FRED Entertainment

ISTANBUL – Arif Mardin’s name might not sound familiar, but his musical work is stuck in your head. Ever try to escape the funk of the Average White Band’s “Pick Up the Pieces?” That’s Mardin. The longtime producer at Atlantic Records worked the controls on hits from the ’60s until the early 21st century. The 12 time Grammy winner might be the most successful producer for the duration of a career. He’s a guy whose discography includes The Rascals, Aretha Franklin, the BeeGees, Scritti Politti, Hall & Oates and Norah Jones. The Greatest Ears in Town: The Arif Mardin Story documents his final project and his entire life. The movie is out on DVD from Shelter Island.

Mardin might slip under the radar compared to famous producers. He didn’t have a sound like Joe Meek or Phil Spector. He didn’t get miles of publicity like Rick Rubin. He was a rather unassuming man who never went out of fashion. He was able to innovate so that he wasn’t completely stuck in an era. He brought out the disco and falsetto in the BeeGees. He mixed it up for Chaka Khan’s hip hop epic “I Feel For You.” Even after he was retired by Atlantic records, Arif arrived on the Grammy stage with Norah Jones’ Come Away with Me. This is a man who didn’t stop making music until the end.

I had a chance to talk with his son Joe Mardin who co-directed the documentary and co-produced his father’s final album, “All My Friends Are Here.” The film does its best to explain the secret to his dad’s longterm success in an industry that went from the British Invasion to house music.

“He was a modernist, but he was grounded in traditional music,” Joe said. This was how he could traverse the classics, jazz, pop, hip hop and new wave. He got his studio start at Atlantic doing arrangements for groups. Eventually this allowed Ahmet Ertegun to put Arif in the studio as a producer with the Rascals. This collaboration led to “Good Lovin” and “Groovin.” He was a producer who knew what the artists needed to take the song up a level.

Joe explained, “As Felix Cavaliere says in the film, ‘We’d work out something the day before. Then Arif would say I’ll write something. Don’t worry about it. This arrangement would come in with strings and horns and things we weren’t expecting.'”

We spoke a bit about producers tinkering with a band while they’re in the studio.

“By the time they were making a record like “I Feel For You,” there was a lot of tinkering going on,” Joe said. “A lot of different musicians contributions being tried out and experimented with. The way that the “Chaka Khan…Chaka Khan” Melle Mel sample happened was they had put the sample into the machine and you pressed the button and it would trigger the sample. Arif’s finger slipped on the button and so all of a sudden it went “Chaka Khan…Chaka Khan.” And it was an ‘Oh, we’re onto something here.'”

The movie does a fine job of putting Arif with his contemporary peers that follow the same musical philosophy. “One of the things I’m proud of in the film is the summit between Arif Mardin, Quincy Jones, Sir George Martin and Phil Ramone,” Joe said. “How these great producers were advocates for the artist. If they managed to get something in that maybe had a little bit of a signature; fine. As long as it served the artists. Ultimately they were looking to get the best out of the artist and the song. ”

“Norah expressed concern that working with such a legendary figure that maybe he’d impose his own judgments or values on the project. He said, ‘Look, I work for you. I work in service of the artist and try to realize what you want to realize musically and artistically. But he added, ‘I’m not a yes man. If I’m not happy with the way something is going, I’ll say it. I work for you,'” Joe related. “It was always with the artists in mind. What would show them in the best light.”

One of the astounding facts in the film was that even though Mardin was with Atlantic for nearly 40 years, he only discovered on artist toward the end of his tenure. Did Mardin wish he could have done more A&R work at the label?”

“My father was happy to be more in the studio and having to be out looking for artists and wining and dining,” Joe said. “He wanted to be making the music more than anything else. When you look at his discography, there really wasn’t that much time.”

The Greatest Ears in Town has a connection to Muscle Shoals about the Alabama town with the two legendary studios. “I remember as a child hearing frequently, “Dad, where are you going?” “Muscle Shoals.” He did a Cher record there.

What’s amazing about Arif’s story is that he didn’t get sucked into the debauchery that normally accompanies being part of hit records at the primetime of the music industry. “We had a very stable home life created by both of our parents. He wasn’t in the rock and roll lifestyle. He loved being in the studio and creating and being with musicians.” Watching the footage of him in the control booth hints that his big vice seemed to be good take-out food. “And the Mardinis!” Joe pointed out.
There’s a lot of musicians who miss Arif’s special way of mixing up a martini.

The lack of demons or a massive fall and comeback did concern Joe. This is a world where people want those VH1 Behind the Music tales of drugs, sex and near suicides. Arif was an anomaly for a rock and roll success story.

“That was the dilemma when we were editing the film was there wasn’t a rehab or third wife or the kids going into rehab. Our family wasn’t like that,” Joe said. “Without having that, we really had to show the other things that hopefully keep people’s interest for an hour and a half.” Sadly there is a major drama in the film when it’s disclosed that Arif is battling cancer while finishing his album. This what spurred Joe into bringing a videocamera into the studio to capture his father at work.

“We had started recording the album in November of 2005. By March of 2006, I was kinda saying, we better start documenting these things. Who knows how much longer we’re going to have him,” Joe said. “I enlisted Doug Biro who had made a wonderful film about Herbie Hancock called “Possibilities.” Doug came in and started shooting the sessions with various camera people. We didn’t know exactly what we were going to be doing, but we knew that would be the beginnings of this film about Arif.”

The process of working on the album was hard for the son.

“It very emotionally taxing,” Joe admitted. “When it dawned on me that we were going to lose my father before he would had the opportunity to finish this album that he referred to as his “life’s work.” It included elements of composition he had composed over a span of 50 years plus new pieces. When it hit me that I was going to have to finish this without him; that was very hard. Finishing the album was a huge challenge. Fortunately my father and I discussed a lot of elements of music and the album in his last week.

“I would joke with people that maybe if he didn’t trust me so much, maybe he would have lived longer. He knew that between me and Michael O’Reilly, our engineer, that the music had reached the point that it was in good hands. He felt that it would be completed in the way he liked for it to be completed. But it’s still very sad to me that this extraordinary, accomplished, successful man didn’t get to put the finishing touches on his final masterpiece”

Even after the album was completed, there was the documentary for Joe to finish.

“Being in the editing room month and after month watching the footage was very draining. ” “I had to look at it and make sure it was working. It was an honor, but it wasn’t very easy.”

One person who made the process a little bit easier was Darryl Hall from Hall and Oates. Arif was behind the board when the duo recorded “She’s Gone.” Darryl considered Arif his musical father. Darryl was to take part in the all-star title song on the project, but the timing was unfortunate.

“Darryl was so wonderful,” Joe said. “The session that Darryl comes in does his part on “All My Friends Are Here” was the day after my dad passed away. I asked T Bone Wolk, ‘We lost Arif. If Darryl feels it’s too heavy, to go in and record the day after, we can reschedule.’ Word came back, ‘No. Darryl is up for it.’ My mother was saying, ‘My father would have wanted you to continue and not postpone it.’ Darryl came by and he was just brilliant, accommodating, creative. It had the potential to be the hardest session of my life, but because of Darryl, it was one of the easiest.”

The film interviews so many stars that worked with Arif over the decades. Turns out it wasn’t too hard for Joe to find eager participants. “The wonderful thing about a lot of those interviews is that I’ve known so many of these people since I’ve been 10 years old,”

The Greatest Ears in Town really gives Arif Mardin his due. What’s amazing is that he never went out of fashion during his nearly five decades behind the mixing board.

NETFLIX BLAHS

The media and Wall Street has a huge boner for Netflix streaming as the future of television. Sure they’ve done well since the disaster of splitting the service. A lot of cable cord cutters have decided that Netflix is their only legitimate source for movies and TV shows. They’ve gotten into original productions that have brought them glory. So why am I not sold on this future?

Maybe it’s because way too many times I’ll think of a movie or TV show and Netflix doesn’t have it. Or even worse, the kid wants to see a title and it doesn’t’ exist in the selections. Often times even if I find a title listed, I spend a few minutes watching the Loading Bar before it kicks me back to the previous selection menu. Is this their cute way to act like they have a title or is the system screwed up? It’s more frustrating that back when I’d try to fine tune the cable box to get a hint of what was showing on the Playboy Channel. Half the time I’m better off looking for a movie on Youtube.
Call me a luddite, but I’d rather have the DVDs or Blu-rays for a movie or TV show that I enjoy. And I don’t’ trust the cloud. Most streaming services that allow you to “buy” movies have an amazing little clause in their licensing agreement that points out that they cancel your membership and deny you access to your films. Why? Because you didn’t buy the digital content. You bought unlimited access to the content through the service. Unlimited until it’s cut off. Don’t give up your shiny discs.

BRUCE IN A BOX

Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection gives the martial arts legend a fitting boxset for his Golden Harvest films. There are DVDs and Blu-rays for The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon and The Game of Death. These are the restored HD transfers from Asia that so many people had been pleading to see in America. While this boxset was supposed to come out in the middle of the summer, the wait has been worth it. Bruce Lee shines on the HDTV as he kicks so many asses across Hong Kong, Rome and Thailand. The Big Boss has Bruce arrive in Thailand looking to work with relatives at an ice factory. Turns out the place is a front for a drug running operation. The owners don’t like it when the employees discover their profit making side business. It’s up to Bruce to stop these criminals. Fist of Fury is a period piece when Japan had taken control of part of China. Bruce must defend his martial arts school against a bunch of prickish Japanese martial artists who won’t back down. Way of the Dragon sends Bruce Lee off to Rome to battle mobsters that have invaded a relative’s Chinese restaurant. This is best known for the major fight between Bruce and Chuck Norris in the Colosseum. They are the last true gladiators to fight to the death inside the ancient wonder. The Game of Death was a movie project finished after Bruce’s death. They slapped together a plot involving an actor who fakes his death to find out who is trying to kill him. It’s hilarious to see what they did to fake Bruce into scenes including a cardboard head. What matters is that the Blu-ray has Game of Death Revisited which gives the 35 minutes of real flight footage Lee shot for the movie. The best is his battle with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This is so much better than the movie. There are quite a few documentaries in the boxset about Lee’s life. “Bruce Lee: The Man and the legend” focuses on his funerals in Hong Kong and Seattle. It’s a very intimate portrait of how those close to him mourned his passing. Steve McQueen makes an appearance. Amongst the bonus features is Bob Wall talking about his work on Way of the Dragon and The Game of Death. The former martial arts champion is brilliantly intense as he talks about having to rough up his co-stars if they weren’t delivering the proper fake fighting techniques. Bob Wall is on my short list of people who you need to sit next to on a long airplane flight.

The original DVD boxset of Bruce Lee films had prints that looked like they had been used by Lee as punching targets. These transfers are so much cleaner. You can get all the detail of the bird’s nest on Chuck Norris’ chest. There will be a few whiners wondering why the boxset doesn’t have Enter the Dragon? He made that movie for Warner Brothers so you’ll have to buy the Blu-ray for that separately. The DVDs and Blu-rays are housed within a large book with plenty of photos and promotional material from all the films. This is a great way to experience the cinematic genius of the iconic fighter who’s still the best in the world even 40 years after his death.

SCREAM FACTORY DELIVERY

Night of the Comet: Collector’s Edition is one of the great teen flicks from the ’80s. Imagine The Walking Dead if all that was left to fight the zombies were a Valley Girl and her cheerleader sister. It’s that cool. This is like End Times At Ridgemont High. Everyone in Los Angeles is excited about an approaching comet. It becomes the party sensation of the decade with people eager to see this heavenly event. Regina Belmont (The Last Starfighter‘s Catherine Mary Stewart) and sister Samantha (Chopping Mall‘s Kelli Maroney) miss out on witnessing the streak. While this might seem like a bad thing, something evil happens to those that got a peek. The lucky were burned into piles of ash. The unfortunate became zombies. A handful of lucky humans were about to survive without any issues. But now they must fight for survival in the deserted city. While a mall that doesn’t require you to pay sounds like a Valley Girl’s dream, there are nightmares lurking in the food court. The movie deserves its cult status. There’s a proper level of apocalyptic action. There’s three different audio commentaries that give Stewart and Maroney a chance to remember. They also are interviewed on camera for “Valley Girls at the End of the World.” Robert Beltran recounts being “The Last Man on Earth?” Photo galleries give a peak at faking a deserted Los Angeles. A perfect film to watch while waiting for the pumpkin pies to cool.

Chilling Visions: 5 Senses of Fear is an anthology of horror with five tales aimed at your head and hands. The movie opens up with a superb title sequence showing a victim being tortured and having his senses removed. “Smell” sniffs the dangers of the good life. A slug of a guy gets offered the ultimate musk from a demented Avon lady. Turns out the stuff does turn around his life at work and with the ladies. However there’s a minor side effect. The big effect however makes him want to keep using the scent. “See” opens with the sci-fi conceit of an optometrist that has created a machine that allows him to see what’s in his patients’ eyes. He has to deal with one violent patient since he can’t quite take his evidence to the cops. “Touch” is the best of the bunch when a blind kid must travel through the woods to find help for his parents trapped in a car wreck. Trouble comes when the friendly farmer turns out to be a raving psycho. “Taste” is a horror comedy about one of those bad job interviews. “Listen” is a faux-documentary about a song that drives people to kill. Strangely enough it’s not sung by Susan Boyle. The anthology reminds me a touch of Tales From the Darkside in tone although with a little extra gore than network TV allowed back then.

Assault on Precinct 13: Collector’s Edition brings out the magic of John Carpenter’s masterpiece. This tells the classic tale of people stuck inside an outpost under siege from a mysterious enemy. Although instead of taking place in Saharan desert or the wild wet, the attack takes place in Los Angeles. A police precinct is being deactivated. There’s even less than a skeleton crew manning the place. While normally this doesn’t matter, a local street gang has decided it’s the perfect night to exact their revenge on the law. The people stuck inside the jail are completely unprepared for the onslaught. Can they survive the night? Is the law and order cop willing to arm his prisoner? Carpenter really ups the tension in the film. A true masterpiece from the guy who’d soon deliver Halloween. Carpenter does an audio commentary plus a video interview about the film. Actress Nancy Loomis Kyes discusses what it too to keep up the pressure on screen. The trailers and radio spots pump up the excitement. Of course what’s a real keeper of this Scream Factory release is the cover art from the Great James Rheem Davis. It’s a alteration of his poster from the Cinema Overdrive screening in Raleigh. Hopefully thousands will love the artwork since I have one of the original prints hanging on my living room wall. The Blu-ray is a must get for fans of Carpenter.

John Carpenter’s Body Bags Collector’s Edition contains a movie that was supposed to be a Showtime series meant to rival HBO’s Tales from the Crypt. During the production, the pay channel decided it didn’t want a series. Thus the three complete episodes were spliced together to become a horror anthology movie. This explains why Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) seems to get shunned having directed the middle segment and not getting to share title credit with Carpenter. “The Gas Station” locks Alex Datcher inside the cashier booth for the overnight shift. As she starts her first shift, she’s given the startling news that a dangerous inmate has escaped the local mental hospital. She fears all of her customers are the killer. Sam Raimi and Wes Craven have cameos. “Hair” makes Stacey Keach goes nuts about his balding head. He fears Sheena Easton will dump him. He’s willing to do anything including seeing a doctor that has Deborah Harry as his nurse. This was directed by Hooper. Mark Hamill is a big league pitcher who gets into a car wreck that ruins one of his eyes in “Eye” He’s eager to get his vision back so he agrees to a revolutionary eye replacement surgery. The side effect is a chance of seeing what the dead guy saw with the eye. For Hamill, he sees through the eye of a killer. He fears the killer is going to take over his mind and body. John Agar, Roger Corman and Charles Napier pop up. This would have made a good series for the early ’90s. Carpenter is fine and twisted as the morgue attendant host. Hooper helps out with the bodies on his installment. There’s plenty of bonus features include a DVD version of all the stuff on the Blu-ray. John Carpenter and Robert Carradine (Revenge of the Nerds and King of the Nerds) provide a commentary track on “Gas Station.” Carpenter returns with Stacey Keach (Titus and Mike Hammer) to review “Hair.” A featurette breaks down how it went from shot to anthology movie. It’s just a shame that Carpenter couldn’t have had the series so he could have started a bone feud with the Crypt Keeper.

Eve of Destruction is an android gone wild story. Eve VIII is made to look like her creator (The Fourth Man‘s Renee Soutendijk). She has been programmed to have the same actions and inflections of Dr. Eve Simmons. The corporation sends the mechanical woman into the outside world as a test to see how many people she can fool into thinking it’s just another human being. However the experiment goes wrong when she interrupts a bank robbery. She gets damaged to the point where she abandons her programmed route. She’s become a killing machine and can kill even more if her atomic power source explodes. Gregory Hines (The Cotton Club) is assigned to track down the android and shut her down before she blow up. His partner for the mission is the creator (also Soutendijk). He thinks he can fine Eve If he knows what Dr. Eve would do next. Eve of Destruction makes a great double feature with Scream Factory’s recent release of Dark Angel (“I” Come in Peace). There aren’t any bonus features outside of the trailer. This is probably due to Hines and director Duncan Gibbins having died and Soutendijk going back to Europe.

George A. Romero’s Knightriders dares to mingle Sons of Anarchy with A Knight’s Tale. Instead of a zombie future, we’re told of a time when knights rode around the country jousting on their motorcycles. This is not an alternative universe. Instead it’s just a bunch of hardcore members of the Ren Fair circuit. Ed Harris (The Right Stuff) goes by King William as he leads his merry band of bikers. He’s happy with the way things are going, however economic realities are starting to take hold. A promoter wants to take their tournaments to the next level, but at a price. Also William must deal with a rival biker (Dawn of the Dead‘s Tom Savini) claiming the crown. It’s an epic tale of power struggles and dealing with being an outsider to the present tense. This is epic storytelling from Romero with 145 minutes of length to give us the saga of King William. It’s a great film to watch with your Warcraft and Cosplaying buddies. The numerous bonus features include a commentary track and a featurette that has Romero, Savini and Harris talk about the days of Ol’ when men wore as much metal as their Harley Davidson hog.

BLU-RAY HEAVEN

The Gambler brought the magic of Kenny Rogers’ hit song to the small screen in the spring of 1980. There was only one person who could play the gambler and that’s Kenny Rogers. He was in his prime with the bright white beard and no creepy plastic surgery results. He became a true western star when this aired in primetime. His gambler did a little more than just sing a song at the Poker table. He’s a loner drifting around the Wild West from table to table collecting his winnings. He gets a message from his long lost son and decides it’s time to be a dad. But the journey to be a dad is long and bumpy. Along the way he meets a cowboy named Billy Montana (Rocky Horror Picture Show‘s Bruce Boxleitner) that needs a few lessons in how to play the game. He didn’t know how to hold ’em. This naturally leads to the recounting of all the rules from the Gambler. The duo have to help a hooker before confronting Clu Gulager. It’s just a good old fashioned Western that inspired quite a few sequels. Shame Kenny didn’t try to go big screen with the character. During the ’80s, Kenny would run clips of his upcoming Gambler movies as an intermission.

Syrup brings us a tale of how you can use high level marketing to make people think they need worthless crap. Scat (Evil Dead‘s Shiloh Fernandez) is the new face at a Madison Avenue advertising company. He’s got big dreams, but finds it hard to get them up the corporate ladder. He’s a big time dreamer since he also has a major desire for Amber Heard (Drive Angry). Not only is she above his pay grade, she’s also a lesbian. But he’s a man who thinks he know how he can sell anyone anything and why can’t this philosophy work on a woman who doesn’t want a man in her bed? This is the first true romantic comedy aimed at MBA programs. “It’s not real. It’s marketing” are words to live by. The bonus features include an interview with producer/costume designer Sophia Banks-Coloma and the special from AXS TV about the film.

DVD SHELF

Mad Men Season 6 drags Don Draper (Jon Hamm) under the cultural changes. He’s losing his golden boy status as a new breed of man is arriving in 1967. He perfected himself as the perfect Madison Avenue creature for the Kennedy era with his haircut, suits and gravitas. He seemed ready for the new frontier. Then Beatlemania hit and he became part of the old guard. His tales of American values have been undercut by Eastern philosophy and drug use. He’s still fighting wearing sideburns. Making matters more complex is that he hasn’t a chance to transform once more. In order to land a major client, his firm must merge with a rival. When they land the account, he finds himself frustrated at the pace as they arrive in the big leagues of advertising. Things are bad at home as his wife (Jessica Pare) is getting well known as a soap opera actress. Don finds himself having a fling with his neighbor’s wife (Freaks and Geeks‘ Linda Cardellini). One of their trysts turns into a 50 Shade of Don as he does his best to take control of her to feel like he has control in his life. Roger Sterling (John Slattery) proves he’s not the joke of the partnership. Joan (Christine Hendricks) wants to be more than a silent partner in the firm. She put in a lot to land that Jaguar account. Don’s identity becomes an issue when his apartment gets robbed. The burglar tells Sally (Kiernan Shipka) that she’s a relative. Since Sally has no idea of her father’s real past, she can’t protest. The end of the season has Don at what seems like the end of the line. Is he going to jump out the window like the man in the opening credits? It’s another fine season in the vast novel that is Mad Men. This remains the most addicting suave show on TV. Bonus features include what it took to recreate 1967-68 on the set and Timothy Leary’s LSD experiments.

Gentle Ben: Season One brings back the magic of a young Clint Howard (Ron’s brother). He’s a kid growing up in the Florida Everglades. His dad (McCloud‘s Dennis Weaver) is a game warden who gets to skip around the swamp in a fan boat. That’s kinda cool. What really makes Clint’s life amazing is his trained raccoon and pet black bear, Gentle Ben. What kid wouldn’t want to roam the woods with his bear instead of a lame dog? Of course having a pet bear does unnerve a lot of people who don’t think that they can really be tamed creatures. Clint is out to show how bears are really nice unless you’re covered in honey. The most dangerous thing in the swamp is hillbillies. “Fish and Chips” has a Simon Oakland (Kolchak: The Night Stalker) as a poacher who might want to deal in bear paws. Burt Reynolds (Boogie Nights) crashes a plane in “Voices from the Wilderness.” Weaver and Reynolds were both ex-Gunsmoke castmates. Ron Howard (Arrested Development) also shows up as an evil hillbilly kid in “Green Eyed Bear.” Ron wants to kidnap three bear cubs to sell on the black market. How can Opie and Richie Cunningham be so cruel? Even Tom Poston gets to play evil in “Trophy Bear.” There’s only two seasons of Gentle Ben so hopefully the other 28 episodes will be released soon. The big bonus feature is Clint and his father Rance giving commentaries on a few episodes. They bonded during their time on the Florida location. This is still a fine family show that ought to be watched with a small dose of Flipper and Grizzly Adams.

Power Rangers: Seasons 8- 12 contains Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force, Wild Force, Ninja Storm and Dino Thunder. It’s a huge box of the Power Rangers series that ran from 2000 to . Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue picks up from Lost Galaxy. Turns out the city of Mariner Bay has a major foundation issue. Is it a fault line? Nope. Beneath the sweet little town is an ancient demon burial site. Turns out the construction has woken up the evil. The only chance the town has is for the head of the police force to recruit 4 kids along with his daughter to the Lightspeed Ranger program. Ultimately a sixth kid is recruited to become the Titanium Ranger. It’s a major real estate battle over the course of 40 episodes. Power Rangers Time Force involves the evil Ransik from the year 3000 coming back to 2001 to put his 1,000 years of crime knowledge to work. Humanity’s best hope is uncovered at a dig. It’s the Quantum Rangers Morpher. A group of kids get the powers so they can try their best to keep Ransik from ruling the world or at least their little town. This also lasted 40 episodes on Fox Kids. Power Rangers Wild Force is the most fantastical of the installments. A boy that grew up in the jungle returns to what seems like boring Turtle Cove. He discovers that above them is a floating island of Animarium. Him and the other rangers have to battle the evil Orgs. The special episode to celebrate this 10th season involves all 10 of the Red Power Rangers appearing together. Who could have imagined this long of a lifespan since kid programming was notorious for having maybe 3 seasons before they’d be abandoned to reruns. Power Rangers Ninja Storm has a different atmosphere since the production was moved to New Zealand. The kids who get the power to morph are part of the Wind Ninja Academy in Blue Bay Harbor. Unlike previous series, there’s only three Rangers at the start. Although their numbers are bolstered as they fight Lothor. Dana Carvey contributes voices to the big battles. Power Rangers Dino Thunder brings out Mesogog, a villain who wants to take the world back to the age of dinosaurs. The local kids want to go back to the Flintstones. They fight him using the powers of various dinosaurs. “Legacy of Power” celebrates the 500th episode of the series. At this point, couldn’t they make a Power Rangers cable channel? Along with a booklet that covers all the cast members, a bonus disc gives more insight to the series. There are featurettes that focus on ADR sessions, tales from cast members, memories from the Titanium Ranger and a look at the internet fandom. This is a great boxset for viewers that really got into the show with the arrival of the 21st Century.

MADtv: The Complete Fourth Season marks the moment when the show divested itself from the humor magazine outside of the title. No longer was Alfred E Neuman part of the graphics. He was replaced by Michael McDonald who made loyal fans not worry that the show would slip. He became such a reliable force that it’s strange to think that he wasn’t part of the original cast. son Saturdays. He was such a natural fit with Alex Borstein, Nicole Sullivan, Phil Lamar, Arie Spears and Will Sasso. This is the prime cast for the rival to Saturday Night Live. This is the reason it gets rerun to death on Comedy Central. Bornstein’s Ms Swan is a sensation at this point. The studio audience demands her to put on the apron. The same is met with Sullivan’s Vancome Lady. Sasso’s dead on impersonation of Steven Seagal . They merge Beverly Hills 90210 with the Halloween movies to create the best show on Fox. Magic Johnson tries to come back from The Magic Hourwith his own courtroom show. Gary Coleman attempts another comeback. The Halloween Special features musical guest Kiss. They still had all the original members and not two guys wearing Ace and Peter’s outfits. Wrestling fans will delight when Bret “The Hitman” Hart guest stars. “The Son of Dolomite” returns the Rudy Ray Moore action hero to the public’s attention. Jerry Springer and Donny Osmond get dragged into the fun. The 25 episodes are worth rewatching as they take us back to what was funny way back in 1999. Little did they know what Y2K would hold for civilization.

Action-Packed Movie Marathon Volume Two gives four flicks that are out to give a powerful dose of mid-’70s and ’80s excitement. Bamboo Gods & Iron Men is another epic from the Philippines starring James Iglehart (Death Force). This time he has to bust criminals that are dealing with a major explosive device hidden in a Buddha’s belly. Vic Diaz has a small role. Trackdown warns young women what can happen when they move to Los Angeles and meet Erik Estrada. For one girl, he steals her suitcase and leads her onto the path of being a hooker with Anne Archer. Luckily her brother is rancher Jim Mitchum (Robert Mitchum’s son). He’s out to liberate her using his McCloud skills. Scorchy suggests that Connie Stevens is America’s hottest undercover agent. She’s out to stop a drug ring that circled by William Smith (Hawaii Five-O). The film was made in Seattle, but isn’t so misty. The star of this marathon is Gary Busey’s Bulletproof. His McBain is a perfect over the top macho cop. The guy removes his own bullet wounds. He’s that tough. He’s the only hope the government has for recovering a top secret assault vehicle that’s in the hands of terrorists. Henry Silva (The Manchurian Candidate) gets to play the heavy. But he has to hope of going beyond Busey’s maverick cop attitude. The four films are spread over two DVDs so the picture looks fine as things get hairy for the stars.

Girl Most Likely lets Kristen Wiig do what she does best – play a delusional character who just might find a piece of footing in reality if everyone else around her isn’t in their own goofy world. Wiig dreams of becoming a big time playwright. She has the fantasy about winning that fat Tony Award. She’s always been pegged as a future success. However the burden of expectations crash inside her. This puts her in a mental ward. Her only hope at getting out is being taken home by her mother (Annette Bening). Turns out Mom is more insane than her cellmates. Adding to the nutty nature is mom’s new man Matt Dillon (Drugstore Cowboy). He’s also in his own little reality with his fictional background. Adding to the weirdness is that it takes place in New Jersey. If you laughed through Bridesmaids, you’ll enjoy another round of Wigginess. Certain critics complained that the film played like a sitcom which means it’s perfect to watch on home video. The bonus features include a gag reel, two short features about making the film and deleted scenes. There’s also Ultraviolet access to the film so you can watch it anywhere including New Jersey.

Ice Road Truckers: Season 7 brings us another winter season in the arctic for hauling loads into the remote world. The History Channel show needs a bit of a major gimmick to keep it from being just another year of trucking in the snow. While that is exciting since there’s always that chance of seeing a truck crack through and submerge mid-journey, people need to be able to see the game upped. Thus Hugh “The Polar Bear” Rowland brings a new element of tension to the frozen North. He goes all in to open up his own trucking firm. The Polar Bear dares to threaten Polar Industries for domination. To make things even more interesting, Alex Debogorski and Lisa Kelly drive for the old company. Ultimately it’s not about a team competition and more about the driver versus the unforgiving Arctic winter. How many loads can they all handle during the short season? Will someone press the gas pedal too far and lose control on a treacherous bend? Will the History Channel editors use the same underwater shot of a tire on the ice more than twice an episode? The 12 episodes on 3 DVDs cover the competition. The show is still a bit exciting with its mix of extreme working and human interest. There is about 30 minutes of extra footage that wasn’t originally aired.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: A Pony For Every Season let each of the six key ponies have the spotlight in six episodes. “Wonderbolt Academy” admits Rainbow Dash for training. She meets Lightning Dust, her natural rival. Which pony will end up at the top of the class? “Look Before You Sleep” puts Rarity in library slumber part with her friends. Can they sleep with so many tomes around? “Apple Family Reunion” goes overboard when Applejack wants bring her kin together. However she goes too far in setting up major events to dominate the day. “Keep Calm and Flutter On” rehabilitates Discord with the help of Fluttershy. “Winter Wrap Up” cleans up Ponyville before Spring arrives. Twilight Sparkle has to slept up the campaign. “Too Many Pinkie Pies” explains why cloning yourself isn’t a great idea. Pinkie Pie wants to hang out with everyone at once. The bonus is sing-along fun. What’s strange is knowing that Anthony Bourdain knows too much about My Little Pony thanks to his kid.

Little Brother Big Trouble: A Christmas Adventure is the sequel to The Flight Before Christmas. This is a little more complicated than the average Christmas special involving Santa’s magical reindeer. Niko is somewhat upset that his mother has remarried and he’s stuck with a stepbrother, Jonni. But that feeling is quickly forgotten when the stepbrother is kidnapped by evil eagles. Niko must rely on the help of Tobias, who isn’t a great help since the old reindeer is nearly blind. But he does have the background of working for Santa. There’s a lot of revenge aspects in this holiday tale. But all this can be explained since this CGI animated feature film was made in Finland. The reindeer design is good and goofy. The bonus features include the process of making a CGI feature film.

Bratz Babyz Save Christmas: The Movie will make any parent ponder the thought: They make Bratz Babyz. Thankfully the feature length cartoon is a lot more family friendly than the Bratz. They also look like they’ve eaten a cheeseburger. The kids have to do a major good dead instead of being bratty. During a trip to the mall, they get the shocking news that Santa might be having a delivery issue this Christmas. Turns out there’s major issues in the North Pole. The Baby Bratz appear to be the only solution. They scramble to the land of Santa in order to become certified elves. Besides doing elf jobs, they must defend Santa’s workshop from those who wish to destroy Christmas. It’s not really as bratty of a Christmas special as the tile would suggest. There’s no sarcasm in their attempt to make the world a happy place on Christmas morning.

Bonnie & Clyde: Justified is another view of America’s favorite crime couple. During the depression Clyde Barrow (Jim Poole) and Bonnie (Magic Mike‘s Ashley Hayes) captured the media’s attention with the bank robbing exploits. They didn’t mind sharing their loot with the broke families that were all over America. They were like Robin Hood and his gunmoll in the imagination of the time. But they were still bank robbers and killers wanted by every lawman in the nation. What the couple didn’t count on was Eric Roberts (Star 80) on their trail. Dee Wallace (E.T.) gets into the hunt. The low budget production does a fine job of getting a feeling for the time. The bonus feature is a Ultraviolet version of the film to stream or download from the Cloud.

Bonnie & Clyde: The Real Story includes two History Channel specials about the crime duo. The special mix authentic items with recreated moments to flesh out their cross country crime spree. “Bonnie and Clyde: The Story of Love and Death” is the old Biography episode from 1995. Is that really 18 years ago? Good old Jack Perkins (not MST3K‘s Mike Nelson dressed as Jack Perkins) hosts this special that explains how these two came together and quickly became the hottest couple in America in the media. The archival footage talks about their bloody ending when their car was riddled with more bullets than an episode of The Untouchables. “Man, Moment, Machine: Hunting Bonnie and Clyde” was an interesting History Channel series from 2005. This is less about the outlaws and more about the guns that were used to kill them. Expect to learn a lot about the Browning Automatic Rifle.

WWII 3-Film Collection brings together three History Channel specials in one boxset. WWII in HD brings a new level of clarity to the archival footage. The producers dug through vaults and uncovered more military footage from the European and Pacific theaters. There’s a lot of good images that puts you in the middle of firefights. The footage is from the various countries to give the view from both sides of the front. This is a 10 part special. WWII in HD: The Air War takes the camera up in the air for dog fights and bombing runs. Once more you get a fresh perspective on the combat in the sky. WWII in Space is an interesting special that uses CGI to let you see how various battles were fought from above. It gives a great sense of strategies from the various generals. This is perfect for those wanting to get a better understanding of what happened during World War II.

Stan Lee’s Superhumans: Season Two searches for people that just might have real life mutant skills. Marvel Superhero UberCreator Stan Lee sends Daniel Browning Smith around the globe to meet and investigate these people with special skills. Are they really genetic freaks like Scott Steiner? Daniel ought to know if they’re lying since he’s the World’s Most Flexible Man. The show does it’s best to give an update to That’s Incredible. “Unbreakable” has a Shaolin monk take a drill to his skull. A man from Ghana drinks more water than a human can supposedly handle. “Shins of Steel” is a man who can’t be threatened by mobsters with baseball bats. A man can put his hands in a cougar trap. There’s a lot of gross things like a guy who can pull a car with his eyelids. There are also women put to the test including a lady who climbs like Spider-man. Stan Lee will be the judge of that claim. Stan Lee does his best to find the X-Men. that walk amongst us.

RALEIGH – The time warp took me back to 1977 over the course of a fortnight, all the icons were coming to town. In those days, I was able to see an acting icon, a western legend, white boy jazz smartasses and the greatest stand up of his generation. I still feel like I’m back in Junior High except I can buy booze this time around and don’t have to beg for a ride from my mom.

Things flashbacked when I wandered to the downtown Red Hat Amphitheater for a glimpse of Steely Dan. I didn’t buy a ticket since I had a late night meeting down the block from the venue. The plan was to sneak inside to catch a song or two. The show started like an early bird dinner at 8:15 p.m. without an opening act. By the time I got to the gate, five songs were over. They shut down the box office so I couldn’t buy a ticket if I wanted to spend $50 to sit on the mini-lawn. But this wasn’t a pain in the ass moment. The venue is outdoors so all could be heard clearly. The fence is only five feet ten inches tall. This gives a clean view of the Dan without heads blocking. Not being close to the stage didn’t bother me since it eliminated the shock of realizing Donald Fagen and Walter Becker aren’t merely throwbacks to the ’60s. They’re in their ’60s. Although even at that distance, Fagen looked like he was doing Ray Charles at a Vegas Legends show. Their sound is still youthful except when Becker takes the lead. He’s got the voice of a Walmart Greeter at this point. Then again, he never quite had the range of Carl Wilson.

Originally I was just going to watch a song or two. I’d skip home after hearing Fagen declare they’re doing Everything Must Go from start to finish. They avoided their comeback material which made me a member of the knothole gang for the next 90 minutes. It was a fine night to steal a Steely performance. The biggest disappointment was when they dusted off “Razor Boy,” they had the three background singers take the lead. While they have very lovely voices, they lacked the sardonic edge required in the lyrics. Towards the end of the show, a really nice woman was doing her best to poke her nose over the fence. She kept shouting for them to perform “Katy Lied.” I didn’t have the heart to correct her that the album Is Katy Lied. The song is “Doctor Wu.” They never heard her request. What mattered most was that they played “Josie.” Here’s a video of that moment that someone else took. Bonus points if you can guess why I chose this song.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar dropped by Raleigh the following Friday to sign copies of his young adult novel Sasquatch In the Paint (co-written with Raymond Obstfeld). As die-hard Celtic fan, you’d imagine I’d show up to heckle the former Los Angeles Laker. But Kareem is more than the sky hook. He’s had an amazing acting career. He fought Bruce Lee in Game of Death. He co-piloted Airplane. He barely escaped Slam Dunk Ernest. Thus I grabbed my daughter and we got in line at Quail Ridge Bookstore. The following is video of our encounter. I apologize in advance that the framing is really off. My defense is that I aimed the camera where I usually do when filming someone at a table. Turns out on Kareem, this angle is his chest. This is what most NBA guards saw when they drove the paint on him. My initial question about him putting on his socks comes from the HBO special on the UCLA dynasty during Coach John Wooden. Just off camera I show him a copy of the upcoming The Bruce Lee Legacy Collection boxset from Shout! Factory. This brings Bruce’s Golden Harvest movies to Blu-ray.

Steve Martin arrived the next day to perform as part of the Wide Open Bluegrass festival. He was at the Red Hat Amphitheater, but this time tickets were purchased. Before he came on, we marveled at the work of the Infamous String Dusters. They were tight. Now that Mumford and Sons is taking a break, please consider the String Dusters as your new favorite band.
People will often whine that they wish Steve Martin would return to stand up. But if you watched him on Steve Martin: The Television Stuff, you realized that he was always mixing his banjo playing with his comedy. All he’s done is given his stage time a proper balance so there’s more music than talking. He hit the stage with The Steep Canyon Rangers and Edie Brickell. I was able to capture his first minute on stage:

Watching Steve Martin on stage proved he’s more than that schlock movie actor who can’t stop making those crappy Pink Panther and Cheaper By the Dozen movies. He’s still a comic genius as long as he stays away from Shawn Levy. By the end of the show, I gave up my plans to protest his lifetime Oscar on the grounds of The Big Year. Give the man whatever honors his heart craves. Although if he makes Pink Panther 3, I will hire Ninjas to steal his lifetime Oscar and will melt it down to make a Cable Ace Award.

Topping off the evening was dropping by a bar to say howdy to Randy Jones, the legendary Cowboy from the Village People. He was still glowing from his recent marriage. We chatted for a bit about his various projects. He’s amazingly busy in a world that can’t get enough disco. There’s no video of our encounter. Oddly enough, I still haven’t taken a photo with Randy after all these years even though he’s the king of candids.

What did I learn from my encounters with the icons of 1977? It was a good year to be an icon.

VINEGAR SYNDROME TIME

Night Train to Terror leaves the station with one of the great musical numbers of the ’80s. “Dance With Me” goes up there with anything from Footloose. The outfits of the performers deserve to be stashed at the Smithsonian. You almost forget there’s more movie as the kids dance around the clumsily constructed train set. Also on board for the ride is God and Satan. The duo fight over the souls of three characters. To be more precise, they form a framing device around three shorter films. The shorts include organ harvesting, death cults and interning for Satan. You automatically know what kind of movie this is since it stars Cameron Mitchell (The High Chaparral). There’s also a part for John Phillip Law (Barbarella). The movie was written by Oscar winner Phillip Yordan (1954’s Broken Lance) so it’s not the normal scruffy horror flick. His son Byron Yordan sings the song. So it’s a family affair on the screen. This is one of those films that has only grown in cheese factor with the ’80s style filling in the plot issues. The bonus features include the original trailer. There’s a commentary with co-producer Jay Schlossberg-Cohen where he explains how this semi-anthology came together. The film wasn’t a hit, but has gained a cult following over the years thanks to home video. The Hysteria Continues contributes a commentary that brings up the history of the film. The DVD includes the movie Gretta. Editor Wayne Schmidt does an audio interview about his work on Gretta. Did this run on USA’s Up All Night when it ran obscure flicks? All that matters is that if you’re having a Big ’80s Movie Festival at your house, you should run Night Train to Terror after Slumber Party Massacre II.

The Oral Generation is all about the tongue. This is one of the unsung epic titles of the X-rated theater era. Who wouldn’t want to see this on the marquee? Maybe Michael Douglas. Because the film is barely an hour long, the producers at Vinegar Syndrome have put together a two hour presentation that you might have seen at that theater your Aunt Anna wanted to shut down. “Clinical Sex” has the classic educational voiceover except this time the doctor explains why he has to hook up with his patient as part of the treatment. He also has his nurse help out. “Anyway You Like It,” “Naked Sexes” and “The Different Sex” round out the shorts. Before the movie, there’s a clipped scene from Oral that features a red haired woman and her extremely pasty lover. Oral Generation starts with a narrative about how this is a time of sexual liberation thanks to Times Square theater. These people would be amazed by what you can find on the internet. The film’s focus is on modern techniques of love that women can use to please men. Remember to take notes. The transfer of the movie is better than any of the XXX theaters ever projected on their messy screens. This is an adult DVD from a bygone era.

Drive-In Collection – The Virgin and the Lover & Lustful Feelings are as naughty as they sound. This is another double feature of New York City based adult films directed by Kemal Horulu. He’s having a bit of a revival thanks to Vinegar Syndrome also buffing up his films for the double features The Sexualist & Wendy’s Palace and Vixens of Kung Fu & Oriental Blue. He’s back with two more epics from the sticky floor cinemas of the ’70s. The Virgin and the Lover (1973) is the original version of Mannequin. A filmmaker has only love in his heart for his dressing dummy. But he imagines she’s flesh. It’s amazing how much better this film is when you don’t have Andrew McCarthy dragging around the dummy. Jennifer Welles is back and on her back. Lustful Feelings (1978) is the classic story of a woman going the extra mile to help our her lover. In this case Jaime Gillis has a massive drug debt so Leslie Bovee ends up hooking. Well at first she thinks she’s just posing for gentlemen magazines. But this just eases her into high paying profession of prostitution. Gillis has such an amazing edge in his role. It’s like he’s the lead in an X-rated Scorsese movie. Kemal Horulu is finally getting the career retrospective two pictures at a time.

SCREAM FACTORY

All Night Horror Marathon lives up to the promise of a long night of scares with 4 films inside the box. What’s the Matter With Helen? (1971) is from the genre of insane aging actresses. Debbie Reynolds (Princess Leia’s Mom) and Shelly Winters (Lolita) go out to Hollywood in hopes of being the big new stars of the 1930s. But things are bound to get dramatic with those two actresses sharing a bedroom. The Godsend (1981) has a mysterious pregnant woman drop by a family’s house. The woman vanishes leaving her daughter behind with the family. The kid might have issues after she gets older. The Vagrant (1992) reminds people to fully examine a house during the due diligence period. Bill Paxton is a hotshot yuppie who buys his dream house. What he doesn’t know is there’s someone else living under the roof. Things get bad when the mystery roomie leaves stuff in the fridge. The Outing (1987) is the dark side of staying in a museum . What goes wrong? How about school children unleashing an evil genie trapped inside a lamp. This isn’t a lovable Robin Williams type genie. This one wants to do evil things. This set is exciting since it delves into the MGM catalog which means it’s a double dose of their old Midnite Movies line. This is a great way to spend an overnight during Spooky Season.

BLU-RAY HEAVEN

Curse of Chucky brings back everybody’s favorite doll that’s possessed by the soul of a serial killer. You get to choose between the R-rated and Unrated version of the movie. Why would you want less of a Child’s Play sequel. This is the sixth film in the series. A mother and her wheelchair bound daughter (Fiona Dourif) get an unexpected knock on the door. The FauxEx man has a big box for them to sign for. What’s inside? Neither of them ordered a giant Chucky doll. The mother gets freaked out by the doll and tosses it in the trash. That’s not a good idea since in the middle of the night, mom goes nuts and stabs herself to death. Her grieving daughter is now stuck with the doll. The girl’s older sister shows up with her huge family. This is just the proper recipe for more victims for Chucky. A fine twist is that the girl finds information about the homicidal Chucky doll online. It just would be wrong if rumors of a talking, killing doll didn’t have devoted websites. The girls have to figure out how to stop the doll without looking like they’re nuts. It’s brisk fear inducing film that will make you throw away your sister’s American Girl Dolls. The bonus features include deleted scenes and a gag reel. There’s a documentary about making the film and a commentary track with the director, main puppeteer and Fiona Dourif. The movie is a bit of a family affair since the voice of Chucky is her dad Brad Dourif.

The Eagle Has Landed is a mega size World War II adventure from the pages of Jack Higgin’s novel. The Nazis are ready to pull out a major gambit. What could this nefarious plot involve? How about sending an elite unit into England to kidnap Winston Churchill? And they don’t just send any Nazis. The crack unit is led by Robert Duvall (The Godfather), Michael Caine (Batman Returns) and Donald Sutherland (Kiefer’s dad). This is a fail-proof plan since what British soldier would think Michael Caine was really a Nazi? This was always a great film to catch on the late show. Now it looks even better in Blu-ray (there’s a DVD in the boxset, too). This was John Sturges’ final film. He understood men on a mission movies with his resume including The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven and Ice Station Zebra. Why doesn’t Struges have more directorial respect? The man ought to be treated as a legend. There’s plenty of bonus features including vintage interviews with the stars and visits to the location. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz recalls his time on the project .

A Hijacking reminds us that more than one cargo ship has been hijacked by Somali pirates. A Hijackingis about a Danish ship that didn’t have the same Navy Seals arrive like in Captain Phillips. The MV Rozen gets boarded in the Indian Ocean. The movie take the point of view of the cook on the boat. But unlike Steven Segal’s character in Under Seige, he’s really a cook and not an ex-military super soldier. In a major sense, there is more suspense in the movie since we don’t know who it ends. There was no wall to wall coverage and breakdowns of the rescue. We’re following the lowly cook who is normally the expendable crew member in a big Hollywood production except when they’re played by major action heroes. Pilou Asbaek has the look of the good hearted piece of dead meat. Will he be able to make it to the end of the film or will he be shot and dumped into water by his kidnappers? Things get naturally tense without so much in jeopardy.

Exploding Sun is the final installment in Doomsday Series. They go full throttle with the disaster as big as the sun. In fact the sun is what’s going to bring about the end of the world this time. The first privately owned spaceship with passengers is launched off toward the moon. This should be a great event. The president’s wife hitches a ride on this revolutionary travel advance. But there’s no chance to soak in the moment. Instead solar flares have gone out of control. Not to give away the big moment of the nearly 3 hour movie, but something gets sent to the sun that makes life on Earth extra hot. Can we be saved? Well do you think J.A.G. star David James Elliot would let us down? Of course not. Julia Ormand (MadMen) also hopes we don’t get turned into burnt bacon. Hard to think if they could have upped the ante on Doomsday during this ReelzChannel series that tops most of the SyFy original movies.

Barabbas brings back the Biblical epic to TV. Barabbas is noted as the criminal who the crowd wanted freed instead of Jesus. While not much was said about the guy in the Gospels, there’s enough speculation to make a thrilling three hour miniseries. The miniseries is based on the novel by Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist. Billy Zane (Titanic & The Phantom) p lays the thief who gets to live with the burden that he was given amnesty so that the Son of God could be sacrificed on the cross. It’s a rather heavy role, but the normally glib Zane is up to the task. During the scene where the Romans give the crowd the choice, Zane has the insecure look down. He eventually sets himself off on a road to redemption. The production design brings out the story so it looks quite appealing in Blu-ray. This is the perfect thing to watch when your relatives come over during the holidays.

DVD SHELF

The Beverly Hillbillies: The Official Fourth Season brought the Clampetts into the world of color. Finally in the Fall of 1965 CBS decided to make more color shows. While several shows including The Fugitive had issues with hues, The Beverly Hillbillies were able to change the film in the camera without ruining the feel of the show. The big change for the Hillbillies this season was the lack of shooting on location at the Mansion. The story goes that TV Guide published the address and fans flocked to see the place. This upset the real millionaires that lived behind the gates. The fourth season launches with “Admiral Jed Clampett.” Mr. Drysdale wants him to buy a boat, but Jedd might end up owning a battleship. “The Private Eye” has more double naught spy action involving Jethro. “Possum Day” and “Possum Parade” features Sharon Tate as part of the secretarial pool. “Sonny Drysdale Returns” is the final return of the greatest lifelong student. Sonny (Louis Nye) has to get serious about life and marry Elly May. Nye appeared in one of Steve Martin’s Comedy specials featured on Shout! Factory’s Steve Martin: The Television Stuff. “The Beautiful Maid” brings out Julie Newmar as a Swedish accent needing to learn how to be country. She ought to win an Oscar after studying Granny up close. The Official Fourth Season boxset is only available through Walmart. You can order it online in case you fear it won’t be stocked in their DVD section.

Petticoat Junction: The Official Third Season is the best season of the series. Why? Nearly half of the episodes featured guest appearances from the new residents of Hooterville. Normally this show is about Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan), Kate (Bea Benaderet) and her daughters Billie Jo (Gunilla Hutton), Bobbie Jo (Lori Saunders) and Betty Jo (Linda Kaye Henning) running the Shady Rest Hotel that’s midway on the railroad track between Hooterville and Pixley. But now they have new neighbors when Oliver Wendell Douglas (Eddie Albert) and his wife Lisa Douglas (Eva Gabor) check into the hotel while the Haney Farm is being fixed up for them. That’s right, it’s Green Acres crossover action. As part of the cult of Green Acres, these episodes are so revealing. It’s almost like a lost season as it shows Mr. Douglas constantly dealing with the scheming Uncle Joe. He helps the guy get out of jury duty. He also foolishly hires Uncle Joe as a contractor for fixing up the farm house. Mr. Drucker continues to have double duty on both shows. If you only buy and watch one season of Petticoat Junction, this is the essential viewing since it sheds more light on the early days in town for the Douglas family. This boxset is also a Walmart exclusive that’s best ordered online.

Rocko’s Modern Life: The Final Season brings to an end the greatest animated cartoon about a wallaby stuck in a strange town. The fourth season was noted for creator Joe Murray stepping back from his show running duties. Steve Hillenburg took over. “With Friends Like These” makes Rocko (Carlos Alazraqui) decide between Heffer (Tom Kenny) and Filbert (Mr. Lawrence). Why? Cause he only has one spare ticket to a big wrestling match. Who deserves it? “Sailing the Seven Zzzzzz” lets Ralph Bighead (Joe Murray) dream of being a pirate. “Ed Good, Rocko Bad” is a race for O-Town’s dog catcher. “Mama’s Boy” has Heffer finally move to his own house. But will his partying ways get in the way? “Magic Meathead” has Ed Bighead use a Magic 8-Ball for advice. This is a time honored tradition for stock picking. “Turkey Time” is the Thanksgiving special. Rocko wants to save the turkeys. You should buy this DVD set just so you can have an actual Thanksgiving special to watch in November instead of being nailed with pre-Christmas specials. The show was cut by Nickelodeon in 1996 which was a shame. But don’t feel too bad for Hillenburg since he’d be back shortly with his little cartoon idea: SpongeBob SquarePants. The big bonus feature is a live cast reading of Wacky Delly with Murray and the voice cast. Be thrilled to see Tom Kenny’s face. For those of you who haven’t been collecting the show by the season, you can grab Rocko’s Modern Life: The Complete Series.

The Neighbors: The Complete First Season is the ABCFamily series about a family that moves to the suburbs only to realize they are way out of town. Marty and Debbie Weaver (Jami Gertz) have found the perfect house in a gated New Jersey community. They fear their big city ways are going to make them look out of place. But that’s before the Welcome Wagon arrives. Turns out all the neighbors are named after sports superstars. It’s like an ESPN theme park. They realize something is messed up with the bizarre behavior. Turns out the neighbors are aliens who have been waiting a decade for the mothership to take them home. But they might be stuck on Earth. They do have the ability to snap into their real form with a handclap. It’s an interesting doubles match with two groups of people that feel like outsiders in the neighborhood. The first season has 22 episodes spread over 3 DVDs. You might want to get a fresh pie before watching the first episode.

Littlest Pet Shop: Petacular Escapades is another Hub show that my daughter is addicted to watching. For those who haven’t had their child demand marathons, the animated series is about Blythe Baxter and her dad moving into an apartment over the Littlest Pet Shop. While anyone with a nose might see this as a bad move, it does make for a fun cartoon series. This compilation DVD has 5 episodes from the first season. “Blythe’s Crush” has her return the keys to a boy she swears likes her. Does he? Back at the pet shop, a parrot claims to be a big time hero. Is he faking it to impress the other critters? “Dumb Dumbwaiter” gets the girl and the animals trapped inside the building’s dumbwaiter. Those mini-elevators are so tempting to crawl inside. “Lights, Camera, Mongoose” exposes your child to the musical numbers found in Indian cinema. Blythe gets sick and loses her ability to communicate with the pets on “What Did You Say?” “Terriers & Tiaras” makes you cringe at the pet pageant scene. This is worse than Honey Boo Boo on GoGo Juice. The show is cute as it lets the tiny animals play big.

My Little Pony: A Very Minty Christmas is part of the Classic My Little Pony Movies. This is not based on the new character designs that air on the Hub. Even though this holiday special was made in 2005, it almost looks like a product of the ’80s with the Friendship Is Magic character design. Minty screws up and breaks the “Here Comes Christmas Candy Cane.” This is the only way Santa knows how to find Ponyville. Her attempts to fix the problem don’t work out so well. This means she must hop a hot air balloon to go visit Santa and beg forgiveness. But it’s not an easy flight to the North Pole. The special episode is 45 minutes long so plan accordingly with bedtime for the kids. The bonus features are sing-along versions of “That’s What I Love About Christmas” and “Nothing Says Christmas Like a Pair of Socks.” The last song is so true. You now know what to get that Brony in your life.

The Frozen Ground is an all-star dramatic recreation of the hunt for Alaska’s most notorious serial killer. Nic Cage is Sgt. Jack Halcombe. He’s on the trail of guy who has been kidnapping women in Anchorage and taking them out to the cold wilderness to dump their bodies. It’s not a good thing. A break in the case happens when Vanessa Hudgens escapes from the killer. She thinks she’s safe, but the killer doesn’t like loose ends. Also featured in the movie is John Cusack in a role that might make you forget his time soaking in the Hot Tub Time Machine. 50 Cent sticks out in the frozen city. This is the kind of movie that will test your HDTV since the higher resolution will bring down the temperature of your family room by 10 degrees. The bonus features include a commentary track with director Scott Walker, deleted scenes, behind the scenes and history of the real case. You can also get a streamed version of the film through UltraViolet.

Dead Before Dawn puts a twist on zombie and demon possession films by giving us demon possessed zombies. Devon Bostick doesn’t heed the warning of Christopher Lloyd (Taxi) to not go near a dangerous item in his occult store. Naturally the kid doesn’t just touch the item. He drops and breaks it. This unleashes a massive curse in the area. Instead of just having people get possessed by demons or turned into zombies, this time the town is overrun by Zemons! The good news is that there’s a chance they can reverse the curse, but it has to be done before sun up. If they fail, the Zemons will infest the world like World War Zemon. I blame Christopher Lloyd for all of this ugliness. If he had properly secured the cursed statue, the kid wouldn’t have busted it open. Would it have been too much to lock it up in a man-size safe? The bonus features include a behind the scenes featurette and the trailer. The original film was presented in 3-D. You get a sense on the 2-D DVD as to what objects should be flying at your eyes.

Redemption lets Jason Statham (The Expendables) stretch a bit in his action role. He’s an Afghan war veteran who returns home on to have no center of balance. He’s completely falling apart and things get worse as he turns to drugs and booze to help himself. He ends up living on the street. He gets a little bit of support from a nun. He also stumbles into another man’s life that allows him to escape the streets. Instead of becoming completely straight, Statham picks up work in the underworld. He shakes down people that owe major amounts of money. Somehow the violent life gives him direction. He lives off that buzz of beating down those that deserve it. This is Statham at his focused prime. He’s allowed a full character without sacrificing his fight scenes. This is more of his Charles Bronson best instead of the remake of The Mechanic. There’s a short behind the scenes featurette as the bonus. There’s also a way to watch the movie on Ultra Violet.

The Garfield Show: A Purr-fect Life packs another six episodes of CGI feline action into a compilation DVD. The newspaper comic strip action is given a 3-D feeling on the small screen. “The Art of Being Uncute” features a reverse cat show where the ugliest cat gets the prize of six months in Greenland. Garfield is bent on getting Nermal that big prize and thus out of the house for quite some time. “History of Cats” ticks off mice how have their accomplishments stolen by Garfield. Will he get historically accurate? “Meet Max Mouse” is an outside troublemaker willing to bust the mice-cat truce. “Garfield Astray” has him lose his memory. Nermal gets his revenge by making Garfield a completely different cat. “Black Cat Blues” get Garfield cursed. “Pampered Pussycat” is Garfield having to teach royalty how to live. The bonus is five shorts that barely last a minute each.

Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters – Predacons Rising gives more to the story of the robots that transform into cars.