long being available overseas, you can finally get a copy of the program in the US.
The second season of Mission: Impossible (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) arrives on DVD, featuring the new head of IMF, the legendary Jim Phelps (Peter Graves). The 7-disc set features 25 missions guaranteed to self-destruct after viewing… well, maybe not, but you still get the crackerjack team of Cinnamon Carter, Rollin Hand, and Willie Armitage (Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Greg Morris) doing the impossible.
The BBC have taken the storyline that featured the transition from the Tom Baker to the Peter Davison Doctor Who – precipitated by the nefarious machinations of the Master – and collected them in one easy 3-disc box set under the title Doctor Who: New Beginnings (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The storylines featured in the set are “The Keeper Of Traken,” “Logopolis” (Baker’s swan song), and “Castrovalva.” As usual, the discs are packed with bonus materials, including audio commentary, interviews, documentaries, BBC news reports, trailers, deleted scenes, and much more.
Though the two sequels took a flaming nosedive in quality and story, there’s no denying that the Matrix trilogy was a visual feast of special effects whoa-wizardry. That visual flair makes them perfect fodder for showing off the a/v punch of high definition, which for me is the real reason to pick up the 4-disc Ultimate Matrix box-set in HD-DVD (Warner Bros., Rated R, HD-DVD-$119.99 SRP). This set is nearly identical in bonus content to the standard DVD Ultimate collection, so the real selling point is the absolutely stunning quality of the visuals themselves. Like I said, this is one of those reference discs you’ll pop in just to show off to your friends.
If you want a look at how snazzy a classic flick would look in high definition, then try the newly-released HD-DVD upgrade of Casablanca (Warner Bros., Not Rated, HD-DVD- $28.99 SRP) and prepare to be duly impressed. As far as bonus materials are concerned, it’s loaded with the exact same complement as the standard release – meaning a ton of quality stuff – but the real draw is the picture itself.
Kudos to Toho and Classic Media for another great pair of remastered Godzilla flicks – Invasion of Astro-Monster and Ghidorah The Three-Headed Monster (Classic Media, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). As with the previous special editions, both the original Japanese and American versions are presented, uncut, with audio commentaries and trailers.
Although it didn’t arrive in time to make into the pre-Memorial Day guide, I did spend a fair chunk of the recent holiday digging through the wartime treasures found in the second volume of Warner’s World War II Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The 6 films featured in the set are Air Force, Command Decision, Hell To Eternity, The Hill, 36 Hours, and Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo. Not content to just release the flicks themselves, Warner’s has also loaded the discs with WWII-era shorts, classic cartoons, and vintage trailers.
Also post-Memorial Day was a trio of new 2-disc special editions of Fox wartime classics – Von Ryan’s Express, Twelve O’Clock High, and The Sand Pebbles (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). Bonus materials include audio commentaries, retrospective documentaries, new and vintage interviews & behind-the-scenes featurettes, trailers, and more.
Courtesy of a new US distribution deal with Fremantle Media, a pair of long-running British dramas are getting their US DVD debut with the release of the complete first seasons of both The Bill and The Sweeney (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP each). For American viewers, the best way to explain them is that The Sweeney is like a grittier Starsky & Hutch, and The Bill is like a Brit Hill Street Blues. Both sets are packed with bonus features, including commentaries, featurettes, galleries, and more.
The fearless Officers Jon and Ponch and their oh-so-very-80’s tales of the motorcycle-mounted California Highway Patrol are now at your digital beck-and-call with the complete first season of ChiPs (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus trivia from Erik Estrada, and a spotlight on him, as well. Whither Larry Wilcox?
Even though some may cry foul based on who owns the site these words appear on, I legitimately did enjoy the largely lightweight dramatic romantic comedy (dromedy?) Catch & Release (Columbia Pictures, Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.95 SRP), which stars Jennifer Garner as a woman recovering from the sudden death of her fiancé who moves in with his best friends (one of which is played by Mr. Kevin Smith, yes, and another is Quick Stop’s own Sam Jaeger). They all attempt to cheer her up, but it’s the standoffish one (Timothy Olyphant) that, wouldn’t you know it, she becomes romantically drawn to. Typical. Bonus features include a pair of audio commentaries (one of which is writer/director Susannah Grant and, yes, Mr. Smith).
Unlike the sad “lost episodes” of Chappelle’s Show that Comedy Central released last year, as far as money-making exploitation goes, at least the single-disc Best of Chappelle’s Show (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) does actually contain some of the show’s best material – everything from the blind white supremacist Clayton Bigsby to Rick James.
There’s nothing quite like the dulcet tones of Jim Backus coming from that near-sighted senior citizen, Mr. Magoo, and you can now purchase the complete collection of all 26 full shows (130 cartoons) from the 60’s television adventures of The Mr. Magoo Show (Classic Media, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP). The 4-disc set is completely remastered, and also contains a reprint of a vintage 1963 Magoo comic.
By all accounts, Ocean’s Thirteen has recovered from the mediocre fumble that was Ocean’s 12, but not having seen the flick, the only thing I can comment on is the soundtrack album of the David Holmes score (Warner Sunset, $18.98 SRP)… which is quite good. Great, even. I hope the film is, too.
Considering his bad luck when it comes to keeping quality shows on the air, congrats to Denis Leary for the ongoing success of Rescue Me, which is about to enter its fourth season. The complete third season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) is now out on DVD, picking up after the devastating events that wrapped up season 2, and left the 62 Truck crew reeling. If you haven’t experienced the show yet, snap up all 3 seasons post haste. The 4-disc set features all 13 episodes, plus 5 featurettes, a location tour, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes clips, a blooper reel, and a Rescue Me comedy short.
The madcap misadventures of the prisoners of Germany’s most inept Stalag return for one last run of adventures in the sixth and final season of Hogan’s Heroes (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). Th 4-disc set features all 24 episodes of Colonel Klink-thwarting escape attempts, but sadly no real resolution. “Nussing” indeed.
The second Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) features 5 of the latter flicks made by the duo before their less-than-amicable split. Fully restored, the 3-disc set presents Pardners, Hollywood Or Bust, Living It Up, You’re Never Too Young, and Artists and Models.
You know that Warner Bros. is serious about dusting out every corner of the Hanna-Barbera library when you get the complete first season of their early 70’s sitcom Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP). Like an animated precursor to King of the Hill with more than a passing influence from All In The Family, starring Tom Bosley as blue collar everyman Harry Boyle, who’s culturally adrift in the Age of Aquarius. The 4-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette.
Is it wrong that I didn’t know that USA’s Dead Zone was still on the air? Well, it is, and the complete fifth season is now on DVD (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features all 11 episodes, plus a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and four audio commentaries.
Shake your groove thang to a brand new special edition of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), the Aussie drag comedy which has steadily become a member of that exclusive pantheon of films that have become bona fide cult classics. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a retrospective featurette, deleted scenes, outtakes, the original theatrical trailer, and more.
The CW need not bother trying to do an anachronistic, teenybopper soap version of the Robin Hood legend, because the BBC has beat them to it. Think I’m being too harsh? Check out the complete first season of their Robin Hood (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP) and see what I mean, as it’s simply too sickeningly slick for words. The 5-disc set features all 13 episodes, plus commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and character profiles.
Second only to endless documentaries about the Nazis and WWII, one of the most addictive shows to hit the History Channel has been the how-to/how-does explorations of Modern Marvels. Criminally absent from DVD shelves, that oversight has been rectified with the 8-disc Modern Marvels: Technology box set (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). The set features all you could ever want to know about candy, James Bond Gadgets, the Manhattan Project, monster trucks, engineering disasters, sugar, Walt Disney World, and the world’s longest bridge. This is a wonderful start, but where’s the next set?
Eager to bankrupt cinephile, Warners release another of their must-have themed collections, this time gathering together 6 vault titles starring one of the screen’s most legendary actresses. The Katharine Hepburn: 100th Anniversary Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) contains 1933’s Morning Glory, 1936’s Sylvia Scarlett, 1944’s Dragon Seed, 1945’s Without Love, 1946’s Undercurrent, and 1979’s The Corn Is Green. Complete remastered, each film also sports period cartoons and short subjects (a most welcome regular feature on these Warner sets).
The History Channel’s 12-part documentary The Civil War (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) is the perfect companion piece to Ken Burns’s own take on the American struggle of brother vs. brother. Whereas Burns was more concerned with the war on a personal level, the History Channel series is a comprehensive look at the social, political, military, and historical aspects.
Warlords (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) is a 4-part documentary produced by Britain’s Channel 4 that examines the motivations and mindset of the four wartime leaders that shaped the events of World War II in the Western theater – Hitler, Churchill, Stalin, and Roosevelt. It’s a wonderful examination of the decision-makers and what each was hoping to achieve for their own countries.
I’ve often wondered why there hasn’t been a more wholesale release of titles from A&E’s wonderful Biography series, but a new pair of themed box-sets may be establishing the necessary precedent to getting scores of them out on DVD. The Legends of The Silver Screen collection (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$44.95 SRP) contains 8 editions of the show, spotlighting Humphrey Bogart, Betty Boop, James Dean, Clint Eastwood, Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Robert Redford, and Shirley Temple, plus the documentary Hollywood: An Empire of Their Own. The Mafia Legends set (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) turns the focus on Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano, Al Capone, and Mob hitmen. More, please!
F-Troop was one of those bizarre TV comedies that you’re glad was allowed to make as many episodes as it did before it was” found out” and cancelled. In F-Troop‘s case, that meant only two seasons, the second of which is out now (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Any show that can feature both Paul Lynde as a singing Mountie and Vincent Price as a Transylvanian Count in the old west is one that needs to be watched for generations to come. The 6-disc set features all 31 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette.
Like its sister-show Dogfights, Shootout! (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$69.95 SRP) contains interviews and discussion of military operations spanning the past century, with you-are-there 3-D recreations of the battles in question. The 6-disc set contains both seasons 1 & 2, plus a trailer for the forthcoming game based on the series.
Take a pop culture spin through coming of age in the 50’s with the documentary Heavy Petting (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), featuring interviews with pop and cultural luminaries who came of age during that storied period – including the likes of Spalding Gray, David Byrne, and Allen Ginsberg – describing their own personal “loses of sexual innocence.”
It’s not genius, but I still enjoy Kyra Sedgewick’s turn as deputy police chief Brenda Johnson in The Closer (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), where she expertly balances crime-solving with inter-office politics and an attempt at a private life. The 4-disc second season set features all 15 episodes, plus a behind-the-scenes featurette and a gag reel.
Dive back into the supposedly savage tribal worlds featured in Barbarians II (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), the History Channel series that attempts to give a clearer picture of these often misunderstood peoples. This 2-disc set spotlights the Vandals, Saxons, Franks, and Lombards. Bonus features include an episodes of both Conquest (“Weapons of The Barbarians”) and Modern Marvels (“Axes, Swords & Knives”).
The second season of the Clint Eastwood-starring television western Rawhide gets a truncated 2nd season release, splitting up the 32-episode season into a pair of individual volumes. Available now is the 4-disc Rawhide: Season 2 – Volume 1 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), featuring those first 16 eps.
All these later, and I still don’t like Firefly. Jebus knows, I tried, but Joss Whedon’s space opera struck me as a cloying, annoying, pale shadow of the heights he achieved on Buffy (before the abysmal final season) and Angel (whose final season proved to its finest). Still, there are plenty of Browncoats out there who have embraced the series, and more power to them. For those fans, though, there’s the second volume of Firefly: The Official Companion (Titan Books, $24.95 SRP), packed with interviews, photos, behind-the-scenes insights, and complete scripts for “Jaynestown”, “Out of Gas”, “Ariel”, “War Stories”, “Trash”, “The Message”, “Heart Of Gold”, and “Objects In Space”.
What happens when you push a franchise beyond the breaking point? You get Hannibal Rising (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), a mediocre attempt to drag the corpse of the Hannibal Lecter franchise through the streets, hoping no one notices the smell of this turgid turkey. Well, smell it does. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and trailers.
The complementary “Art Of” volumes that have gone hand-in-hand with the release of every Pixar film since Monsters, Inc. are as beautiful and fascinating as the fully realized films whose visual development process they chronicle. Maintaining that high standard is the companion to director Brad Bird’s latest, The Art of Ratatouille (Chronicle Books, $40.00 SRP). Packed with sketches, design progressions, storyboards, character models, and more, it’s another top-notch volume to add to the shelf.
It’s bittersweet that just a few weeks after the untimely death of writer/director Bob Clark (killed, along with his son, by a drunk driver), Fox has released Porky’s : The Ultimate Collection (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), containing all 3 Porky’s films. The 2nd and 3rd installments are largely forgettable, but the first film is still a modern coming-of-age classic that has been continuously “homaged” by films ever since. The original Porky’s contains a commentary with Clark, and retrospective featurettes (the less said about the video game pitch, the better). Give Porky’s and Bob Clark’s other classic, A Christmas Story, a spin.
It got a bare-bones release last year, but Clint Eastwood’s first Iwo Jima film, Flags Of Our Fathers (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$34.99 SRP), is being re-released as a feature-laden 2-disc affair. Those bonus materials include an introduction from Clint, featurettes (on casting, visual effects, the history, and the script) and the original theatrical trailer.
Let that be a prelude, however, to Eastwood’s far superior Letters From Iwo Jima (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$34.99 SRP), which tells the exact same story as Flags, but from the Japanese perspective. Where Flags is very much a by-the-numbers, at times staid and tedious film, Letters is nuanced, powerful, and elegant – Eastwood just seems to be more energized by the material and the characters themselves. There are no caricatures to be found in the Japanese servicemen left on a suicide mission to defend the tiny island of Iwo Jima from the Allied troops, and that is the film’s greatest strength. The 2-disc special edition sports a behind-the-scenes documentary, a featurette of the cast discussing the real soldiers, premiere & press conference footage, and an image gallery.
The Good German (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) is a noble cinematic experiment, of the kind that producer/star George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh seem to like to engage in periodically. Essentially a throwback to the Warner era of Casablanca, it’s a black & white nouveau-classic about an American journalist (Clooney) in postwar Berlin who encounters a former lover (Cate Blanchett) and her new military beau (Tobey Maguire), and a mysterious murder that only he seems interested in solving. It’s a largely successful throwback to Hollywood’s golden age.
Nostalgia is often a double-edged sword – equal parts joyful and depressing. Such I the case of my reaction to reading a pair of fine trade paperback releases from Marvel – Alpha Flight Classic: Volume 1 (Marvel, $24.99 SRP) and Fantastic Four Visionaries – Walt Simonson: Volume 1 ($19.99 SRP). Both collect the first batch of issues that launch memorably enjoyable runs on both titles… That’s the good part. The bad part is that both books remind me just how cruddy comics – and the characters I used to love – have become in the years since their original publication, corrupted by poor writing, wrongheaded editors, and visionless companies. It’s a damn shame.
John Wayne would have been 100-years-old this year, and to celebrate, film fans are getting some very nice special editions of his classic flicks. That includes a brand new fully remastered special edition of True Grit (Paramount, Rated G, DVD-$19.99 SRP), with an audio commentary, a quartet of retrospective featurettes, and the original theatrical trailer. Not to be outdone, Warner has pulled out a pair of big guns with special editions of Rio Bravo (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$20.98 SRP) and The Cowboys (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). The 2-disc edition of Bravo features an audio commentary (with John Carpenter & Richard Schickel), 2 brand-new featurettes, a spotlight on director Howard Hawks, and a trailer gallery. Cowboys features a commentary from director Mark Rydell, a reunion featurette, a vintage behind-the-scenes featurette, and the theatrical trailer.
The occasion of the Duke’s 100th birthday has given studios the excuse to cull some new-to-DVD flicks from the vaults, and Warner has done that with the 6-disc John Wayne Film Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The films in question are Allegheny Uprising, Reunion In France, Without Reservations, Tycoon, Big Jim McLain, and Trouble Along The Way. Each disc features a classic contemporary short subject and cartoon.
When titans stumble. Up until the fifth season of Scrubs (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP), I thought the show to be one of those rare comedies that could balance both humor and poignancy, never betraying the reality of its characters and situation for the sake of a cheap gag. Then came the 5th season, when reality was shoved aside, the characters became caricatures, and the humor played like a second rate live action interpretation of Family Guy. It’s not that the humor became sophomoric – Scrubs always had a touch of that, because its main character was a geeky 20-something intern/doctor – it’s that I just lost any and all respect for the characters that had been so nicely fleshed out over the preceding 4 seasons, often betraying every bit of nuance and verisimilitude that made the comedy that much sweeter. It’s a shame when titans stumble – but worse was to come, if you’ve been watching season 6. This 3-disc set features all 24 mixed bag episodes, plus deleted scenes, featurettes, and audio commentaries (but not a single bit of the blog material the producers put together last year).
As sequels go, Fay Grim (Magnolia, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is exactly the uniquely odd follow-up you’d expect from filmmaker Hal Hartley. Continuing the lives of the characters from Henry Fool, the focus this time is on Parker Posey’s Fay Grim, who is asked by a CIA agent (Jeff Goldblum) to aid in locating Henry’s notebooks and turn them over in exchange for her brother Simon’s freedom (he was jailed after helping the escaped Henry – who broke out of prison – flee the country). Bonus features include a making-of featurette, a Fay Grim episode, deleted scenes, and Hartley’s trailer for the film.
I enjoyed his stand-up DVD from a few years back, and I enjoyed Joe Rogan’s new comedy CD, Shiny Happy Jihad (Comedy Central Records, $12.98 SRP). He’s just as outspoken and no-holds-barred as he’s always been, but here’s hoping this more widely distributed release gets him more fans than that untalented hack Dane Cook.
There’s over three decades worth of shakin’ going on in Jerry Lee Lewis: Greatest Live Performances of the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), a DVD that more than lives up to its title with some choice vintage footage full of piano playin’ fire and brimstone.
It was inevitable that there would be yet another dip into Virgin territory with the new 2-disc unrated edition of The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). In addition to the unrated cut, the set features cast auditions, 17 minutes of deleted scenes, a cast roundtable discussion, unedited Steve Carell takes, rehearsal footage, plus a sneak peek at producer/director Judd Apatow’s upcoming Knocked Up (a free ticket for which is included in the set).
I never knew that HBO aired the full Broadway revival of Alan Jay Lerner & Frederick Leowe’s Camelot (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) in 1982, which starred a vibrant Richard Harris in the lead. Well, 25 years later, you can now get that special on DVD.
Based on the New York City police corruption investigations of the early 70’s, Sidney Lumet’s gritty Prince of the City (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is a grim, dirty look at dirty cops and the dirty city they inhabited during the Big Apple’s darkest days. A sprawling epic, it could easily have been a miniseries – with 130 locations and 126 speaking parts – but deserves its big screen canvass. The 2-disc special edition features a newly-produced retrospective featurette, and the original theatrical trailer.
It’s nice to see blue-eyed Peter O’Toole aging into the loveable geriatric leach of the silver screen in Venus (Miramax, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP), but I can see why this otherwise slight role garnered him only an Academy Award nomination, but no win. As an aging actor smitten with the grandniece of his closest friend, the material is not really strong enough to support the performance, which is a true shame. Still, I’m sure there are more parts to come. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
If there’s one thing that Epic Movie (Fox, Not Rated DVD-$29.99 SRP) proves – beyond a doubt – it’s that films should not be made that are essentially an extended MadTV sketch. Skewering Hollywood blockbusters like Scary Movie took on the horror franchises of the 90’s, the jokes are one-note, and based largely on visual approximations of the parody targets. It’s hard to make fun of already-ludicrous popcorn flicks… And this attempt falls flat. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, outtakes, and more.
The 6-disc Highlander: The Ultimate Collection set (Starz Home Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) features 15 of what it terms the “Best of the Best” episodes from the surprisingly long-running TV adventures of the immortal Duncan MacLeod. In addition to those episodes – spanning all 6 seasons – the set also contains a featurette on the Parisian locations of “The City of Lights,” a spotlight on the show’s swordfights, a celebration of the show’s fans, a preview of the upcoming videogame, and a trip to the Spanish facility that makes the show’s weapons.
The OC proved to be one of those radiant zeitgeist shows that burned incredibly hot for its first two seasons, then plunged to Earth, eventually limping along to a bitter finale. There was an element of course correction during what turned out to be its final season, but you can see for yourself that the show’s fourth season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) had a lot of ground to make up to get things back on track, and they ultimately were not given the chance to see if it all worked. The 5-disc set features all 16 episodes, plus an audio commentary on the finale, unaried scenes, a Chrismukkah featurette, and a Summer Roberts featurette.
For over 50 years, the CIA has attempted to eliminate Cuban dictator Fidel Castro – who, as you may know, is very much alive and still with us. If you’d like to view an excellent documentary detailing all of the near-misses, ludicrous plots, bad luck, and failure after failure, check out 638 Ways To Kill Castro (Starz Home Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). Bonus features include additional interviews.
Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto (Touchstone, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is just as powerful, bombastic, and overblown as its troubled auteur, and becomes largely exhausting on the small screen. It doesn’t help that the entire affair is overshadowed by the feeling that Gibson – high on horse – is just trying too hard. If Braveheart was a pretentious statement, then this is full blown egomaniacal filmmaking at both its best and worst – it’s sometimes beautiful to behold, and there’s some admirable cinema, but it’s all just too overwhelming. Bonus features include audio commentary, a deleted scene (with optional commentary), and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
It’s amazing – and somewhat disturbing – that BCI’s releases from the Filmation library has now gotten to the point where it seems everything one of Hollywood’s most mediocre animation studios ever produced. The two latest blasts from the past is the complete series of Hero High (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), about a high school for superheroes, and an animated Rick Springfield in the complete series of Mission: Magic! (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), which is some kind of weird mash-up of Harry Potter and School of Rock. Both sets feature copious amounts of bonus materials, including commentaries, featurettes, interviews, galleries, and more.
Even if I were just judging it on its appealing design sensibility, and not its equally fun storytelling, Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender would be worth checking out. Give it a spin and see if you agree, with the third volume of the show’s second season, Book 2: Earth (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP). Bonus materials include audio commentary from the creators and cast on the 5 episodes featured in this volume.
Learn the awesome power of duct tape via Canada’s biggest advocate for this modern marvel, Red Green. The 3-disc Red Green Show: 1998 Season set (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) features all 14 episodes of the canuck comedy, but we get short shrift on extras.
The 80’s really were a glorious era of bombastic TV. I mean, a series focusing on an attack helicopter and its renegade pilot righting wrongs and saving the day? Priceless. Airwolf: Season Three (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) features an additional 22 episodes of rotored brilliance.
It’s been a long time coming, but animation fans can rejoice in the unexpurgated Droopy: The Complete Theatrical Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features all 24 manic adventures of Tex Avery’s low-key delight (including anamorphic transfers of the 7 Cinemascope shorts). Bonus materials include a retrospective featurette on Avery and the character of Droopy, and a gag compilation.
Don Rosa’s undersea mini-epic, “Treasure Under Glass,” is the spotlight story of this month’s issue of Uncle Scrooge (Gemstone, $7.50) – that’s issue #365, to be exact – and it shows to what lengths… or depths… McDuck will go to secure the treasure contained in a sunken ship.
Even the most well-written, well-acted show runs the risk of becoming creatively worn out if it goes on long enough, and by the ninth season of Frasier (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), the cracks were beginning to show. Thankfully, by the next season (and the final 11th season), things improved, and the series was able to go out on a high note, even if it still felt like they were pushing it. Despite its overall blasé feel, this season did manage to include a pair of keeper episodes – specifically Frasier’s subconscious confrontation with his past loves (“Don Juan From Hell”) and a reunion of 3/4 of the cast of Cheers, assembled for the occasion of Cliff’s retirement party in Boston (“Cheerful Goodbyes”). Unfortunately, they still insist on delivering zero bonus features, and have also neglected to give us our complementary fix of another season of Cheers, as they had in the past with concurrent releases. What’s up with that?
For those of us foolish to pick up the massive Martinis & Medicine collection last year just for the exclusive bonus materials, Fox slaps us across the face by releasing those selfsame bonus features in a separate 3-disc set. M*A*S*H: Goodbye, Farewell and Amen (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) contains the legendary series finale, as well as those aforementioned bonus materials. Damn you, Fox.
Never as clever as the show its creators hailed from (Cheers), Wings was always just a fun, funny, traditional workhorse of a sitcom – providing plenty of character-based laughs, without being too intellectually stimulating. By the fourth season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP), the formula was firmly in place, you had decided which of the two brother/proprietors of tiny Sandpiper Air, Joe & Brian (Tim Daly & Steven Weber), you were rooting for, you had already fallen in love with quirky bumblings of cabbie Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) and dim mechanic Lowell (Thomas Haden Church), and all was right with the world. The 4-disc set features all 22 episodes, but not a single bonus feature. Is it that hard to book Daly & Weber?
In 1981, Tucson journalist Ellen Adelstein journeyed to Beverly Hills to do an in-depth, one-on-one interview with Gene Roddenberry. For almost 90 minutes, Adelstein and Roddenberry talked of Roddenberry’s past, the creation of Star Trek, and much more. That interview is now available on DVD as Gene Roddenberry: Up Close and Personal (Bashert Productions, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95) and can be purchased at 
Now relegated to cable or pay-per-view, did you know there was a time when you could actually find Hugh Hefner and the original hip Playboy aesthetic on regular TV? That’s exactly what you had with the late 60’s “lounge”-fest Playboy After Dark (Morada Vision, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP each). The show was essentially a mellow, free-wheeling “night at Hef’s,” where the guests would mingle with the audience in a party atmosphere that mixed the martini and smoking jacket ethos of the 50’s with the swinging 60’s. Two collections of the show are currently available, with each 3-disc set featuring guests such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Ike & Tina Turner, Lenny Bruce, Sid Caesar, Linda Ronstadt, Jerry Lewis, Count Basie, George Carlin, Tommy Smothers, and many more. Definitely give it a spin. I do have a request for volume 3, though – can you please release the complete appearance of Harry Nilsson, who was on with Otto Preminger to promote Skidoo?
Sporting an incredible Machine Man cover, the 48th oversize issue of The Jack Kirby Collector (Twomorrows, $9.95 SRP) packs the usual complement of stunning art and insightful articles we’ve come to expect from this must-have “King” chronicle.
They might otherwise slip through the cracks, but thankfully Digital Classics has been rescuing a clutch of obscure comedy films from the very back of the vault, dusting them off, and allowing audiences to rediscover them. These include films like San Ferry Ann and a pair of Ronnie Barker pictures – Futtock’s End & A Home Of Your Own – plus a cameo filled flick called Simon Simon, in which you see everyone from Peter Sellers and Michael Caine to Eric Morecombe and Ernie Wise (Digital Classics DVD, Not Rated, DVD-£6.99 SRP each). By all means, snap these up and pop some corn.
I find it hard to believe that we already to Memorial Day (where has this year gone??), but Sony has completely remastered and special edition-ized a pair of military classics worth picking up for the holiday weekend. First up is the 2-disc special edition of The Guns of Navarone (Columbia Pictures, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP), starring Gregory Peck, David Niven, and Anthony Quinn as a trio of Allied soldiers tasked with a spectacularly dangerous (yes, impossible!) mission to infiltrate a Nazi fortress and take out a pair of massive artillery pieces. Bonus features include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a featurette on the restoration process, a quartet of vintage featurettes, and more. The other flick that should be on your shopping list is Humphrey Bogart’s maniacal, ball-bearing loving turn as the monstrous Captain Queeg in The Caine Mutiny (Columbia Pictures, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP). In addition to a newly remastered print, bonus features include an audio commentary and a brand new retrospective documentary.
There are plenty of new faces and challenges during the complete seventh season of ER (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). While the staff cope with everything from a busload of poisoned kids to man in opossum costume who bites a man in a kangaroo costume, the personal drama of the medics themselves increases, particularly in the case of the arrival of Abby’s mother. The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus aired scenes and the now customary gag reel.
In this age of cheap camcorders, it should be no surprise that today’s soldier has replaced the instamatics of days past with palm-sized camcorders that they’ve trekked to Iraq with. Some of those candid, often disturbing videos – and the stories of the soldiers behind them – have been culled to produce The War Tapes (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), a powerful documentary that should be required viewing no matter what side of the political fence you fall on. Bonus materials include additional footage, outtakes & extended scenes, follow-up interviews with the soldiers, and the theatrical trailer.
In some ways, I’m sure Darren Aranofsky’s stripped down version of his millennia-spanning The Fountain (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.95 SRP) is better served by the reduced budget brought on by the departure of star Brad Pitt, who was replaced by Hugh Jackman as the man whose love for a single woman (played by Aranofsky’s own wife, Rachel Weisz) leads him on the ultimate quest to protect her. Still, I’m curious to see what that major blockbuster version would have been like. The final version, though, is an interesting – if dense – artistic vision that’s much more palatable on the small screen, with time for reflective pausing. Bonus features include 6 behind-the-scenes featurettes and the theatrical trailer.
It’s not nearly as lavish as the average Pixar “Art Of” book, but there’s still plenty of wonderful conceptual designs to be found in The Art Of Meet The Robinsons (Disney Editions, $17.99 SRP). It’s just a shame that the film came and went from theaters with nary a blip, as it’s a much better flick than the dreadful Chicken Little, and has a nice, inventive charm befitting the tale.
Never a classic, I always got a nice chuckle out of Craig T. Nelson and Coach, the complete second season of which is out now (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Who could possibly look into the face of Jerry Van Dyke and not crack a smile?
James Garner is back is Jim Rockford in the fourth season of The Rockford Files (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring 21 episodes of the mobile-home based ex-con sleuth with the memorable car and theme song. In addition, the set features a bonus episode from the fifth season – “White on White and Nearly Perfect” – guest-starring Tom Selleck in a role that eventually led to Magnum.
The adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow are coming to a close (unless Disney decides the cow has more milk to give), so that means the final score from Hans Zimmer, this time for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (Walt Disney Records, $18.98 SRP).
It’s harmless, innocuous, channel-surfing comedy, and once you’ve seen one episode of the show, you really and truly have seen them all. Home Improvement: The Complete Sixth Season (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) features all 25 episodes, plus the season 6 blooper reel.
Try as I might, I’ve never been able to wring a laugh for Seth MacFarlane’s attempt at a Family Guy follow-up, American Dad. For those of you who can stomach the show, the 3-disc Volume Two (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) features another 19 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, and multi-angle scene studies.
While watching The War At Home (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), I couldn’t shake the feeling that what I was viewing was just the warmed over bastard child of Married With Children and Roseanne. It’s a shame, because Michael Rappaport – here the beleaguered father of 3 kids with a soul-sucking insurance job -deserves a much better showcase. The 3-disc set features all 22 first season episodes, plus cast & crew interviews, unaired scenes, and a gag reel.
Summer is fast approaching, and if you’ve yet to discover the novels of John Swartzwelder (writer, as the cover of each book will tell you, of 59 episodes of The Simpsons), you will have a far duller time during the sweltering months ahead. If you’re bright enough to navigate the web towards that massive cyber-emporium Amazon, you have at least enough intelligence to order all 4 of Swartzwelder’s forays into sublime sci-fi comic storytelling. The latest entry in the adventures of the rather dim detective Frank Burly is The Exploding Detective (Kennydale Books, $15.95), and it merely whets the appetite for more adventures. Think of it as a palate cleanser for your life.
Speaking of titles to snag, another to add to the list is Berkeley Breathed’s latest children’s book, Mars Needs Moms! (Philomel, $16.99 SRP). As the title pretty clearly indicates, the denizens of the red planet are in desperate need of mothers, and hatch a plan to acquire them from Earth – an Earth were a young boy named Milo doesn’t fully appreciate his own mother. Beautifully illustrated, funny, and poignant, it’s just as wonderful as all of Breathed’s other excursions into juvenile fiction.
Rather than the magnificent, comprehensive box set they got in the UK, here in the US the BBC has been trickling out the releases of Michael Palin’s wonderful travel documentaries. The latest to finally hit the colonies is Palin’s Around The World In 80 Days (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$4.98 SRP) which – as the title suggests – takes Palin on a circumnavigational race in the footsteps of Phileas Fogg. The 3-disc set features a new interview with Palin, reflecting on his rather insane journey. Now, where are the rest of Palin’s adventures? Come on, already!
A staple move of most modern sketch comedy acts in the UK, Matt Lucas & David Walliams decided to take their hit Little Britain on the road in a live show, featuring new material starring their now-iconic cast of characters. Everyone from Lou & Andy to Vicky Pollard and Marjorie Dawes make it onto the stage in the document of that tour, Little Britain Live (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes, commentary from Matt & David, and exclusive “Lou & Andy in Blackpool” sketch, deleted scenes, and David’s Comic Relief swim across the English Channel. If that weren’t enough, a miniature replica of the official tour program is also included. Yeah no but yeah.
Plug one of the very few gaping holes in your Alfred Hitchock collection with the new special edition release of the director’s To Catch A Thief (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), which stars Cary Grant as a reformed jewel thief who must clear his name when he’s blamed for a rash of thefts along the French Riviera, using the family jewels of an heiress (Grace Kelly) to bait a trap for the real thief. In addition to a quartet of newly-produced featurettes, the disc also features an audio commentary with Peter Bogdanovich & Laurent Bouzereau, and the original theatrical trailer.
My good friend Glen will be utterly delighted to know that his long quest to own a non-pirated, legitimately released, bonus-feature filled set of the complete Jason of Star Command (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) has finally reached an end, as the low-rent-but-fun Filmation-produced 70’s series. Featuring both Jimmy Doohan and Sid Haig, you know you can’t pass it up. The 3-disc set features all 28 episodes, plus a trio of commentary tracks, a brand-new documentary, a special effects demo reel, and galleries.
Previously available separately, you can now pick up a trio of obscure – but must-have – John Cleese projects via the John Cleese Comedy Collection (White Star, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP). The set features How To Irritate People, The Strange Case Of The End Of Civilization As We Know It, and Romance With a Double Bass. Get it.
Until I saw the DVD set, I wasn’t even aware that The 4400 had made it to a 3rd season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). I guess it’s just like The Pretender once was – just plugging along in the background, beloved by its core fanbase, and unrecognized by the rest of humanity. But good on them for making it that far, and the 4-disc set features all 12 episodes, plus audio commentaries, a quartet of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a gag reel.
It’s post-graduation, and the sixth season of That 70’s Show (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) found itself in that always awkward position for any show that featured high-schoolers – namely, how do you contrive to keep them all together when they’ve gotten their diplomas? All those gymnastics are to be found here, but overall the strength of the characters and writing holds the whole thing together. Bonus features include audio commentary on select episodes, promo spots, interviews with Debra Jo Rupp & Kurtwood Smith, and a “Six Minutes of Season Six” featurette.
Tom Hanks-aholics will have two reasons to visit their local (or online) DVD emporiums, with the release of not only a new 2-disc extended edition of Big (featuring 25 minutes of additional footage), but also a director’s cut of his own That Thing You Do! (Fox, Rated PG/Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). Big features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes, TV spots, trailers, and an AMC Backstory, while That Thing You Do! sports both the original and extended cuts of the film, 4 behind-the-scenes featurettes, a TV spot, the theatrical trailer, the HBO First Look, and a music video.
I admit to be a bit teary-eyed seeing a still-vibrant Peter Boyle cavorting about in the eight season of Everybody Loves Raymond (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), and I can only hope everyone misses him as much as I do. The 5-disc set features all 23 episodes, plus 8 audio commentaries (kudos for having a commentary with Chris Elliott), deleted scenes, bloopers, and the Museum of Television & Radio panel with executive producer Phil Rosenthal and the show’s writers.
Saccharine sweet and terribly predictable, Hugh Grant stars as a washed-up 80’s pop star whose only chance at a return to stardom is to team up with a bubble gum pop star (played in bubble gum mode by Drew Barrymore) and try to write a hit song together in the rom-com Music & Lyrics (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Would you guess they fall in love? Would ya? Bonus materials include a making-of featurette, additional scenes, a music video, and a gag reel.
Scaled back and wonderfully intimate, writer-director Anthony Minghella managed to hold my attention with Breaking and Entering (Genius, Rated R, DVD-$28.95 SRP), a low-key drama – starring Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, & Robin Wright Penn – about a pair of Londoners brought together by a string robberies, whose affair threatens to destroy the lives of those around them (you know how it is with those pesky affairs). Bonus features include an audio commentary with Minghella, a making-of featurette, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer.
Adapted from the W. Somerset Maugham’s novel, Edward Norton & Naomi Watts star in The Painted Veil (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.95 SRP), about a wealthy socialite who embarks on a journey of self-discovery following a traumatic event, removing herself from the bustle and party-life of the big city for a cholera-ravaged village deep in the Chinese countryside. It’s evocative of the sweeping Hollywood romances of the 40’s, with the vistas found in the 50’s and 60’s, making for a nice throwback to that bygone age of filmmaking.
Diane Keaton plays an overly-intrusive mother keen on making sure her daughter doesn’t wind up a spinster in Because I Said So (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP), an amiable rom-com made better by the sparkle-fresh presence of Mandy Moore as the daughter in question. Bonus features include a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
Completely groundbreaking and, to this day, never-repeated, Cagney & Lacey (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) was the first cop show that dared to ask, “Why can’t Starsky & Hutch be two female police officers?” And it worked. The complete first season features 4-discs (unfortunately, those s***ty double-sided ones) with all 22 episodes, plus a two-part retrospective documentary.
Originally aired in the UK as Jam & Jerusalem, Clatterford (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is the new sitcom from Jennifer Saunders, reuniting her with both Dawn French and Joanna Lumley. The series focuses around Sal Vine (Sue Johnston), a practice nurse whose small-town doctor husband suddenly dies of a heart attack, leaving her jobless when her son decides to replace her with his own wife. With her newly freed time, Sal decides to join the local Women’s guild – a collection of rather unique characters in an even more eccentric setting. The 2-disc set features all 6 episodes, plus the 2006 Christmas special.
John-Boy and the massive Walton family return to DVD in the complete fifth season of The Waltons (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), as John-Boy launches The Blue Ridge Chronicle and covers a series of brutal murders in their sleepy little hamlet. Okay, not really – it’s The Waltons… Nothing like that happens. But imagine if it did. The 5-disc set features all 24 episodes.
Try as I might, I can’t keep thinking of “They call me Mr. Tibbs” jokes while trying to come up with a line about the first season release of everyone’s favorite dolphin (take that, SeaQuest fans!), Flipper (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). They don’t call me Flipper, but you can guarantee your own strange looks if you dig through all 30 episodes in this 4-disc set.
It seems – even though we didn’t know it – that we must have needed another special edition of Dirty Dancing. This time, it’s the 2-disc Dirty Dancing: 20th Anniversary Edition (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP), featuring newly-remastered audio, audio commentary with writer/co-producer Eleanor Bergstein, a trivia track, an interview with Patrick Swayze, a tribute to Jerry Orbach, deleted/alternate/extended scenes, outtakes, screen tests, multiangle dance sequences, cast interviews, music videos, and more. Whew! Please say this is the final, ultimate edition.
Seven volumes into Fantagraphics magnificent chronological Complete Peanuts collections, we’ve finally hit what may consider to be the fully-realized golden years of the strip in The Complete Peanuts: 1963-1964 (Fantagraphics, $28.95 SRP). Charles Schulz’s artwork had gelled into its iconic style, the characters are familiar, and the recurring motifs are fully in place. What’s delightful about these complete presentations, though, is that there are plenty of never-before-collected surprises to be found, including characters that were introduced and quickly discarded. This volume’s introduction is courtesy of Bill Melendez, who brought the characters to animated life during this period. I already can’t wait for the next volume…
Long the stuff of cultish cinema geeks, you can now own a lavish, beautifully restored box set featuring the Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). While Tarantino and Rodriguez’s Grindhouse still plays in theaters across the country, partake of this even more intense filmmaker’s oeuvre, championed by the likes of John Lennon, Dennis Hopper, and Marilyn Manson. The films featured in the set are El Topo, Fando Y Lis, The Holy Mountain, and La Cravate. In addition to audio commentaries, interviews, galleries, and a feature-length documentary, the set also features the original soundtracks to Holy Mountain and El Topo. This set is going to make a lot of people very happy.
There are plenty of people that enjoyed the original Broadway production of Dreamgirls (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$34.99 SRP). I’m not one of them. I couldn’t help thinking, while watching its thinly-veiled sequence of events, that I’d much rather see the real story of Berry Gordy’s Motown and the rise to fame of The Supremes, their eventual sacrifice before the altar of Diana Ross, and the incredible music that accompanied it. Instead, we get a filtered version, as a musical, with songs that pale in comparison to the highwater originals. As a film adaptation of the musical, Dreamgirls still has those flaws, but at least is buoyed by the performances of Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson – who, while not Oscar-worthy, certainly holds the screen. The 2-disc special edition features extended musical numbers, a feature-length documentary, audition/screen test footage, behind-the-scenes featurettes, image galleries, and more.
If only Disney were as on the ball with their Muppet Show sets as they have been in getting the complete run of Dinosaurs out on DVD. The series wraps up with the release of the complete 3rd & 4th seasons (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP), the 4-disc set of which features all 36 episodes, plus audio commentaries, a featurette on the social messages featured in the show, a look at Baby Sinclair, and more.
The author of numerous pop culture travel books, Chris Epting turns his eye towards the rock and roll landmarks of North America with Led Zeppelin Crashed Here (Santa Monica Press, $16.95 SRP). If you’re planning a road trip in the near future and would like to stop by the secret site of David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs rehearsals, or where Ozzy bit the head off a bat, this is the companion for you.
As shocking and disturbing as you’d expect, the documentary Suicide Killers (City Lights Pictures, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) explores the culture and motivations of the suicide bomber. Featuring interviews with family, thwarted bombers, and footage of the preparations of a bomber, it’s a riveting look at a shadowy, and ultimately deadly, life decision. Bonus features include additional interviews/scenes and the theatrical trailer.
While everyone remembers him as Perry Mason, Raymond Burr also starred as the wheelchair-bound San Francisco Chief of Detectives Robert T. Ironside, who becomes head of a special crime-fighting division of the SFPD. Running from 1967-1975 (with a groundbreaking feature-length “pilot” aired in 1966), you can now rediscover the series with Ironside: Season 1 (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The 8-disc set features all 28 first-season episodes, plus the pilot film.
It may be winging its way toward completing its final season, but you can indulge in another round of comfort food with the 8th season of King of Queens (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). The 3-disc set features all 23 episodes, with guest stars including Ray Romano and the always welcome Huey Lewis.
By the 6th season of Will & Grace (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), the show had settled into a rather comfortable cruise control, with the stories becoming fill-in-the-blank farce and the now-cliché parade of guest stars never far off. The 4-disc set features all 23 episodes, plus an outtake reel and the usual complement of useless “themed” featurettes.
Knowing what’s to come, there’s an almost palpable sense of a ticking clock for Shannen Doherty in the second season of Beverly Hills 90210 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$54.99 SRP). I don’t know if it’s in my head, but I can practically feel the axe coming, and Brenda’s out-of-state sojourn looming. Oh yes, and Ian Ziering’s hair is still very achy-breaky awful. The 8-disc set features all 28 episodes, plus a trio of featurettes, including an overview of season 2.
If you want to binge on all that Spelling-brand soapiness, follow-up 90210‘s sophomore year with the second season of Melrose Place (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$54.99 SRP), in which Heather Locklear’s Amanda is in full gear and steamrollering all in her path. This 8-disc set features all 31 episodes, plus audio commentaries from Darren Star on select episodes, and a trio of featurettes focusing on everything from the “baddest moments” to the various and sundry relationships.
As the current season rapidly comes to a close, be sure to pick up 24: The Official Companion to seasons 3 & 4 (Titan Books, $16.95 SRP). Filled with episode synopses, behind-the-scenes information, cast & crew interviews, and oodles of photos, it’s exactly what you want in a show companion.
The original was no classic, but the remake of The Hitcher (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) manages to be even more forgettable a horror flick, but with the all of the slick visuals we’ve come to expect from Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, an alternate ending, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
Fearing that his audience was aging in the 16 years since his last major comedy special and his only sporadic appearances on television, Steven Wright decide to rectify matters by filming a brand new spotlight performance featuring brand new material. That special is When The Leaves Blow Away (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), and it proves definitively that he’s just as sharp – and just as funny – as we all knew him to be. In addition to the special itself, the DVD features an early career performance in Boston, and his 1999 short film One Soldier. Don’t be a stranger, Steven…
Though shaky and still finding its footing, all of the goofball charm is present in the first season of The Drew Carey Show (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which did for workplace comedy what Roseanne did for the family, in presenting office drudgery and the everyday workers as they were, and not Friends cast pretties. Long-awaited and finally here, the 4-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus a retrospective featurette and the “1-900-MIMI” spoof.
I’m as giddy as an 80’s geek can be, because one of those seminal 80’s faves of mine has finally made it onto DVD. As a kid, I couldn’t get enough of Harry and The Hendersons (Universal, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP), that endearingly Amblin-esque Bigfoot flick starring John Lithgow as the patriarch of a family whose freak car accident adds the loveable “Harry” to the suburban Henderson clan. Bonus features include an audio commentary with director William Dear, deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.
Past all of the awards season brouhaha and Helen Mirren’s fait accompli wins, it’s much easier to judge Stephen Frears’ The Queen (Miramax, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) on its own merits. And while not a glitzy affair, it’s a solid, enjoyable, well-constructed film with Mirren’s Elizabeth front-and-center. It’s certainly the most realistic, human portrait of the royal family to come down the pike since King Ralph (and yes, the latter part is a joke, people!). A great, great flick. Bonus materials include an audio commentary with Frears and writer Peter Morgan, a second audio commentary with British historian and royal expert Robert Lacey, and a making-of featurette.
The BBC’s massive documentary series Blue Planet was a truly impressive, stunningly beautiful exploration of our natural world. Planet Earth (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP), however, easily trumps it. Spanning every continent and natural environment, it truly is the definition of jaw-dropping. From the summit of Everest to the open ocean, it’s… well, it’s incredible. I can’t get the scene of a great white shark literally jumping out of the water to seize prey out of my eye. This is also the first release to come along that I think truly merits purchase on either HD-DVD ($99.98 SRP) or Blu-Ray ($99.98 SRP), as it was shot entirely in HD, and the already mind-blowing visuals positively pop off your screen. Really, if stores were smart and wanted to move HD-Players, they’d put this series on a loop. Bonus features include over 90 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage, plus a 150-minute documentary that explores the possible future of the planet.
Check another one off the list, as the clamoring of fans can finally be quelled with the release of the complete first season of The Odd Couple (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). As if the 24 episodes themselves weren’t enough, Paramount has treated us to a feature-laden 5-disc set, packed with audio commentaries on select episodes, audio intros from Garry Marshall, Tony Randall & Jack Klugman appearances on The Mike Douglas Show, original promos, Jack Klugman’s home videos and 1971 Emmy award win, Tony & Jack onstage in their 1993 production of the original play, and even a gag reel. Kudos to Par for a great set – and for setting the bar for season two so high!
It has no aspirations to greatness or awards, and that’s probably why Night At The Museum (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$34.98 SRP) is so much popcorn fun, as it wears it fun “night at the movies” vibe on its sleeve. The plot, in a nutshell, revolves around a newly-hired museum security guard (Ben Stiller) who finds out that the cryptic statements made by the two old-timers (Dick Van Dyke & Mickey Rooney) are that the various exhibits of the museum he’s to be guarding come to life every night. The 2-disc special edition features a pair of audio commentary (of note is the writers’ commentary, featuring Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant), behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, Comedy Central’s Reel Comedy special, bloopers, and more.
While the complete season sets of the show remain frustratingly available only as website exclusives (what’s up with that?), Mythbusters fans can at least get a small taste of the show via Mythbusters: Mega Movie Myths (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), which features 84 minutes of compiled segments that dealt with various – well, movie myths. Sadly, there’s not a single bonus feature in sight. Now, where are my season sets?
It’s easy to just call Adult Swim’s Moral Orel (Warner Bros., Not Rated, $29.98 SRP) a riff on the sanctimonious religious storytelling of that stop-motion “classic” Davey & Goliath, but that would be as limiting as calling the brilliant Venture Bros. a Jonny Quest parody. Moral Orel is actually a very pointed, often very funny riff on the thinking behind a show like D & G. If you don’t believe me, check out the 15 episodes features in this 2-disc first volume, which also contains deleted scenes, the original intro, promos/bumps, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and the (very) awkward San Diego Comic-Con panel (with commentary from both Orel‘s Dino Stamatopoulos and the objects of his drunken desire, Venture Bros.‘ Jackson Publick & Doc Hammer).
After viewing the watered-down borefest that was the sitcom adaptation of his life (the quickly-cancelled Kitchen Confidential), it’s certainly welcome to view the original article in Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). The 4-disc set features all 8 globe-trotting episodes that find the hedonistic, iconoclastic chef partaking of culinary delights and oddities in all 4 corners.
It was only a matter of time before we got a James Cagney: Signature Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), and while it’s not the absolute cream of the crop, it’s certainly a catalogue clutch worth snagging on DVD (particularly as Warners has loaded them down with their always-delightful bag of goodies). In addition to the 5 films – The Bride Came C.O.D., Captains Of The Clouds, The Fighting 69th, Torrid Zone, and The West Point Story – each flick features a complement of “Warner Night At the Movies” extras, including cartoons, newsreels, short subjects, trailers, and more.
As we quickly approach Memorial Day – and the war in Iraq grinds on – a film like Overlord (Criterion, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) is quite a powerful think. Utilizing actual archival war footage interwoven into the tale of a 20-year-old’s journey from boot camp to the front line is a shocking testimony to the brutality – and capricious violence – of war, and manages to succeed where Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket fell flat, in the depiction of the war itself. By all means, snap this up and see for yourself. Bonus features include an audio commentary with director Stuart Cooper and actor Brian Stirner, a featurette on the archival war footage, a British film tribute to wartime cameramen, a 1941 British Ministry of Information propaganda film, a photo essay, actual D-Day soldier journals read by Cooper, and the theatrical trailer.
The release of the series proper may have ended, but Universal is now releasing the specials I remember with fondness with the Columbo Mystery Movie Collection: 1989 (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), featuring the 5 made-for-TV-movies produced for the 1989 season.
Having the complete first season of WKRP In Cincinnati (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is a bit of a mixed blessing. Though it’s definitely one of the most requested titles to hit DVD, it’s also one whose release has been held up over the years by the thorny subject of what to do with the massive music clearance issues the show presents, as many of the scenes were scored with some legendary rock and pop songs. What they decided to do in this 3-disc, 22 episode set is a not-too-terribly good compromise, as nearly all of those songs have been removed and replaced either with needle-drop or cheaper tunes – although in some egregious cases, actual scene edits have been made to accommodate the loss of a song, so this is far from an uncut release as fans remember it. Sadly, Fox didn’t want to bite the bullet and get the necessary clearances that would have made the fans happy – a course of action taken by Shout! For Freaks & Geeks and Universal for Miami Vice. It’s a shame, really, because the show deserved better treatment. Bonus features includes an audio commentary on the legendary “Turkeys Away” episode, and a newly-produced cast interviews featurette.
Satiate yourself with a massive Renoir fix via the Jean Renoir: Collector’s Edition (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), a 3-disc set featuring 7 of the director’s films – Whirlpool of Fate, Nana, Charleston Parade, The Little Match Girl, La Marseillaise, The Doctor’s Horrible Experiment, and The Elusive Corporal. Bonus features include a brand new documentary on Renoir.
As manipulative, mushy, and cute as it is, there’s something loveably endearing about Ron Howard’s portrait of child-rearing on the late 20th century, Parenthood (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which features a brand-new transfer, a newly-produced retrospective featurette, a featurette on the casting, and a conversation with composer Randy Newman.
It was only a matter of time before today’s digital technology would produce a series like Dogfights (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), which takes the viewer inside the cockpit of fighter planes in some of the most intense aerial battles in World War II, Vietnam, North Korea, and more, including testimonials from the pilots themselves. The 4-disc first season set features all 11 episodes, plus the feature-length pilot and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
If you’ve really got a hole burning in your pocket and want to load up on some rarely-seen catalogue titles, Fox has raided the vaults for a ton of formerly dusty titles, many of them war classics. The list? Robert Mitchum in Man In The Middle, The Purple Heart, Tonight We Raid Calais, and Fixed Bayonets! (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). From their “Studio Classics” line comes Vivien Leigh & Ralph Richardson in Anna Karenina, a disc featuring both the 1935 & 1952 versions of Les Miserables, and Orson Welles in Jane Eyre (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). Some of the titles (particularly the “Studio Classics”) even get audio commentaries, featurettes, still galleries, and the original theatrical trailers.
Not to be outdone, MGM has also unleashed a clutch of vault titles, most of which are eagerly-anticipated genre flicks, including The Chocolate War, Pulp, True Confessions, Thieves Like Us, China Doll, and Von Richtofen and Brown (MGM/UA, Various, DVD-$14.98 SRP each).
You can’t get very much more dysfunctional than the Gallagher family. Abandoned years ago by their mother, this Mancunian clan of 6 was left to be raised by their not-terribly-affectionate (and sometimes abusive) father. The real guardian of the family is eldest sister Fiona, and she tries desperately to keep the family together in the oddball dramedy Shameless (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), the first season of which is now available. The 2-disc set features all 7 episodes, plus a cast featurette and an interview with creator Paul Abbott.
You know, you just never can predict things in life… like mentioning that the official cast album for Evil Dead: The Musical (Time Life, $18.98 SRP) is now available for your listening pleasure. It’s just as odd and secretly wonderful as you’d hope.
Love him or hate him, Al Franken has turned from one of the country’s most prolific and satirical comedic writers and speakers into a political force to be reckoned with, who now has his sights aimed at the senate seat of his native Minnesota. The folks behind the documentary The War Room turned their camera on Franken for Al Franken: God Spoke (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), a candid, biting, and thoroughly engaging portrait of a preeminent satirical voice in today’s political field. Bonus features include deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer.
It came and went at the box office, but there’s nothing like cracking out the popcorn and pop for the teaming of Jerry Bruckheimer, Tony Scott, and Denzel Washington in the exciting but otherwise forgettable action romp Déjà vu (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Pulled off the case of a horrific New Orleans ferry explosion, Federal agent Doug Carlin (Washington) is taken to a secret government location and introduced to an amazing time-shifting surveillance device, ostensibly to prevent crime. Yeah, that’s all well and good, but we all know he’ll use it for that whole ferry thing. Bonus features include behind-the-scenes featurettes and deleted/extended scenes.
In the age of DVD, even a series cancelled halfway through its first season is virtually guaranteed a DVD release, and such is the case with NBC’s serial drama Kidnapped (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), which faced the axe after only 13 episodes. For the sake of the storyline, they were notified of the end in enough time to make sure there was a resolution to its tale of the wealthy Cain family’s kidnapped son. In addition to all 13 episodes, the 3-disc set also features a behind-the-scenes featurette.
If the theme song doesn’t conjure up memories, then the presence of everyone’s favorite uncomfortably over-present building superintendent Schneider is sure to evoke warm memories about another of Norman Lear’s 70’s hits, One Day At A Time (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). The 2-disc first season set features all 15 episodes from the premiere season, full of all the Bonnie Franklin hilarity.
I am by no means a fan of any kind of sports, but I’ve always had a warm place I my heart for the New York Yankees, even if I could care less about the sport itself. That warm place in my heart – and the fact that the set focuses on the year I was born – is more than enough to make me interested in checking out the nicely comprehensive 1977 World Series: New York Yankees (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$69.95 SRP). As with the previous releases in this series, the 7-disc box set features all 6 games in their entirety, plus a bonus 7th disc and tons of bonus features.
The preeminent documentary film festival returns with its 5th volume of short subjects. Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: Volume 5 (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP) features another half-dozen of the festival’s best, and are definitely worth a viewing.
I do believe that it was during the shooting of the cross-country Dunn & Vito’s Rock Tour (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP) – featuring Bam Margera’s frequent accomplice and foil – that the now-infamous arrest of Don Vito occurred. Viewing the road trip featured on the disc, it’s no surprise that this rolling train wreck would eventually have something happen.
Though a point of some embarrassment, I admit that I enjoyed many a Gallagher special during my impressionable childhood, delighting in both the wordplay & observational part of his act, as well as the inevitable sledge-o-matic melee. If you remember the whole melon thing, than you might want to check out Tropic of Gallagher (SRO, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 SRP), a purportedly “lost” special featuring everything you’d expect.
As fantastic as their debut season was, Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer not only surpassed, but ran laps around themselves in the second season of The Venture Bros. (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Picking up after the roadside death of Hank & Dean that ended Season 1 on a rather shocking note, the proverbial ground is hit in an equally proverbial running fashion, advancing the Monarch-Dr. Girlfriend-Phantom Limb love triangle, Orpheus’s search for a villain of his own, the boys’ first double date and a dangerous meeting with a mother figure, the future of Unterland, and much, much more. Pure comedy-adventure (comture?) gold. The 2-disc set features all 12 episodes, audio commentary on every episode from Jackson & Doc (plus a clutch of special guests), deleted scenes, and a special tour of the legendary orbiting AstroBase studios of those dynamic creative types.
It’s been years since Sony taunted fans of The Larry Sanders Show with the bare bones release of the complete first season, which was then followed up with… nothing. No second season, no third season – nothing but silence. While I’d still have a complete season-by-season release of the entire series, the 4-disc Not Just The Best Of The Larry Sanders Show (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) is a nice little consolation prize, as it was personally supervised by Garry Shandling who – in addition to 23 handpicked episodes – has loaded it up with audio commentaries and personal interviews with cast and guest stars that are often remarkably candid (and sometimes a little raw in their emotion). There’s also a feature-length documentary on the making of the show and deleted scenes, but the real draw is Shandling’s personal touch – and my personal hope that this is merely a prelude to not only those full season sets, but also the release of It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.
Seeing as how TV Land and Nick At Nite’s definition of “TV Classics” now extends into the 90’s, and they have the unfortunate habit of editing the shows, it’s one of the happy joys of DVD that we can view a trio of Gary Marshall sitcom classics in their complete, unedited form again. It’s been a few years since the release of their respective first season sets, but we can now kill a few weeks worth of recreational viewing time with the sophomore seasons of Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Mork & Mindy (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP each). There are no extras to be found, but each 4-disc set does sport some very nice transfers, considering the age (and how truly crappy those oft-run syndication prints have looked). Here’s hoping the wait for the third seasons is not nearly as long.
Hopefully you’ll be packing theaters this weekend, taking in Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright’s latest, Hot Fuzz. As soon as you exit the theater, you’ll want to make a beeline to your local CD emporium and snag yourself a copy of the soundtrack (Cherry Tree Records, $9.98 SRP), featuring The Fratellis, The Kinks, Supergrass, The Troggs, and more music to chase criminals with.
While it was certainly leaps and bounds better than the sucker punch that was the first Spider-Man flick, I still could not get into Spider-Man 2. Yes, Doc Ock was a much better on-screen realization than Guyver Goblin, and it’s always nice to see Spidey swinging through the urban landscape, but Tobey Maguire has proven to be a cold, dead fish of an actor in his portrayal of both Peter Parker and his web-slinging alter-ego. Still, I know there are those of you who can see past such things, and absolutely adore the flick – and you’ll be the ones snapping up Spider-Man 2.1 (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$19.94 SRP), an extended cut featuring additional footage (8 minutes, to be exact). The 2-disc set also features a new audio commentary (with producer Laura Ziskin and writer Alvin Sargent), an integrated video trivia track, a trio of new featurettes, and a sneak peek at Spider-Man 3.
The wacky, wonderful, beloved of Fred Hembeck denizens of Bikini Bottom return for another single-disc collection (the kind that tide you over – Get it? TIDE? – until the next season set). SpongeBob Squarepants: Friend Or Foe? (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) contains the 2-part episode “Friend Or Foe,” plus an additional 6 adventures, as well as an uncut animatic for “Friend Or Foe” and a photo gallery.
Not having seen the stage production, I can’t compare how adept the stage-to-screen adaptation of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) is, but taken on its own merits, it’s a real gem. While many are sure to undercut it by comparing it to flicks like The Dead Poets’ Society – particularly as both deal with charismatic teachers that energize their students – I give extra kudos to Richard Griffiths as the teacher who engages the eight intelligent-but-difficult students here. Griffiths is brilliant, and the film is, too. Bonus features include an audio commentary and a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Comperes Vic Romano and Kenny Blankenship return for another round of dubbed insanity with the second season of MXC: Most Extreme Elimination Challenge (Magnolia, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features another 13 episodes of sports challenges that only the Japanese could devise, reworked as only a group of smartass Americans can. Bonus materials include a behind-the-scenes featurette, Kenny Blankenship’s Top 25 most painful eliminations of the season, and an original episode of Takeshi’s Castle.
At 3-discs, The Stanley Brothers: The Definitive Collection 1947-1966 (Time Life, $39.98 SRP) certainly lives up to its title, featuring 60 remastered tracks spanning their career. For fans of bluegrass and “mountain music”, it’s certainly worth picking up.
I find it interesting to note that the bulk of the pieces features in the new Larry King Live: The Greatest Interviews set (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) are with entertainers and not political or social figures, acknowledging my long-held belief that King – though amiable – is one of the softest, least-revelatory interviewers of any subjects that would be considered controversial or topical. Still, for the interviews of legendary entertainers and icons, this 3-disc set is worth a spin.
From out of the Filmation library comes a short-lived series that proved a headache for executives and lawyers at Columbia Pictures – the 1970’s live action Ghost Busters (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Larry Storch and Forrest Tucker star as the paranormal investigators Spenser and Tracy, and they’re aided by the super-smart gorilla Tracy (Bob Burns). Trust me – you’ve just got to see it. The 2-disc set features all 15 episodes, plus interviews, rare footage, galleries, easter eggs, and an episode of the animated Ghost Busters. The only drawback? BCI has used those goddamn abominable double-sided discs. Please, guys, don’t! You do great work – don’t present on these easily marred pieces of junk.
Much like Helen Mirren’s performance in The Queen, there was the fear that Forest Whitaker’s turn as the brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) would be just a load of awards season bluster. Thankfully, like Mirren, the performance and the film itself stand up on DVD as more-than-deserving of the praise. Often overlooked but deserving of equal praise, though, is James McAvoy as Nicholas Garrigan, the dictator’s young, Scottish personal physician and the victim of living too close to Amin’s incredible wake. Bonus features include an in-depth documentary, deleted scenes with optional commentary, a featurette focusing on Whitaker’s performance, and the Fox Movie Channel special Casting Session – The Last King of Scotland.
Cabot Cove’s angel of death returns, as we rejoin Jessica Fletcher for the sixth season of globe-spanning mysteries in Murder, She Wrote (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Her guest stars this go round include Elliott Gould, Jerry Stiller, Shirley Jones, and Shirley Knight, and the 5-disc box set also includes interview with Angela Lansbury and the cast & crew, plus s Sleuth Channel featurette counting down TV’s top sleuths.
The BBC release another of their literary adaptation sets, this time focusing on the work of novelist George Eliot. The 5-disc George Eliot Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) contains the adaptations of Eliot’s Middlemarch, The Mill On The Floss, Adam Bede, Silas Marner: The Weaver Of Raveloe, and Daniel Deronda. Bonus features include an featurette on Eliot, a reader’s guide for Middlemarch, and a behind-the-scenes photo gallery for Daniel Deronda.
Many will pop in writer/director John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus (ThinkFilm, Not Rated, DVD-$27.98 SRP) just for the titillation factor of its surprisingly frank, un-Hollywood depictions of sex, but those with a little more time on their hands and an open mind will actually watch the film for what it is – a surprisingly frank look at love, sex, culture, and human relationships today, all told through the lives of the diverse New Yorkers who find themselves at a crossroads in an underground bar named “Shortbus”. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
With eyes like stone and a demeanor like cracking ice, Judi Dench portrays an aged teacher wrapped in bitterness and a solitary life in Notes On A Scandal (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP). When a new teacher (Cate Blanchett) arrives at the school, Dench’s Barbara Covett feels she’s found a kindred spirit in the young Shelba Hart. However, all turns explosively sour when Covett discovers that the married Hart has been sleeping with a student – and she reacts with an almost Fatal Instinctian level of jealousy. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, and webisodes.
Want a fun game for the weekend? Go through the first two seasons of George Lopez’s eponymous sitcom (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) and see if you can find any jokes pinched by Carlos Mencia. It’s fun! The 4-disc set contains all 28 episodes from those premiere seasons, plus a spotlight featurette on Lopez and a gag reel.
Near as I can tell, I think Smokin’ Aces (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) was trying to be a cross between Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie, with a little dash of Soderbergh. At the end of the day, though, this fast-paced tale of a Vegas illusionist-turned-mob-snitch who must outrun the bounty on his head is a bit too much of a catch-all to be successful. Kind of like Jon Favreau’s Made. Still, as a way to kill a Friday night, it’s a solid little flick. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a stunts featurette, an alternate ending, outtakes, and more.
As a storytelling exercise, I’ve always enjoyed A&E’s Mysteries of the Bible series, which nicely summarizes and explores the tales contained in the world’s most popular novel. The 7-disc Mysteries of the Bible Collection (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$69.95 SRP) contains 22 episodes, plus episodes of Ancient Mysteries & History’s Mysteries focusing on the Ark, the Shroud of Turin, and the Holy Lance.
Go on a dark, macabre, and often grisly exploration of the slasher horror genre with the documentary Going To Pieces (ThinkFilm, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which features interviews with genre luminaries with names like Carpenter, Craven, Savini, and Zombie, as well as gory clips aplenty. Bonus features include an audio commentary, bonus interviews, and more.
As if being the premiere comics nostalgia emporium weren’t enough, Twomorrows has to go and get me all melancholy by publishing a beautiful tribute to a character that has been recently sacrificed upon the altar of sadistic corporate idiocy, in the form of their comprehensive Blue Beetle Companion (Twomorrows, $16.95 SRP). Like Twomorrows’ other companion editions, this 125-page trade features a complete history and overview of the Beetle, going all the way back to his 1939 introduction and his 6+ decade evolution. I miss Ted Kord, and his loveable “BWAHAHA…”
Another of those “why aren’t they on DVD?” series, The Untouchables (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) has finally arrived, allowing us to enjoy the pre-Unsolved Mysteries adventures of Robert Stack as Capone-fighting G-man Elliot Ness. This 4-disc first volume features the initial 14 episodes of the series’ 28-episode first season. Even better, if contains the feature film that was created foe the unofficial pilot that aired as part of the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, The Scarface Mob.
It’s a book like Elk’s Run (Villard, $19.95 SRP) that restores my faith in independent comic books. Originally published by a small distributor who went under before its 10-issue run finished, author Joshua Hale Fialkov and artists Noel Tuazon & Scott Keating have crafted a tense, nuanced bit of post-9/11 noir, about a small community with a lot of big secrets, whose tension-filled idyll is suddenly blown to pieces after an accident sets off a chain of events that tears the town – and families – apart. I’d go into more detail, but I’m really hoping that you pick up a copy in its mass-market form – which collects the entire run, with supplemental material – and experience it for yourself. It’s highly recommended.
Though available in the UK for the past 6 months, US fans can finally get at least three of the Monty Python remasters of their classic albums. This initial batch features Matching Tie & Handkerchief, Monty Python’s Contractual Obligation Album, and Monty Python and The Holy Grail (Arista/Sony Legacy, $11.98 SRP each). Each disc has a clutch of bonus rarities, including demos, interviews, ads, alternate versions, and previously unreleased material. Bring on the rest!
The darling of 50’s rom-coms gets a second set from the fine folks at Warner Home Video. The Doris Day Collection: Volume 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) contains 6 of those aforementioned Day pics, including Romance On The High Seas, My Dream Is Yours, I’ll See You In My Dreams, On Moonlight Bay, By The Light Of The Silvery Moon, and Lucky Me. As usual (and greatly appreciated), each flick is complemented by some wonderful bonus features, such as vintage cartoons, musical and comedy shorts, and trailers.
Billed as “Lost Episodes”, the 16 adventures features in Scooby-Doo Where Are You?: The Complete Third Season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) were originally aired as part of the rarely seen Scooby’s All Stars series. You can now experience those lost episodes, and be sure you watch the bonus featurette on the Hanna-Barbera Studio.
Long before veterans Sipowicz or Murtaugh were saddled with loose cannon young bucks, veteran detective Lt. Mike Stone (Karl Malden) was partnered with brash inspector Steve Keller (Michael Douglas) in The Streets Of San Francisco (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). Volume 1 features the first 16 episodes of the first season, plus the pilot presentation and an Army Archerd interview with Malden & Douglas.
With a title like How William Shatner Changed The World (Allumination, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), how can you not be in the least bit intrigued by the documentary – presented by the great one himself – that explores all of the scientific exploration and technology inspired by the concepts and gadgets featured in the original Star Trek? You know you wanna watch it.
For those who either missed or couldn’t afford the massive, career-spanning box set that came out year-before-last, The Band: The Best Of – A Musical History (Capitol, $18.98 SRP) offers a condensed, 19-track overview featuring hits and rarities that offer more than enough of a teaser to make you want the full set.
For the first time in his career, I felt Will Smith actually *acted* – rather than just being a permutation of Will Smith – as single father, American dreamer, and ultimately American success story Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.95 SRP). The real surprise, though, was the performance from Smith’s son Jaden as Gardner’s son Christopher – if he keeps an ego in check as he gets older, he could be one to follow. Bonus features include an audio commentary with director Gabriele Muccino, behind-the-scenes featurettes, an interview with the real Chris Gardner, and the “I Can” song.
Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks, but most will get a kick out of the completely unexpected but thoroughly welcome Sly and The Family Stone collection (Sony Legacy, $69.98 SRP), containing all 7 of their classic albums, completely remastered and packed with bonus tracks. And so on and so on and scooby-doobie doobie… ooo, cha cha.
Tim Burton is currently filming his take on the demon barber of Fleet Street, but you should definitely check out Ray Winstone as Sweeney Todd (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) in a very nice straight version of the tale of those devilish meat pies. The DVD features additional footage not seen in the broadcast, a background essay, and cast filmographies.
Even if I were just judging it on its appealing design sensibility, and not its equally fun storytelling, Nickelodeon’s Avatar: The Last Airbender would be worth checking out. Give it a spin and see if you agree, with the second volume of the show’s second season, Book 2: Earth (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP). Bonus materials include audio commentary from the creators and cast on the 5 episodes featured in this volume.
It’s raining 70’s catalogue comedies from Fox, who’ve opened the vaults with Cybil Shepherd in A Guide For The Married Woman (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), Malcolm McDowell & Oliver Reed in Royal Flash (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP), Paul Dooley in Robert Altman’s A Perfect Couple (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98 SRP), and Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland reteaming for both S*P*Y*S (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98 SRP) and Little Murders (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$14.98 SRP).
Back before Mel Gibson was publicly revealed to be… well… just a tad bit batshit crazy, I could still enjoy an explosively good time ode to the 70’s-era action flicks that was Payback (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Gibson stars as Porter, a just-out-of-the-joint guy who’s eager to eke out a bit of revenge upon those ho left him dead and stole his money in the process. This new “Straight Up” director’s cut edition adds about 15 minutes of footage, and features an audio commentary with writer/director Brian Helgeland, location featurettes, an interview with author Donald E. Westlake, and a featurette on the creation of the new cut.
If Road House got a deluxe special edition, it should be little surprise that another 80’s mess gets the gilded treatment. Such is the case with Sean Penn and Madonna’s Shanghai Surprise (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP) – the point at which we all realized that Who’s That Girl was a fluke. This gussied up edition features remastered picture and sound, a fan commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a even a fan appreciation featurette.
There used to be a time on Comedy Central when you couldn’t hit the channel without catching what seemed like endless reruns of the original British edition of Whose Line Is It Anyway? (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), the improv show that launched the careers of Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Colin Mochrie, Paul Merton, and many more before making its way across the pond. The first 2 seasons, uncut and uncensored (as you’ve never seen it on Comedy Central), are now available. That’s 29 episodes across 4 discs, as well as a behind-the-scenes interview with creators Dan Patterson & Mark Leveson. More, please!
I’ve had to content myself with a Region 2 edition for the past few years, but I’m happy to say the Fox has finally gifted Region 1 with a nicely pristine widescreen edition of one of the great comic flicks of all time, Bedazzled (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP). No, I’m not speaking of the rather hideous Brendan Fraser remake, but the Peter Cook/Dudley Moore original. Peter Cook’s turn as a modern devil out to claim the soul of a rather hapless, hopelessly smitten Faust (Moore) with a desire simply to win the heart of the clueless object of his affection, is a beautifully sly turn. The disc also features Pete & Dud on The Paul Ryan Show, another interview with the pair, the original theatrical trailer, and a conversation about the film with the director of the remake (and man who should have known better), Harold Ramis.
If previous seasons of Roseanne were button-pushing, then the sitcom’s 7th season (Starz Home Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) took a mallet to those buttons in a run that tackled pregnancy, abortion, nude neighbors, alcoholism, racial prejudice, dueling Beckys, a visit to Gilligan’s Island, and a gaggle of classic sitcom moms. The 4-disc set features all 25 episodes in their uncut glory (is it still too much to ask that they go back and fix the first season, that was released in its edited, syndicated form?).
Though flawed, one of my favorite sports flicks of all time – which is saying something, considering I care not for sport – is director Barry Levinson’s The Natural (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.94 SRP). It’s probably just because it overflows with underdog cliches, is shot in old timey vision, features a great performance from Robert Redford, and has an iconic score by Randy Newman. And now, newly-remastered and featuring 15 additional minutes, we get a director’s cut via a 2-disc special edition, which also sports a video intro from Levinson and 6 in-depth retrospective featurettes.
Weird and wild and like a candle in the wind, Twin Peaks burned out extremely fast. From a landmark first season that paved the way for everything from Lost to Veronica Mars, it made the mistake of not knowing where to go when its central mystery came to a close. Judge or yourself with the release of the complete second season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), featuring all 22 episodes, fully remastered. Bonus features include brand new interviews with the cast and crew, as well as a complete set of Log Lady introductions.
At the end of last year, to little fanfare (and overshadowed by the release of a season of her eponymous sitcom), Roseanne Barr released a children’s DVD called Rockin’ With Roseanne: Calling All Kids! (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). It’s unfortunate that it went largely unnoticed, because it’s actually a fun, funny, music-filled disc that’s wonderfully reminiscent of the likes of Pee Wee’s Playhouse. All I know is that my 3 year-old nephew adored it, and I hope others discover this little hidden gem.
The original witchy woman gets a CD/DVD collection with Crystal Visions: The Very Best of Stevie Nicks (Reprise, $24.98 SRP). No you can light the incense, get out the scarves, and dance in the moonlight to “Edge of Seventeen” and then go watch the video.
It’s a feature-length outing for one of my favorite, underappreciated Cartoon Network series in Billy & Mandy’s Big Boogey Adventure (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which finds Billy, Mandy & Grim battling the Boogeyman. What’s not to love? The DVD features interviews and the original Bully Boogie short.
Dora continues her explorations with Boots in tow in another volume of Dora The Explorer that’s sure to delight my nephew. Shy Rainbow (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) collects 4 episodes, plus a Backyardigans music video.
The Etherian adventures of He-Man’s twin sister continue in the second volume of She-Ra: Season One (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$48.98 SRP), featuring 33 episodes of Hordak-fighting 80’s cheese. The 6-disc set also features the second installment of the “Stories of She-Ra” documentary, an episode commentary with J. Michael Straczynski, animated storyboards, image galleries, and more.
Everyone’s favorite Tinseltown crew is back in the first set from the 3rd season of Entourage (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring 12 episodes full of sycophantic goodness and even better Ari rants. Vince is starring in Aquaman as Ari hits the rocks, and Drama eyes stardom on his own. The 3-disc set features a trio of audio commentaries and a featurette on the cast’s Vegas adventure.
Going in, I thought a film about the fascinating, sometimes equal parts Orwellian and Machiavellian founding of the CIA would be a home run – and there are many reasons to enjoy the portrait of the 30-year career of one of the Agency’s founders in The Good Shepherd (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Sadly, the film is just… well… boring. It’s not the actors – Matt Damon, as founder Edward Wilson, is quite good – but it lacks any of the sense of drive and intrigue that should be there. Is it a disaster? Not in the least. Could it have been better? Yes. Bonus materials include 16 minutes of deleted scenes.
Those marvelously macabre critters return in the second volume of Happy Tree Friends first season (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring another 9 blood & irony filled segments, plus commentaries, storyboards, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
While I found myself enjoying a good deal of the lowbrow Chappelle’s Show comedy of its first season, the second season of Mind of Mencia (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) is just a mess. Rarely funny, self-derivative (I’ll leave the other assessments of Mencia’s jokes to Joe Rogan), and just… well… boring. It’s a shame, and it makes me miss Dave Chappelle all the more. The 2-disc box set features all 14 episodes, plus deleted scenes, bloopers, outtakes, and more.
Long before the recent abysmal Robin Hood series hit the BBC, a much better representation of the tales of Hood and his Merry Men was to be found in the series Robin of Sherwood (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP). A wonderful mix of history, myth, and a touch of magic, it’s a dynamic fusion that’s both engaging and adventurous (two things that the modern series sorely lacks). The 5-disc first set features all 13 episodes from series 1 & 2, plus commentaries on a trio of episodes, a pair of retrospective documentaries, a behind-the-scenes documentary, outtakes, and more.
I know there fans of Tom Goes To The Mayor (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) who have been positively salivating for the release of the complete series on DVD. I’m not one of them. After seeing the first few episodes, I became tired of what quickly settled into a very basic formula that just left me cold. Still, there are those of you out there who enjoy it – and this is for you. The 3-disc set features all 30 episodes, plus deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, promos, the original TGTTM shorts, a tribute to Bob Odenkirk, and more.
I can think of no better way to spend this weekend than kicking back and making my way through a few dozen listens of the new Warren Zevon remasters. Not only have we got a pristine edition of his legendary album Excitable Boy (Rhino, $18.98 SRP) – featuring “Werewolves of London”, “Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner”, “Lawyers, Guns And Money”, and the still-shocking title track – but we’ve got a pair of previously unreleased on CD gems, The Envoy and the live Stand In The Fire ($11.98 SRP each). All 3 discs features a nice selection of bonus tracks, but the real delight are the albums themselves. Viva la Zevon!
With the DVD release of Batman and Superman’s animated adventures already wrapped, it’s with a measure of sadness that the release of the third seasons of Justice League Unlimited & Batman Beyond (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP each) mark the official end of the Bruce Timm version of the DC Universe (those new direct-to-videos don’t count, as they’re heavily influenced by the talentless bastard currently running Warner Animation… but I digress). Both of these 2-disc sets features creator interviews, featurettes, and more (but surpassingly no audio commentaries).
You might think that you’ll be drown in saccharine smarm watching a flick about a black sheep penguin who’s unable to sing a note in tune in an Antarctic penguin society that relies upon song (popular tunes, no less!) for their courting rituals. As if that didn’t make him enough of an outcast, young Mumble (Elijah Wood) does have a talent – for dance. Eventually kicked out of his Emperor penguin society, he sets out to find his place in the world, accompanied by a ragtag, fun-loving group of Adelie penguins (most of which are voiced by Robin Williams). But here’s the shock, for those of you thinking Happy Feet (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$28.98 SRP) would give you insulin shock – it’s actually a fun, enjoyable flick. Imagine that? Bonus features include a pair of new animated sequences, music videos, a private dance lesson with Savion Glover, and the classic Warner/Tex Avery cartoon “I Love To Singa.”
Our documentary corner this week features two different looks at childhood. The first is Stagedoor (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), about the children who attend the Stagedoor Manor theater camp deep in the Catskills, leaving their regular humdrum lives behind and letting their inner diva out for a romp, some of whom hope to follow in the footsteps of famous camp alums like Natalie Portman and Zach Braff. The other doc is Following Sean (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), which follows up with a 4-year-old flower child who literally spent his late-60’s childhood running barefoot in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. Now in his 30’s, it an interesting perspective on the legacy of the 60’s generation.
Long before it became fashionable, Victor Meldrew was forced into an early retirement. Unfortunately, his transition into a life of leisure is stymied by the maddening, frustrating world around him, which – with its hypocrisies, lack of logic, ignorance, and indifference – never ceases to get on his nerves. One Foot In The Grave (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98/$29.98 SRP) is one of those modern classics of British Comedy, and Richard Wilson’s Victor Meldrew is as memorable a comic creation as Basil Fawlty or David Brent. By all means, snap up the first two seasons, featuring a total of 12 episodes, the 1990 Christmas special, and a “Britain’s Best Sitcom” featurette.
Although he’s a bit of a culture lightning rod in his native England, Jeremy Clarkson is one of the most engaging – and often funny – TV presenters I’ve ever run across. Although he’s often to be found on panel shows and presenting a series of historical and cultural documentaries, his main focus is automobiles – reviewing and featuring them. I could care less, really, about cars, but if it’s one of Clarkson’s programs – including the wonderful Top Gear – I can’t help but enjoy it. For the past few year’s, he released an annual home video in which he features his favorite cars, eviscerates his least favorite, and blows things up (usually the objects of his derision). Finally, one of these vids has made its way to the US – Clarkson: Heaven and Hell (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), and it is fantastic. Can we have more, please?
Forest Whitaker arrives on the scene as Lieutenant Jim Kavanaugh in the 5th season of The Shield (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), shaking up an already tense situation in the Barn. Kavanaugh is an internal affairs cop focused on bringing Vic Mackey down – even if it means going through Vic’s ex-wife. This 4-disc set features all 11 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes (with optional commentary), behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a season 6 prequel.
IMAX films aren’t really about narrative, so let’s just say that the new DVD release of IMAX: Deep Sea (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$27.98 SRP) looks absolutely stunning on my big HDTV. Presenting stunning views of the creatures populating the ocean depths, it’s one of those “oooo” discs that are fun to pop in just for the visual thrill.
You gotta love a nice little dystopian future pic – one that gets the inner sci-fi geek rooting for the small glimmer of hope that enters into that world. In Children of Men (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), that glimmer of hope is a pregnant woman – in a future (2027, to be exact) where the last human birth occurred 18 years prior and society has largely disintegrated. Clive Owen is tasked with delivering the woman and her unborn charge safely out of the country, potentially saving the human race in the process. Slick and largely satisfying, it’s worth checking out. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
As if the Zevon releases weren’t enough, Rhino has doubled the listening pleasure this weekend with the 40th anniversary remasters of all 6 Jim Morrison Doors albums (Rhino, $11.98 SRP each). The albums in question – The Doors, Waiting For The Sun, L.A. Woman, Morrison Hotel, The Soft Parade, and Strange Days – all sport a wonderful selection of bonus cuts, including alternate takes and rarities. Show me the way to the last whiskey bar…
It’s documentary series like Engineering An Empire (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) that call me out as the geek I am. This 12-part series focuses on the engineering marvels of civilizations from the Egyptian empires of the pharaohs to more modern structures including the Kremlin and Notre Dame. Hosted by Peter Weller, it will appeal to all of your basest nerdly needs. I love it.
A few years after wrapping his multi-year stay with the Tanner family, ALF found himself a prisoner of the US government in the TV movie Project: ALF (VSC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP). Co-starring Martin Sheen, Ed Begley, Jr., Miguel Ferrer, and the late, great Ray Walston, this special edition features a brand new commentary track with creator (and ALF himself) Paul Fusco.
Warners Signature Series sets have oft-times been anchored by one or two films that have been on DVD previously. It’s always welcome, then, when we get a set that features a completely new-to-DVD line-up, which means we’ve essentially “raided the vaults” for goodies that, save for these themed sets, probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Such is the case with the 5 flicks featured in the Erroll Flynn Collection: Volume 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) – which sports The Charge of the Light Brigade, Adventures of Don Juan, Dive Bombers, Gentleman Jim, and The Sawn Patrol. Bonus features include vintage cartoons & short subjects, radio shows, making-of featurettes, trailers, and a commentary on Don Juan.
I’m a sucker for rarely seen comedic performances, so I’m very pleased with what we’ve gotten from MPI’s “Comic Legends” line so far, including their two latest releases. The first – Dick Van Dyke: In Rare Form (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) – features classic comic and dance sequences from Van Dyke’s recurring appearances during the 1958-59 season of The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, plus an episode of Van Dyke’s ultra-rare panel show Laugh Line. The second release is a double bill – Groucho Marx & Redd Foxx (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) – and the stars alone should make this a must have.
Continue your collection of the creepy, kooky, mysterious, and ooky Addams Family (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) with the second and penultimate volume, featuring the middle 21 episodes from its all-too-short 2 season run. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, a “Mad About The Addams” appreciation featurette, and an interactive guest star featurette. For some reason, though, Fox continues to urinate on the parade with their abysmal double-sided discs. Please guys… Stop.
It’s definitely a piffle, but there’s something eminently likeable about sprite-ly, vivacious Amanda Bynes in Lovewrecked (Genius, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.95 SRP), where she stars as a young woman who finds her self stranded on a deserted island with her rock idol. Well, maybe not so deserted – as their resort is only a stone’s throw away – but she tries everything in her power to hide that fact in order to spend as much time with him as possible.
Night Of The Comet (MGM/UA, Rated PG-13, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is on DVD. Can you believe that? One of the most gloriously schlocky 80’s cult flicks has hit little shiny disc. A comet! Zombies! Valley girls as humanity’s saviors! And there’s even time for shopping!
In the 1970’s, a rather fascinating by-product of the success of The Godfather films was a mini-series that featured a re-enactment filled history of organized crime in Italy and its eventual arrival in America. Stretching back 400 years, the 5-part Origins of The Mafia (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) featured a cast that included Eddie Albert, Joseph Cotton, and Lee J. Cobb. It’s certainly an interesting overview of the roots of organized crime in America, a subject that continues to be mined in films and television to this day.
In front of the camera, George and Weezy become grandparents in the 6th season of The Jeffersons (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), while behind-the-scenes, actor Mike Evans returned to the role of son Lionel, which he had originated all the way back during All In The Family. Still at the top of its game, this season also found George coaching neighbor Tom Willis on how to act black and also wining small businessman of the year (literally), and Louise even fires Florence. Season 7, post haste!
She may not have one another Oscar this year, but you can get more than your fill of everyone’s favorite stern Dame courtesy of the BBC’s 8-film Judi Dench Collection (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP). The films on the docket are both the 1962 & 1981 versions of The Cherry Orchard, Talking To A Stranger, Keep An Eye On Amelie, Going Gently, Ghosts, Make And Break, Can You Hear Me Thinking?, and Absolute Hell. Bonus features include a trio of radio plays, Dench singing “Send in the Clowns,” interviews, and more.
No 80’s childhood was complete without at least one viewing (on cable) of the post-apocalyptic roller-skating flick Solarbabies (MGM/UA, Rated PG-13, DVD-$14.98 SRP). In a world where water is a rare commodity controlled by a global corporation that snatches children from their families to raise them as workers, can a band of roller-rebels change the future? What about if I throw in a weird, glowing extraterrestrial globe with healing powers? And Charles Durning?
I would hope that, after the numerous failures in the last election and the disturbing lack of a paper trail, the existing electronic balloting system would be cause for concern amongst American voters. If it’s not, then I recommend you take a look at the documentary Hacking Democracy (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), which examines the machines and the system behind them.
Before Soap, Norman Lear’s Mary Hartman Mary Hartman (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) was the first sitcom to spoof the conventions of the serialized storytelling known as Soap Operas. Housewife Mary Hartman (Louise Lasser) lives in the fictional town of Fernwood, a burg best by kidnappings, mass murders, and a recurring flasher, but she’s more focused on her daily travails, specifically the shine on her kitchen floor and saving her marriage. It really was a groundbreaking show, and it’s well worth checking out the 25 first season episodes featured in this 3-disc box set.
I have to admit, by the third season of A Family Affair (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), I’m mainly watching it for the wonderfully subtle Sebastian Cabot as English manservant Mr. French. Otherwise, it’s still an amiable sitcom that’s a very comfortable viewing experience, even 30 years later. The 5-disc set features all 28 episodes, plus the Family Affair reunion special.
The Tanners return in the wacky and comfortably predictable sixth season of Full House (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). If you’ve seen any episode of the show, you know what to expect… It’s like comfort food for Gen Y. Sadly, no bonus features… Not even an uncensored Saget commentary. Shame.
In the age of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, there’s something a bit naff about the big screen adaptation of the kid and his dragon fantasy Eragon (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$34.98 SRP). It’s like The Neverending Story, but without the charm. The 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes documentary & featurettes, interviews, galleries, and more.
My memories of the 5th and final season of NewsRadio (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) are of a show that was struggling to regain its footing after the devastating loss of both Phil Hartman and his character, Bill McNeal. While in my memory the transition was rather rocky, re-watching the season on DVD has shows that the writers and cast very quickly regained their footing, and Jon Lovitz’s Max Louis very rapidly became a member of the family. All in all, it’s a nice farewell to a series that was cancelled before its time, and I’m just glad we got the entirety of it out on DVD. The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries (during one of which my question about the cast’s Donny & Marie Show appearance is mentioned, but not answered), deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
If the great Sgt. Bilko had to depart the airwaves, at least a show like McHale’s Navy (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) was waiting in the wings. Doing for the navy what Bilko did for the army, the crew of PT Boat #73 – including Tim Conway and captain Ernest Borgnine – brought a healthy anti-establishment joie de vivre to the small screen. A very, very funny show. This 5-disc box set features all 36 first season episodes in their original black & white, plus a crew reunion featurette with reminiscences from the cast.
Divorced from the Oscar season hype, there’s much to be said for the flawed yet powerful Blood Diamond (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). As actioners go, it’s got the requisite amount of intrigue and adrenaline, and it very much wears its social message – about the often bloody diamond trade – on its sleeve. When civil war overtakes Sierra Leone in 1999, an ex-mercenary (Leonardo DiCaprio) with his own agenda aids a Mende fisherman (Djimon Hounsou) in locating his kidnapped son, who has been conscripted as a child solider in the rebel army. The ex-merc, however, is more interested in an outrageously valuable pink diamond, and will let nothing get in his way. The 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary from director Ed Zwick, a documentary on the diamond trade tracking the patch of a gemstone from the earth to the store, a Leo profile, a featurette on women journalists, a look at the pivotal “Siege of Freetown” sequence, a music video, and the theatrical trailer.
As independent as the protagonists of That Girl and The Mary Tyler Moore Show had been, the first unashamedly, boisterously feminist show to arrive on television screens was a spin-off of All In The Family, and starred Bea Arthur as Edith Bunker’s outspokenly independent Maude (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Whether keeping her fourth husband, Walter (Bill Macy), in line or disagreeing with conservative neighbor Arthur (Conrad Baines), the show’s humor has aged very little, and the arrival on DVD of such a seminal sitcom is always appreciated. The 3-disc set features all 22 first season episodes, but zero extras (a Bea Arthur/Norman Lear commentary would have been incredible).
The third series of the Doctor Who relaunch is about to hit screens in the UK (and computers here in the US, because certain networks don’t seem to understand the 21st Century), so that means another batch of classic Who is hitting DVD. First up is a classic tale from the Patrick Troughton years – The Invasion (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) – which also happens to be one of those unfortunate adventures where footage is missing. Happily, though, those installments have been reconstructed with animation from Cosgrove Hall (of Danger Mouse fame) and the still extant original soundtracks. The second release is from the Tom Baker Years – The Sontaran Experiment (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). As usual, these are positively packed with bonus materials, including audio commentaries, featurettes, interviews, trailers, and much more.
Rightly considered one of the finest documentaries ever produced, D.A. Pennbaker’s portrait of Bob Dylan’s landmark 1965 tour, Don’t Look Back (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), has gotten a deluxe remastering and special edition treatment. In addition to restored picture and sound, the 2-disc collector’s set features audio commentaries, additional audio tracks, an alternate version of the “Subterranean Homesick Blues” cue card sequence, a second documentary utilizing unused footage, trailers, and a reproduction of the original photo-filled 168-page companion book. A definite must-have all around.
After viewing it again, in expanded form, on DVD, there’s something cringeworthy about the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Roasters of old were usually friends of the roastee, so an overwhelming sense of love would come through the often scathing jibes. On the new brand of Comedy Central roasts, there’s usually a token 2-3 friends of the roastee, with the rest of the time filled by Comedy Central’s stable of go-to comics, making for an impersonal, often attack atmosphere of blood in the water comedy that makes for the aforementioned cringing. It’s a shame, really. Bonus materials include behind-the-scenes footage, red carpet interviews, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
The films may be hit and miss, but I always have time for that crankily loveable Fieldian presence. The second volume of the W.C. Fields Comedy Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) features You’re Telling Me!, The Old Fashioned Way, Man On The Flying Trapeze, Poppy, and the wonderful Never Give A Sucker An Even Break. The 5-disc set also features a bonus vintage documentary.
Although it shouldn’t surprise me so much in this DVD age, I never thought I’d see a 2-disc, fully restored and remastered special edition of the original Re-Animator (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Starring Jeffrey Combs as truly mad scientist Herbert West in this adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s tale of meddling in life after death, it’s one of the goriest flicks you’ll run across – but it’s all held together by Combs’s performance. The 2-disc edition features audio commentaries, a 60-minute documentary, interviews, deleted/extended scenes, TV spots, galleries, a trailer, and more.
Federal Agent James West is back defending American security at the behest of the Grant administration, against evil geniuses, revolutionaries, oddballs, and malcontents in the second season of Wild, Wild West (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 7-disc set features all 28 episodes, beautifully remastered in full color. Sadly, no bonus features, which is a damn shame as a nice retrospective feature would be quite nifty. Perhaps in the future, one hopes.
Crockett & Tubbs have arrived to drain your wallet, with the concurrent release of both the 3rd and 4th seasons (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP each). As usual there’s not a single bonus feature to be found, but at least we get all of the original music (which I can only imagine cost a fortune). Crack out the pastels and your pet gator, and snag ’em both.
As if the release of the first season of Family Ties weren’t enough cause for glee in the hearts of those amongst us that came of pop culture age in the 80’s, we get to throw a round of “huzzahs” for the arrival of Bosom Buddies (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$31.99 SRP). Starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari in the legendary dual roles of best friends Kip (Hanks) & Henry (Scolari) and their female alter-egos Buffy & Hildegarde. The reason for the cross-dressing? In order to take advantage of the rock bottom rent available in the women’s hotel where their work friend Amy (the much-missed Wendy Jo Sperber) lives. Comedy, as you can guess, ensues… This really is a true comedy classic that is definitely of its time. More seasons, pronto!
I was one of those that was disappointed to hear that not only would Pierce Brosnan be absent from the newest James Bond flick, but it would also act as a sort of prequel to the whole franchise, rebooting the whole 007 franchise with a brand new, fresh face as a newly-minted double-o agent. It was a welcome relief that Daniel Craig has slipped right into the role of Bond with nary a misstep, and that film itself – based on Ian Fleming’s first Bond adventure, Casino Royale (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.96 SRP) – has managed to update the franchise without wholly abandoning what made it so addictive in the first place. I do miss some of the flights of fancy, and I’m unsure of where they go next, but as a reboot effort, it’s one hell of an evening’s viewing. The 2-disc special edition features a trio of in-depth featurettes and Chris Cornell’s music video.
Similar to the Disney Treasures and Nascar Vault releases, a must-have collectible for Marvel comics fans is The Marvel Vault (Becker & Meyer, $49.95 SRP). Billed as a “museum-in-a-book” and written by Roy Thomas and Quick Stop’s own Peter Sanderson, its extensive history of Marvel Comics – reaching all the way back to its origins in the 40’s as Timely Comics and winding up in the present day – is supplemented with numerous reproductions of rare Marvel ephemera, from a Merry Marvel Marching Society membership card to the original Fantastic Four synopsis. It’s an amazing overview of a once mighty company, and the characters and creators that made it so – including names like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Gene Colan, Mark Gruenwald, John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Gil Kane, John Buscema, and many, many more.
I mentioned it back in our holiday shopping guide last year, but the perfect companion piece to The Marvel Vault bears repeating. While writer Roy Thomas’s Stan Lee’s Amazing Marvel Universe (Becker & Meyer/Sterling, $50.00 SRP) would have been a must-have overview of the formative years of Marvel Comics and the equally amazing Lee in its own right, the addition of Stan Lee’s audio remembrances makes it an essential experience for anyone who grew up entranced by Lee’s hyperbolic universe and giddy hucksterism. Attached to the impressive tome is an audio player that, when you come to a cue within the book itself, you can press to hear Stan himself relate stories and anecdotes based on what you’ve just been reading about. In practice, it’s like getting an audio commentary from “The Man” himself, and I can only hope that more books will utilize this unique technology.
Shortly after I Love Lucy ended its classic run as one of TV’s most beloved half-hour sitcoms, Lucy & Desi returned for a series of one-hour specials that essentially acted as seasons 7, 8, & 9 of the couple’s comic adventures, expanding the scope a bit. I Love Lucy: The Final Seasons (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) collects all 13 of these Lucy-Desi Comedy Hours, including an incredible slate of bonus materials – rarities like a Desilu/Westinghouse sponsor presentation, original TV spots, original opening and closing titles, original animation, deleted scenes, on-set color footage, and more.
Long before he became a fixture on late night, a young midwesterner named Johnny Carson – then just a staff writer on The Red Skelton Show – filled in on-camera at the last minute when his boss got injured in rehearsal. Impressed with what they saw, CBS created The Johnny Carson Show (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) to showcase him. Running just 39 weeks from 1955-56, this DVD features 10 remastered episodes from this rare series, in which Carson proved himself a hilarious sketch comedian and commentator on the still emerging TV landscape. This set also contains a 1958 episode of his popular ABC quiz show Who Do You Trust?, an episode of his short-lived 1956 daytime talk show, and a clip from his 1958 two-week run as guest host on The Jack Paar Show. Here’s hoping for more volumes to come…
Partake of half-shell heroics with the complete fourth season of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 5-disc set features all 40 episodes, plus a pair of featurettes on Shredder and the evil turtle Slash, and a pizza recipe. You know you need a pizza recipe.
In what has become a rather bland wasteland populated by tired ideas and rip-offs, it’s always nice to see a show that feels genuinely fresh. Created by The Powerpuff Girls‘s Craig McCracken, Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) certainly fits the bill. Visually appealing, fun, and witty, it’s a show that I’ve enjoyed introducing my young nephew to. The 2-disc first season set features all 13 episodes, plus an audio commentary on the episode “Store Wars,” a behind-the-scenes featurette, promos, end of episode gags, and a gallery.
FBI agent Jack Malone (Anthony LaPaglia) and his team of FBI missing persons experts return in the complete second season of Without A Trace (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), hunting down everything from kids on a hijacked school bus, a soldier just returned from war, a college coach, and more. The 6-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus unaired scenes.
Even if they just sat there and talked about how much they loved Dr. Who, I would watch the panel assembled onstage for God, The Universe And Everything (Kultur, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). That panel? Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan, and Arthur C. Clarke, discussing everything from black holes an the Big Bang to aliens and creativity.
It’s a titanic evening of rock ‘n’ roll history documented in Fats & Friends (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), a concert featuring Fats Domino, Ray Charles, and Jerry Lee Lewis, with a backing band put together by musical director Paul Shaffer that includes special guest Ronnie Wood. As if the music alone weren’t treat enough, the DVD also contains rehearsal footage with optional commentary from Shaffer, as well as a new interview with Paul.
Anyone who thought that South Park was even close to running out of steam as it entered its 9th season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) need only look at the now-infamous – and very, very funny – episode “Trapped In A Closet,” which managed to not only eviscerate Tom Cruise, but also Scientology and R. Kelly in one all-too-brief 20 minute span. Add in their equally damning take on the Terry Schiavo affair along with more light-hearted episodes (Wing, anyone?) and you have a show that’s still firing on all cylinders. The 3-disc set features all 14 episodes, plus mini-commentaries from Trey Parker & Matt Stone.
So, for months now, everyone has been speaking of Borat (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) as if it is the second coming of comedy – a brilliant, hysterical look at America through the eyes, and actions, of a simple, racist Kazakh journalist named Borat Sagdiyev. Does it live up to all the hype? Mostly, yes. Sacha Baron Cohen’s turn as our unwashed journo is as immersive and convincing as anything Andy Kaufman or Peter Sellers ever did, and the situations he finds himself in are incredibly funny, if cringe-worthy on so very many levels. For some reason, though, Fox has gone relatively half-assed on the bonus materials, with only deleted scenes, a PR featurette, and a music infomercial – no commentary or documentary, and you just know there are more deleted scenes out there. Do I smell a double-dip?
It’s always a bit revelatory to go back and watch the first season of a show which spawned a time-honored pop culture catchphrase, to see what the tone was like before it became a hit and changed in style, as all successful shows inevitably do. Watching the first season of Hawaii Five-O (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) is no different, and what you’ll find – before everyone knew the phrase, “Book ’em, Danno” – was a relatively intense police action-drama starring Jack Lord as Detective Steve McGarrett, who was always hot on the trail of Red Chinese crime boss Wo Fat. The 7-disc collection features all 24 episodes, plus a special edition of Hawaiian show Emmie’s Island Moments focusing on Five-O, with cast crew interviews and a tribute to Jack Lord.
As part of the now-routine revisiting of previously released catalogue titles, the little Brit-Com that could is getting a much-needed overhaul via the new 2-disc “Fully Exposed Edition” of The Full Monty (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP). In addition to a fully remastered, anamorphic print, you get audio commentaries, deleted scenes, original cast interviews, 10 retrospective featurettes, TV spots, and more. Is it worth it? You betcha.
Expanding their library of themed remastered catalogue releases, Warner Bros. has packaged together 5 fine adaptations into the Literary Classics Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The five classics in question are Prisoner of Zenda (which contains both the 1937 & 1952 versions), Billy Budd, Madame Bovary, Captain Horatio Hornblower, and The Three Musketeers. While Billy Budd features an audio commentary (with Terence Stamp and Steven Soderbergh) and the theatrical trailer, the remaining flicks feature a complement of vintage shorts, cartoons, trailers, and audio features. Warners continues to be the tops in the treatment of their catalogue, and here’s hoping there’s no end in sight.
As with previous Disney revisitations of their classic catalogue for special edition DVD release, the real draw of the new 2-disc edition of Peter Pan (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is the stunning restoration job, which makes the picture and restored soundtrack incredibly pristine. Bonus features include a never-before seen alternate opening, deleted songs, a making-of featurette, 1952’s The Peter Pan Story promotional piece, and a newly-discovered segment of Walt discussing why he made the film. The set is padded out with the usual allotment of Disney DVD garbage like tacky music videos and previews for abysmal sequels, but at least we have a beautiful presentation of the film itself.
It disappeared from theaters faster than you could say Ronnie James Dio, but there’s a lot to enjoy in Tenacious D’s flawed big screen adventure, The Pick of Destiny (New Line, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP). The film charts the mythical creation of the D, as a young JB (Jack Black) – child of a repressive father (Meat Loaf) who doesn’t comprehend his hard rock dreams – runs off into the night, eventually to hook up with guitarist KG (Kyle Gass). Success eludes them, but then they learn of the existence of an all-powerful talisman – the Pick of Destiny – which eventually leads them to the Devil himself. It’s a fun romp, even if it’s not the classic I was hoping for. Bonus features include deleted/extended scenes, an alternate ending, outtakes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a music video, and more.
Yes, I am a card-carrying member of the Nintendo Power generation. I had my subscription to the magazine, I bought tickets to see The Wizard on order to catch a glimpse at the forthcoming Super Mario Bros. 3, and I watched the Saturday morning cartoons, including the animated Mario and Zelda (which were a far sight better than the QBert series). The only series missing was Captain N: The Game Master, and that’s been rectified with a release of the complete series (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). If you don’t remember the series, it featured the tried and true premise of a teen being whisked to a mythical kingdom – in this, it’s Videoland – in order to save its peace-loving denizens from evil forces, in this case led by Metroid‘s evil Mother Brain. The teen savior of Videoland is Kevin Keene, and he’s teamed with “The N-Team” – Castlevania‘s Simon Belmont, Mega Man, Kid Icarus, Princess Lana, and a dog. There always has to be a dog. The 4-disc set features all 26 episodes, plus the original Nintendo Power “Captain Nintendo” story, concept art, and character bios.
Manly men cinephiles will delight in the release of Fox’s 5-flick Ernest Hemingway Film Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$69.98 SRP), collecting in one set A Farewell To Arms, Hemingway’s Adventures Of A Young Man, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, The Sun Also Rises, and Under My Skin. While there are no bonus features on A Call To Arms, the other four films get audio commentaries, interviews, retrospective featurettes, restoration comparisons, trailers, and more.
And on the subject of catalogue classics from Fox, they’ve dipped into the vaults for a trio of 70’s era flicks that are worth a spin or two – James Caan & Eli Wallach in Cinderella Liberty, Dustin Hoffman & Mia Farrow in John and Mary, and Susan Sarandon in The Other Side of Midnight (Fox, Rated R/PG/R, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). Bonus features include audio commentaries on Midnight and Liberty, and behind-the-scenes featurettes on John and Mary.
It’s unfortunate that such a brilliant and loveable series had to burn itself out so quickly due to behind-the-scenes tussles and the clarion call of approaching superstardom, but at least we can look back at the complete run of that beloved series with the long-awaited release of the fifth and final season of Moonlighting (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features all 13 episodes, plus audio commentaries on select episodes and original screen tests.
As stand-up comics go, Zach Galifianakis is not your average comedian. Look no further than his first DVD – Zach Galifianakis: Live At The Purple Onion (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) – for proof of that assessment, as he alternates between sublime subtlety and even more sublime heights of fury… Yes, fury. And there’s a piano. Honestly, just buy the DVD and check out one of the most unique performers out there. Bonus materials include outtakes, a shaving featurette, and more.
I still can’t shake the feeling that a documentary based on Eric Schlosser’s devastating expose of the fast food industry, Fast Food Nation, would have been far more effective and damning than Richard Linklater’s fictionalized big screen adaptation. Maybe that’s because, as a film, Fast Food Nation (Fox, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) allows for a certain measure of disconnect – there must be some kind of exaggeration, right? I mean, it’s a film, so it can’t all be 100% real. Despite the fact that many of the stories come straight out of Schlosser’s book, it just doesn’t hit with the sledgehammer it should. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, animations, and a photo gallery.
Like the two slovenly men it revolves around, the American version of the Britcom hit Men Behaving Badly (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) was a likeable lunk of a show, but not nearly as smartly written or acted as the original. For that reason, the story of best friends & roommates Kevin & Jamie (Ron Eldard & Rob Schneider) was sort-lived on this side of the pond. Now you can get all 35 episodes (7 of which never aired during its network run) in one 4-disc set and judge for yourself.
Want a fun, eminently groovy read this weekend? Check out The Encyclopedia of Sixties Cool (Santa Monica Press, $24.95 SRP), which has entries on everything from Woodstock and Lenny Bruce to Terry Southern and the Ford Mustang.
It’s always a disappointment when a spin-off of a beloved show doesn’t give you the same kind of buzz as the original, and sadly, such is the case with Stargate: Atlantis (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Maybe it’s because it suffers from many of the same problems as Star Trek‘s less-than-successful spin-off Voyager, both of which found our heroes isolated in a distant corner of the galaxy and largely trying to find their way home. The second season of Atlantis was an improvement, though, and paved the way for a much more dynamic third season. The 5-disc box set features all 20 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, photo galleries, and more.
Who knew that the 80’s – the decade of greed, good looks, and whiter than white teeth – would also spawn so celebratory a geek fest as Revenge of the Nerds? It’s no Citizen Kane, mind you, but the original film is still a rah-rah pic for anyone that’s ever felt the outsider, and that cinematic “legacy” is celebrated in the 4-disc Revenge of the Nerds: Atomic Wedgie Collection (Fox, Rated R/PG-13/NR, DVD-$29.99 SRP), which features the first two theatrical Nerds, as well as the latter-day direct-to-video adventures. The original film even gets a brand new audio commentary (with director Jeff Kanew and actors Robert Carradine, Timothy Busfield, and Curtis Armstrong), deleted scenes, a retrospective featurette, and even the Revenge of the Nerds television pilot.
Being quite a bit older than the then-tweener audience that had made Melissa Joan Hart a star as the Disney Channel’s all-explaining Clarissa, my main reason for tuning in to the first season of Sabrina The Teenage Witch (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) was based entirely on my affection for Mystery Science Theater 3000. You may not know, but during the inaugural season of Sabrina’s magical high school adventures, on set “practical” magic effects were done by Joel Hodgson, creator and former host of MST3K. Oh, and the great Paul Feig (creator of Freaks & Geeks) played her science teacher, Mr. Pool. This 4-disc box set features all 24 first season episodes, but no extras to speak of.
Their big screen adventure in Miami hit theaters last week, and now’s the time to brush up on your Reno 911! with the single-disc Reno 911!: Most Wanted (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), featuring their seven best episodes (including Paul Reuban’s hilarious turn as Rick from Citizen’s Patrol). The disc also features a live musical performance and a featurette of “Favorite Calls.”
I’m not really sure it’s possible to know Terry Gilliam as a person. I’ve known him for almost 7 years, and I don’t think I’m any closer to unlocking what makes him tick than I was the first time I ever talked to him all those years ago. As a filmmaker, Gilliam is only slightly less of an enigma – but an enigma nonetheless. It’s easy to try and say that the uncompromising cinematic and storytelling vision Tideland (Thinkfilm, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) – made during a break in filming the troubled Brothers Grimm – was somehow a reaction against the negative producorial influence that was tearing Grimm apart, but I think that oversimplifies Gilliam as an artist and a person… actually, it’s probably more an attempt to eternally cast him in the underdog role that has followed him since the now-famous events that surrounded both Brazil and Baron Munchausen. Divorced from all of that role-playing nonsense (some of which is explored in the Gilliam documentary that is featured on the second disc of this set, Getting Gilliam), I think Tideland is a beautiful piece of filmmaking for filmmaking’s sake. For many, it’s rather ersatz Alice in Wonderland tale of young Jeliza-Rose may be a little hard to stomach – this is not exactly a film that one walks away with whilst wearing a happy-go-lucky grin – but it’s a powerful film nonetheless, and one that deserves a second chance on home video (much like the renaissance of opinion that overtook Gilliam’s Fear & Loathing upon its home video release). The 2-disc set features audio commentary, an intro from Terry, deleted scenes, interviews, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and more.
Twomorrows turns the spotlight of their essential, must-have series Modern Masters on the wonderful Charles Vess (Twomorrows, $14.95 SRP). From Spider-Man to Sandman and Stardust in-between, the book covers the breadth of Vess’s career with an exceptionally in-depth interview and more artwork than you can shake a bundle of sticks at. It’s a shame that Twomorrows focus is largely on superhero comics, as I’d love a Modern Masters on Don Rosa. How ’bout it, guys? What if I begged?
A creature of profound habit whose every action of every days is exactly that of the day before, IRS agent Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) awakes to a sudden, terrifying realization – he is the character of a novel-in-progress being written by author Karen Eiffell (Emma Thompson)… a rather depressive sort who has a penchant for killing of her lead characters at the end of every book. Aided by a professor of literature (Dustin Hoffman), he’s got to try and find a way to take back his life and make sure it doesn’t all end with a period on the page. Stranger Than Fiction (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.95 SRP) is a fun, quirky little flick, and Will Ferrell is fast becoming the versatile, drama-capable actor that Jim Carrey has been trying to lock for years. Bonus features include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and an outtake reel.
Taking a page from Shout! Factory’s wonderful Dick Cavett Show releases, Rhino gives us a 3-disc box set featuring a total of 6 unedited episodes of Cavett contemporary Flip Wilson’s The Flip Wilson Show (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Featuring guests including Albert Brooks, Johnny Cash, Tim Conway, Tony Randall, Richard Pryor, Ray Charles, Joan Rivers, Redd Foxx, and more, it’s an appetite-whetting taste of what I hope is more releases to come. Bonus materials include additional featurettes, episode intros from Conway and Phyllis Diller, and an interview with producer Bob Henry.
As much as I enjoyed the intricately woven script of the conspiracy thriller that is The State Within (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) – about a British ambassador who slowly unravels a complex, and shocking, plot after an airplane explodes in mid-air above Washington, DC – I got an even bigger kick out of the performance given by the actor playing the British Ambassador to Washington, Jason Isaacs. Always a delight in whatever he’s in, he’s doubly so as a man who realizes that he may just be a puppet in a much larger plan. The 2-disc set features a making-of documentary.
If you’re only familiar with – and dismissive of – the disco icons that the Bee Gees became in the 70’s, you’re in for a real shock when you hear their original late-60’s sound, courtesy of their first three, newly-remastered international debut albums (Rhino, $24.98 SRP each). Those albums – 1st, Horizontal, & Idea – are wonderfully evocative of the Brit-pop sound of the period, from The Beatles and Cat Stevens to The Hollies and even a bit of Cream. If you’re stuck in the mindset that all the Brothers Gibb had to offer was variations on “Staying Alive,” do check these out. These new 2-disc special editions feature the albums in both stereo and mono, plus dozens of unreleased demos, alternate tracks, and rarities.
I know what you’re thinking – “Didn’t we already get a director’s cut of Oliver Stone’s Alexander?” Well, yes, we have. Still, Stone obviously thought he could make it better, so we’ve gotten the relatively unprecedented (outside of a mook named Lucas) Alexander Revisited: The Final Cut (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Bottom line – is it better? Markedly so, but still not a great flick, no matter how hard Stone tries. Bonus features are limited to a brand new introduction from Stone.
If you’ve yet to pick up either the box set’s of Patrick McGoohan’s super-spy tun in the UK as Danger Man or its international incarnation Secret Agent, A&E has collected both of their previous box-set releases into one supersized 18-disc Secret Agent aka Danger Man Megaset (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$149.95 SRP), featuring all 86 episodes, including the color finale episodes and the US opening titles (with Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” as its theme).
To a kid unaware of animation history, the sudden appearance of a cartoon calling itself Ghostbusters but with nary a Slimer in sight seemed like a cruel joke being played upon my Ghostbusters-loving childhood. Little did I know (but I soon found out) that this Filmation series – starring Jake, Eddie, and a super-smart gorilla named Tracy – was, in fact, the original Ghostbusters. It’s enjoyable for what it is, sure, but it will never replace Ray, Winston, Peter, and Egon. Still, as another slice of animation history, I’m glad that it’s getting a release on DVD from the fine folks at BCI, who’ve packed the 6-disc first volume (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) with the first 32 episodes, plus creator interviews, the original pilot, an episode of the live action series, an image gallery, storyboards, and more.
Dolly Parton & Friends (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is a 2-disc collection of performances from the singer-songwriter’s eponymous 1976-77 variety show Dolly. Those guests include Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Ann Murray, and more. There’s no denying Dolly’s infectious appeal.
It’s measured, contemplative, and a love letter to one harried expat’s recuperative, reinvigorating experience in France’s bucolic wine country… And, ultimately, Ridley Scott’s A Good Year (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) – starring Russell Crowe as the aforementioned English expat – is just, well, boring. Sad, but true. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, music videos, and more.
How about a bit of a TV-on-DVD bonanza from the fine folks at Universal Home Video? As if the complete third season of The Rockford Files (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) weren’t welcome enough, there’s the sixth seasons of both Magnum P.I. (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) and Northern Exposure (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) – its final season – as well as the debut season of old west adventure in Alias Smith and Jones (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which even sports audio commentary from series creator Glen Larson on the pilot.
Any flick that has a cast that includes Brendan Fraser, Scott Glenn, and Mos Def is at least worth a check-see, if only for that eclectic mix. Journey To The End of the Night (First Look, Rated R, DVD-$26.99 SRP) is by no means the greatest little crime thriller ever, but it’s a pleasant enough way to kill a cold winter evening. For the cast alone. Bonus features are limited to a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Even after 30 topics – ranging from PETA to the Bible – Penn & Teller have still not run out of topics for their gloriously skeptical debunk-a-thon Bullshit! (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), adding another 10 targets to their hit list in the 3-disc fourth season collection. This time around, they set their sites on the Boy Scouts, prostitution, the death penalty, Ground Zero, pet love, reparations, manners, abstinence, cryptozoology, and the myth of the import of numbers in our spin-heavy society. Even though there’s not a single bonus feature to be found (unlike the bonus-heavy first season set), console yourself with the news that a fifth season begins airing in the near future.
Even at 2 hours, I found myself desperately wanting more stories, anecdotes, and rare footage from the excellent documentary The Second City: First Family of Comedy (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Hosted by alums Dave Thomas, Scott Thompson, and Joe Flaherty, it features recollections from many who got their start treading the Second City boards, including Dan Aykroyd, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey, Mike Myers, Harold Ramis, Ryan Stiles, and many more. Bonus materials include extended interview segments. A must-see for any comedy fan.
If The Illusionist was turn-of-the-century magician drama as Masterpiece Theater entry, than Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.99 SRP) is a modern crowd pleaser of a flick. The plot, in a nutshell, involves the dangerously escalating rivalry between a pair of magicians (Christian Bale & High Jackman) after a trick gone wrong kills their act’s assistant, Jackman’s wife. What follows is a twisted path of bitterness, revenge, and one-upsmanship that includes Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, Ricky Jay, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. How can you not want to see that? Bonus features include a multi-part behind-the-scenes documentary and an art gallery.
Strike another “Why the heck isn’t it on DVD yet?” title from the list, as the first season of Family Ties (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) finally makes its way onto the little shiny discs. The 4-disc set features all 22 episodes in quite good condition (better than those hoary syndication prints we’ve been subjected to for years), but there are zero bonus features for fans… Not even a paint-by-numbers featurette.
It was rather a foolish notion, in 1950 – shortly after vinyl LPs revolutionized the music industry – for an independent music label to dare challenge the entrenched majors; Capitol, Decca, Columbia, and RCA. But a tiny label did mount a challenge, and it went by the name of Elektra. Starting as a label that fully embraced the emerging folk movement with artists such as Judy Collins and Fred Neil and eventually becoming home to the likes of The Doors, Eric Clapton, and The Stooges, Elektra’s storied history is celebrated in the 5-disc Forever Changing – The Golden Age of Elektra Records: 1963-1973 (Rhino, $69.98 SRP). Featuring over 100 tracks spanning that entire period, including some rarely heard tunes, it’s a glorious overview of an iconic little indie that could.
Beyond the issues of free speech and the fallout of singer Natalie Maines’s impromptu criticism of George Bush at a London concert on the eve of the war in Iraq, the documentary chronicling the Dixie Chicks’s journey from red state country stars to red state pariahs and to even greater success post-brouhaha, Shut Up & Sing (Genius, Rated R, DVD-$28.95 SRP), is an even more engaging portrait of PR damage control in this age of media saturation. Pushed and pulled by flacks eager to minimize the damage of Maines’s comment and steer her towards disowning it, it’s wonderful to see the trio eventually come around to the realization that it’s more important to be honest and straightforward with the public and themselves, emerging as a reenergized group of artists in the process. My only question, though, is where are the bonus features?
After their successful formula bore very funny fruit with Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, and A Mighty Wind, I was eager to see if Chris Guest and Eugene Levy could shine their absurd mockumentary spotlight on the movie industry as brilliantly as they had tackled their previous subjects. Sadly, though enjoyable, there’s just something not quite right with For Your Consideration (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.98 SRP), about a small indie film whose status – and the egos of the actors, director, producers, and studio involved – goes suddenly off the chart as soon as the “O” word (Oscar!) is mentioned. It’s almost as if Guest & Co. are too close to the subject matter to be as objective as they have in their previous flicks. It’s a shame, because there really is a need for the movie industry equivalent of Spinal Tap. Bonus features include an audio commentary with Guest & Levy, additional scenes, a poster gallery for the fictional film Home for Purim, and the theatrical trailer.
On the surface, A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints (First Look, Rated R, DVD-$26.99 SRP) is like any other “return to the old neighborhood” flick – you’ve got the guys that got out, and the ones that weren’t so lucky, or smart. So it goes when Dito (Robert Downey, Jr.) returns after 15 years to his old stomping grounds in Astoria, Queens when his father (Chazz Palminteri) falls ill – and finds many of the ghosts he’s left behind still waiting. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, a making-of documentary, and more.
Back to the vaults now for a quartet of knucklehead classics with The Three Stooges: Hapless Half-Wits (Sony, Not Rated DVD-$24.95 SRP). Fully restored and presented in both glorious black & white and colorized, the disc features two rarely seen Curly classics (“Beer Barrel Polecats” and the follow up to “You Nazty Spy,” “I’ll Never Heil Again”), plus a pair of Shemp-isodes (“Dopey Dics” and “Brideless Groom”). When are we finally going to get our all-out Stooges box-sets?
Of all the remastered, expanded Electric Light Orchestra releases coming down the pike in the last year, the one I was most looking forward to was Out Of The Blue (Sony Legacy, $11.98 SRP). Happily, it doesn’t disappoint in the least, featuring clear, crisp sound and one of my favorite songs of all time, “Mr. Blue Sky” (which sounds absolutely fab here). There are a trio of previously unreleased bonus tracks to round out the disc.
The witchy adventures of the sorcerous Halliwell sisters is nearing its conclusion with the arrival of the seventh, penultimate season of Charmed (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). Not only does the trio become bickering teenagers, but also get slapped with an aging curse (forcing them to find the Fountain of Youth), lose their powers, get inhabited by ancient Indian gods, encounter Lady Godiva, try to keep Pandora’s Box sealed, go head-to-head with an evil 25-year-old Wyatt, and wind up the season sacrificing themselves. The 6-disc box set features all 22 episodes, but nary an extra.
The adventures of the Seaview continue in the second volume of the second season of Irwin Allen’s Voyage To The Bottom of The Sea (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). There’s ghosts, U-boats, dinosaurs, fire in the sky, and much more to keep the crew on their toes. The 3-disc set (double-sided crap discs from Fox again – thanks, guys!) features interviews with David Hedison and still galleries.
Jumping into the catalogue game, Fox has released a 4-film set celebrating one of Hollywood’s best-loved actresses of the 30’s and 40’s. The Alice Faye Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) contains remastered editions of Lillian Russell, On The Avenue, That Night In Rio, and The Gang’s All Here. Bonus features include deleted scenes, documentary featurettes, audio features, and more.
Based on the new soundtrack album alone, I’m more than intrigued to see the new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company (Nonesuch, $20.98 SRP), whose swinging, untethered lech of a leading man I thought would be moored in the 70’s ethos that spawned it. The songs still stand up, and here’s hoping the production does as well.
Peter Lorre returns as J.P. Marquand’s Japanese detective Mr. Moto in the second Mr. Moto Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), containing Mr. Moto In Danger, Mr. Moto’s Gamble, Mr. Moto’s Last Warning, and Mr. Moto Takes A Vacation. Bonus features include interviews, featurettes, restoration comparisons, and the feature The Return of Mr. Moto (with commentary).