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…
Jonathan Coulton is an evil, evil man who must be destroyed. That’s because he’s immensely talented, an amazingly gifted songwriter, and his incredible creativity both intimidates a normal, ungifted person like myself and drives me to distraction with catchy tunes and wordplay. Damn him to hell, I can’t stop listening to his CDs. Those include his first album Smoke Monkey ($10.00), his first EP, Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow ($7.00), and the first collection of his online songwriting experiment, Thing-a-Week ($10.00). You can purchase all of these discs, plus other merch, as well as partake of more sonic goodness at www.JonathanCoulton.com. That talented bastard. Dammit.
After a shaky first season finding their own voice, the second season of the US version of The Office (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) came fully into its own, becoming a unique entity unto itself and a damn funny comedy to boot. What’s even better is that they did it without betraying the formula that made the original version of the show so successful – they just began writing for their own versions of the characters and have taken the arc into new territory. The 3-disc box set features all 22 episodes, plus deleted scenes, commentaries, NBC.com webisodes, fake PSAs, Olympic promos, a blooper reel, and more.
If you’re going to write a sequel to a classic comic book story, you damn well better make sure that you don’t drop the ball. Luckily, Don Rosa’s return to Carl Barks’s land of Tralla La – “Return to Xanadu” – is a worthy successor to The Master’s original tale (which featured Scrooge’s complete derailment of the idyllic – and moneyless – Tralla La-ian society via the introduction of a single bottle cap from a bottle of his nerve tonic). After being run off by the none-too-happy populace of the isolated Himalayan valley, Scrooge, Donald, and Huey, Dewey, & Louie find themselves returning to paradise by sheer accident – and their return is no less traumatic than the first time. You can find Don Rosa’s giant-sized epic in this month’s Uncle Scrooge #357 (Gemstone, $6.95).
Before it his a brick wall in its final season, Roseanne (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) was must-see TV in my house, which was still going strong in its fifth season. Roseanne and Dan celebrate their 20th, Roseanne opens the Lunch Box (gotta love those loose meat sandwiches), Jackie & Roseanne’s dad dies, David movies in, Darlene turns 16… Oh, and even Tim Curry shows up. What’s not to love? All 25 episodes are uncut (please tell me we’ll eventually get a reissued, corrected season 1 set), and there’s both video commentaries with Roseanne and a Q&A featurette.
Like The Simpsons, Roseanne Barr’s eponymous sitcom made a beloved annual tradition of its Halloween episodes, all of which are collected on Roseanne: Halloween Edition (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). That’s 7 episodes of spooky goodness, and you even get commentary from Roseanne.
Opting for a more manageable handling of the latest seasonal set, the fourth season of Spongebob Squarepants (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.99 SRP) gets a 2-disc Volume 1, featuring 20 episodes plus animatics for 2 episodes and a behind-the-scenes look at the denizens of Bikini Bottom.
And speaking of Spongebob, the voice behind the square-pantsed one – Tom Kenny – has co-written and co-produced a positively infectious album starring the denizens of Bikini Bottom, recast as the pop group “Spongebob & The Hi-Seas” who are appearing in concert on WH20 Radio. Before you go thinking The Best Day Ever (Nick Records, $13.98 SRP) is just some lame vanity project, let me tell you that the songwriting is positively infectious – Kenny is a huge fan of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, and the melodies and arrangement is in that vein… In fact, Wilson even provides backing vocals. Kenny’s love of the sound radiates in each track. Crikey, I think I love this album… And want a follow-up ASAP.
Never a fan of the series, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Like South Park to come, it’s a sly little satire, all through the lens of its naïve leads. It’s been a long wait for this to finally hit DVD in a decent edition, but they pulled out all the stops, with an audio commentary, TV spots, shorts, a fight montage, trailers, and a look at the film’s score.
Titan Books has practically cornered the market on comprehensive, behind-the-scenes episode guide and companion tomes for science fiction shows, and they continue that with the release of the first volume for Joss Whedon’s Firefly (Titan Books, $19.95) – which features the uncut scripts for the first 6 episodes – and the official companion for the second season of Stargate Atlantic (Titan Books, $14.95 SRP). If that weren’t enough, they’ve also released the official companion for the first two seasons of 24 (Titan Books, $16.95 SRP).
Forming a triumvirate with Matlock and Murder, She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) was must-see TV for the geriatric set, featuring Dick Van Dyke as the rascally doc that became involved with a disquieting amount of murders, proving that you should never be friends with Jessica Fletcher or come anywhere near Dyke’s Dr. Mark Sloan – at least if you want to make it out alive. The 5-disc set features all 19 first season episodes, plus the Jake and the Fatman episode that introduced Sloan.
It’s complete popcorn, but that’s the appeal of Lucky Number Slevin (Weinstein Company, Rated R, DVD-$29.95 SRP) – a bang-up dust-up that finds a young man named Slevin (Josh Hartnett) caught between two rival crime bosses (Morgan Freeman & Ben Kingsley), on the run from an assassin (Bruce Willis) and fending off the advances of his neighbor (Lucy Liu). It’s a pulpy romp perfect for a Fall viewing on a cold Saturday night. Bonus features include audio commentaries, deleted scenes (with an alternate ending), a making-of featurette, and the theatrical trailer.
As Mark Evanier is fond of saying, even sub-par Laurel and Hardy is better than no Laurel and Hardy. The three films found in the second Laurel and Hardy Collections (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) are certainly not the boys’ best work. The three flicks featured are The Dancing Masters, The Bullfighters, and A-Haunting We Will Go, and all 3 feature commentaries with L&H scholars, featurettes, trailers, and Fox Movietone News footage.
Despite the inordinate amount of buzz it’s generated and the dedicated fanbase it’s engendered, I still can’t get into Grey’s Anatomy (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP). Every time I’ve tried to sit down and watch an episode, I’ve come out the other side feeling like I’ve just viewed an overindulgent soap opera that consistently “borrows” plots and jokes from Scrubs. Still, there are legions of fans out there, and I’m sure they’ll devour the new 6-disc set featuring all 27 episodes from Grey‘s sophomore season, including four extended episodes, a cast Q&A, interviews, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and more.
Some dismiss it as prog-rock pap, but I can’t help but get a warm and fuzzy feeling from Jeff Lynne’s completely bombastic orchestral tour de forces contained in every Electric Light Orchestra album. They’re just so unashamedly over-the-top that it’s hard to resist their goofy, catchy charm. Another trio of ELO albums have gotten the remastered treatment – Face The Music, A New World Record and On The Third Day (Sony Legacy, $11.98 SRP each) – with each disc containing a clutch of bonus tracks.
Any all-ages book of general knowledge and trivia that promises that the meaning of life can be found on page 42 automatically gets kudos from me, and the fact that the rest of Pick Me Up (DK, $29.99 SRP) is just as fun and informative – even for an adult. From a series of “what ifs” that explore the first two World Wars to naked mole rats to the reason no one can live forever (simple statistics), it’s chock full of so much fascinating goodness that once you pick it up, it’s hard to put down. I’ve always wanted to know what a Viking girl might post in her blog…
Akeelah And The Bee (Lionsgate, Rated PG, DVD-$28.98 SRP) reminded me of a sweet mash-up of Finding Forrester, Searching For Bobby Fisher, and an After-School Special. Young Akeelah Anderson has one dream – to make it to the National Spelling Bee, and like Pollyanna before her, she united all around her in her quest. Bonus features include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a music video, and a gag reel.
While lesser lights of the DC animated universe (granted, I still can’t stand the latter), fans can pick up the complete second seasons of Teen Titans and The Batman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). Both 2-disc sets feature all 13 episodes, but the sole bonus features are season one recap featurettes.
With his recent expulsion from Paramount – and the fact that he’s nuttier than a Xenu fruitcake – Fox might be reconsidering their idea of placing a sticker touting the fact that Taps (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98 SRP) was his second film role. The film is still a nice little character piece, benefiting from a new special edition featuring a commentary from director Harold Becker, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a look at the origins of playing “Taps,” and TV spots. Time to start scraping those stickers off, tho.
With the merger of Disney and Pixar, I sincerely hope that we won’t see the awkward, cheapie likes of The Wild (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP) again, with its poor animation and lame script. Bonus features on the disc include deleted scenes with optional commentary, and a blooper reel.
In it’s soap-filled three seasons, Las Vegas (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) has truly become a latter-day Love Boat, packed to the rafters with B- and C-list guest stars (the third season alone features Ron Jeremy, Rachel Leigh Cook, Dennis Rodman, Dean Cain, and more), all under the watchful eye of Captain Steubing, played here by James Caan. The 3rd season set features all 23 episodes, plus a time-lapse featurette on the building of the new hotel and a gag reel.
If chasing down individual figures in order to complete a set of your favorite bust-ups is just too time-consuming for you, then Gentle Giant has made your life a whole lot easier by packaging sets together – in fact, right now you can pick up the complete set of all 7 Star Wars: Bounty Hunters (Gentle Giant, $29.99 SRP), featuring brand-new sculpts of your favorite rogues, plus Darth Vader. You know you want them.
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…
Director: Michael Bay
Director: Liam Lynch
Director: Michael Kang
Director: James Burke
 
Once in a generation, a humorist will step forward whose thinking is so uniquely, sublimely outside of the box that a new box must be hastily constructed – usually out of found materials, since the process must be undertaken with incredible speed or risk losing so gossamer a genius. In this generation, that freak of nature is named John Hodgman, and he has written a book called The Areas Of My Expertise.
HODGMAN: Well, as you may know, there are still people in the world who ride the rails, and ride box cars… Emulate the hobo lifestyle as it was sort of defined in the early 20th century. But these people are hobo emulators – what we call in the hobo observation business “fauxbos” – instead of the true hobos, who left after 1941. Some believe that, after Pearl Harbor, they gave up their wandering ways and joined the fight against our common enemy, Europe. Others believe that they went to another planet or another dimension. Others think they just simply went underground and are waiting to come back. But that’s not true. Most historians agree that they probably went to another planet.
HODGMAN: I think it would had to have been… I think that moment in London, playing at the London Barbican, which is a huge performing arts center in London, and introducing Zadie Smith and Nick Hornby and They Might Be Giants and Arthur Bradford and Dave Eggers. It’s like, “What’s going on? How did this happen?” That was a moment where you felt a learning curve. Then, of course, all those people knowing who I was, and I went out and just started talking about radio attack ads – which is a piece that ended up being in my book – and doing that piece, and I could feel this audience of 1,000 people suddenly get it all at once, and then they really got it and they really liked it. You know, it was very much like writing, actually, because I could not for the life of me write out what it was that I wanted to say on that event. Then two seconds before I went on stage I knew exactly how I wanted to set up the radio attack ads piece. It was like channeling Gobus, you know?
Check out the preview to the Image comic Jeff writes…
Welcome back. All five of you. Yee-hah.
If there is a master list of actors whom you immediately identify whenever they show up on screen, Robert Vaughn surely has a secure place on it. From The Magnificent Seven to The Man From U.N.C.L.E., from The Towering Inferno to Superman III – you know, the list just goes on an on, in a career spanning nearly 50 years.
Check out the preview to…
For years, Criterion’s 3-disc Brazil box set was the epitome of what the format had to offer, in terms of presentation and bonus materials (not one, but 2 cuts of the film, plus documentaries and deleted scenes, and more). As I became more aware of the technology, I realized that this amazing set had a single Achilles’ heel – the film itself was presented in the (then standard) non-anamorphic letterbox format. Seeking to rectify that one drawback, Criterion has released a new 16×9 anamorphic HD transfer of the film (Criterion, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), while retaining that particular disc’s audio commentary with Gilliam and Jack Matthews essay – in other words, it completely replaces the now-outdated disc in that great box set. The transfer itself is absolutely stunning – in fact, when I spoke with Gilliam about it, he remarked it was so good that he was horrified to find that it revealed the wires during the dream sequences (don’t worry – they’ve been erased). Pick this disc up. Now.
The much-anticipated release of the second season of Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock (HIT, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) is a bittersweet affair, coming almost a year after the untimely passing of Muppet writer Jerry Juhl, an amazingly gifted scribe who gave voice, heart, and humor to Henson’s creations for over 30 years, which included guiding Fraggle Rock as its head writer. Thankfully, the producers of these DVD sets were able to conduct interviews with Juhl before he passed – and I’m thankful that we still have his remembrances. In addition to the 24 episodes comprising season 2, the 5-disc set also contains additional interviews, as well as a tribute to the late, great, very much missed Jerry Juhl.
Jerry Seinfeld cites it as the primary influence for his own show, and anyone who views the episodes featured in the inaugural season of The Abbott and Costello Show (Passport Video, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) will clearly see the precedent it set for a comedy set in New York City and almost entirely about characters and everyday events, rather than your typical sitcom fare. It was also anchored by an amazing comedy duo who managed to reinvent themselves for the small screen without falling into the trap of other comedians making the transition, who seemed to believe they were back on a vaudeville stage rather than pioneers on a brand new medium. I can’t recommend this 5-disc set highly enough, which also features Lou Costello’s rare home movies, interviews with the duo’s children, and the DVD premiere of the Abbott & Costello short film 10,000 Kids and a Cop.
There’s something quite sad about the fact that Rhino has begun releasing the entire Monkees catalog as newly-remastered 2-disc deluxe editions, complete with both the mono and stereo versions plus bonus tracks, while the remastered Beatles catalog remains MIA. However, back to the subject at hand. Despite all the criticism they’ve taken over the years, I still think that the Monkees are a completely underappreciated act that have been unduly maligned – I mean, did Elvis write his songs or play any instruments? The Monkees did both (Michael Nesmith’s tunes being some of the standouts), in addition to recording tunes from songwriters like Boyce & Hart, Harry Nilsson, Neil Diamond, and more. The first two deluxe editions are their debut album, The Monkees, and its follow-up, More of the Monkees (Rhino, $24.98 SRP each).
Celebrating 75 years of Disney comic books, Disney Comics: The Classics Collection (Disney Editions, $49.95 SRP) features the original comics adaptations of Snow White, Bambi, Peter Pan, Alice In Wonderland, Dumbo, and a very odd adventure with Dumbo and the Seven Dwarfs. It’s a beautifully presented volume and a nice bit of nostalgia.
There was a time when I feared that the cancellation of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and the steady loss of rights to the various films featured in past episodes would mean I’d never get an official release of a series I loved so much. But with the release of the 10th MST3K Collection volume (Rhino, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP), it seems my fears were unfounded. The latest set features Teen-Age Strangler, The Giant Spider Invasion, Swamp Diamonds, and even Godzilla Vs. Megalon. We’ve also got outtakes and a video jukebox, but the real plus is that Godzilla flick – whod’ve thought they’d ever get the rights back to one of those? Where’s my Gamera?
In what seems like a bit of a drawn-out sentence, the 6th and final season of Oz (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$64.98 SRP) makes its way to disc, with plenty of surprises awaiting the prisoners and keepers of Oswald State Penitentiary in the final 8 episodes. The 3-disc set features a trio of audio commentaries, deleted scenes, original cast audition tapes, and an extended cut of the finale.
Like Ocean’s 11 with a multigenerational group of cons substituting for the fabled thieves, Hustle (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) is one of those confection dramas that you devour greedily, enjoying the dramatic cake and the sweet character icing all in one go, unable to stop with just one episode. So maybe the cake metaphor was a bit much, but this is still an amazing show worth a spin, if only for Robert Vaughn’s performance as an aging con with much wisdom to impart to the young, sometimes foolishly cocksure, turks. Bonus features include cast bios and a making-of featurette.
Despite their claims, it was disappointingly obvious as the second season progressed that there was no master plan in place for Lost, and that padding of what was most likely intended as a 3 season arc was creeping in. You can watch the faltering of a once-brilliant series via the 7-disc season 2 set (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP), featuring extended episodes, all-new flashback sequences, examinations of some of the show’s mysteries and revelations, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, bloopers, and more.
Fully remastered and available on DVD for the first time in the US, monster movie fans (and aficionados of a certain big lizard) can finally lay their hands on a near-pristine print of the original Japanese version of Gojira (Classic Media/Toho, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The 2-disc special edition also features a restored edition of the American version of the film, which introduced the English-speaking world to Godzilla, King of the Monsters and his archenemy, Raymond Burr. The set also features a look at the construction of the Godzilla suit, audio commentaries by Godzilla historians Steve Ryfle & Ed Godziszewski, a featurette on the story development, and the original theatrical trailers.
I love books that you can pick up, flip upon to a random page, and be instantly entranced by whatever you discover there. A recent tome fitting that particular bill is Silent Traces: Discovering Early Hollywood Through The Films Of Charlie Chaplin (Santa Monica Press, $24.95 SRP). As the title suggests, it’s packed with photos and film frames detailing the locations both then and now of those Chaplin flicks. It’s a wonderful journey back in time, and it makes me feel good to know that some of these locations are still around.
I admit that I’m one of those people who is profoundly disinterested in viewing dramatizations of any of the events surrounding the events of 9/11, and that includes the doomed passengers and heroic actions depicted in United 93 (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$30.98 SRP). Writer/director Paul Greengrass has crafted a dignified, almost sterile, dramatization of that fateful flight that ended in a Pennsylvania field. As usual, make sure you seek out the 2-disc limited edition, which features additional behind-the-scenes features and interviews (mainly a feature on the military and civilian response teams) in addition to a commentary with Greengrass.
I’m sure there was a story in there somewhere, and a pretty good one, but I spent the entirely of District B13 (Magnolia, Rated R, DVD-$26.98 SRP) marveling at the art of Parkour, wherein amazing physical specimens navigate urban landscapes through constant motion – including scaling buildings. The film itself has something to do with a lawless section of Paris in the near-future, and an undercover policeman sent in to the walled area. Bonus features include outtakes, a making-of featurette, and extended fight scenes.
Although presented in paperback form, Viking Studio’s new series of illustrated novels pairs classic literature with modern comic artists for a refreshing spin on material that should be a cornerstone of any self-respecting home library. The novels are presented in their entirety, with periodic illos from the artists. The first two releases are Bram Stoker’s Dracula, with illustrations by Jae Lee, and Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, with illustrations by Dame Darcy (Viking Studios, $21.95 SRP each).
Do I still have to be embarrassed for actually laughing at – and liking – Jackass: The Movie (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP)? Does that make me some kind of sad, pathetic person that I got a kick out of watching idiots do moronic things to both themselves and others? If you prick me, do I not bleed? Well, you can now peep an extended unrated cut of the flick just in time for the sequel’s release, which also contains much of the bonus features from the original release, including commentaries, deleted scenes, a making-of special, and additional footage.
How sad is it that the arrival of another 12 episodes of the original heroes on the halfshell gets me so geeky giddy? That embarrassing reaction greeted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Volume Five (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). Sad. So very sad. I feel like getting a pizza.
Okay… With Scary Movie 4 (Weinstein Company, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), we have finally reached the limits of the Scary Movie franchise. No matter how much love I have for the still comedically brilliant Anna Faris, I simply can not see myself wringing any more enjoyment out of this franchise after this tired, strained affair. Maybe I’m wrong about the series’ future, but rest-assured, it needs a radical rethink (or at least a better script). The unrated special edition features an audio commentary, interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted/extended scenes with optional commentary, and a blooper reel.
This week’s soundtrack is the album for Hollywoodland (Decca, $18.98 SRP), which features 14 standards from the 50’s – including tunes like “At Last,” “Elephant Walk,” “The Girl Can’t help It,” “The Great Pretender,” and more. I’m still on the fence about Ben Affleck as George Reeves, but the soundtrack disc is worth a spin.
Make Buffy a guy, and you’ve essentially got the premise of The WB’s… sorry, The CW’s… Supernatural (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), as a pair of supernatural-fighting brothers – one of which wants nothing more than a normal life – are pulled together on a quest to find their missing father. Like most W… CW shows, it’s a light confection sans particularly sharp writing. You can catch up on all 24 episodes via this 6-disc set, which also contains a pair of commentaries, extended scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a still gallery, and a gag reel.
After four seasons and an indelible mark upon the culture psyche, ALF (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) wraps up its run with a memorable finale, as well as another 23 episodes across this 4-disc set. Is this the end of ALF? I hope not…
Not nearly as blasphemous as I was dreading, the preschool modernization of Gerald McBoing Boing for new sound-filled adventures is actually quite fun and clever, and has become required viewing for my young nephew. Now that there are 2 DVD volumes of his adventures available (Classic Media, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP each), I’m sure they’ll be in the Bob the Builder rotation.
He’s been incommunicado for a bit, but Norm MacDonald returns in fine form with a new stand-up CD, Ridiculous (Comedy Central Records, $12.98 SRP). It’d be nice if the wait for a follow-up wasn’t nearly as long an absence.
Lately, I’ve been plowing my through the “Smart Pop” series of completely unauthorized – but utterly engaging – series of pop culture analyses put out by Benbella Press ($17.95 SRP each). Basically, they’re collections of essays on a given pop culture subject, analyzing the given subject in some interesting ways – social, cultural, economic… All across the board. So far, they’ve released Getting Lost (edited by Orson Scott Card), The Man From Krypton (edited by Glenn Yeffeth), The Unauthorized X-Men (edited by Len Wein), Star Wars On Trial (Edited by David Brin & Matthew Woodring Stover), and Boarding the Enterprise (edited by David Gerrold & Robert Sawyer).
Even after months of tinkering and rejiggering, Geena Davis returned to finish out what would be the final episodes of her tenure as President of the United States in ABC’s Commander-in-Chief (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP), the final 8 episodes of which are collected in this second 2-disc volume (leaving many to still wonder why they weren’t all collected in a single 4-disc set). Bonus features include an interview with Davis, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
I don’t suppose myself to be a very erudite person when it comes to the film industry. As a person I am able to churn out these columns on a weekly basis and, beyond that, keep a close eye on the major stories that break on a daily basis with regard to Hollywood happenings. I don’t read Daily Variety, I don’t ingest every story that The Hollywood Reporter puts out and, I hate to admit this to such a devoted crowd, I have a life beyond all this glitz, glamour and childish infighting. Movies aren’t the end-all be-all and, really, there is a world that’s worth being intensely interested in if you give it the chance and I think that’s why I responded last year with such vehemence regarding a lot of editorials on the dismal outlook of the movie as an art form. “It’s DVD sales!” “It’s the Goddammed Internets!” “It’s the decreasing choices people have because no one makes good movies anymore!” “It’s the lack of frontal male nudity!”
In other, less head-shaking, opinions I have this week I have to suggest a movie. It’s not often when I chance upon something worth noting and usualy I keep these kinds of things to myself but I could not let another week go by without putting a rubber stamp embossed with an “APPROVED” in large Times New Roman font and red ink across LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. If you have a lady at home, or dude, I’m not one to meddle in these sorts of things, I can tell you that this is a date movie you both can agree on. It’s hard to find something that won’t leave you poking at your eyes with a spork but I have to give it up where it’s due. The entire cast is endearing, the story, while not all that compelling, is firm and the ending is good enough to be placed on the endings that won’t leave you wondering where it is you left your brain after having to sit through it. My vote, though, has to go to Alan Arkin for his turn as the family’s elder statesman. Although most would include him as a footnote in the movie I have to slide all my kudos his way. While the direction is remarkably flat, uninspired and fairly rote, Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton suprisingly letting me down in ways that their music videos just never did, it’s the really the people that inhabit this film which turn this little indie into a little indie that could. It’s not going to change the world, your outlook on it or make you question your existence but it is very worthy of your cash and that’s enough reason for someone like me.
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Director: Martin Scorsese
Director: Todd Phillips
Director: Jeff Tremaine
Quickcast Commentary: 2010: The Year We Make Contact
Always eager to try something different, we’re launching a new series of Quickcast Commentaries here at Quick Stop. Essentially, they’re audio commentaries for existing movies, TV shows, short films ““ whatever the case may be ““ that you can download and sync up to your own personal copies of said films, programmes, etc. In the future, we’ll be offering commentaries from writers, artists, directors, actors ““ a whole range of creators ““ on films they’ve worked on, films they love, or films they loathe. We hope it will be a fun little corner of the Stop, and we’re eager to hear your feedback.
This week, we’ve got a commentary for Peter Hyams’ 2010: The Year We Make Contact, featuring Quick Stop editor-in-chief Ken Plume and QS columnist (“Widge Goes Off”) Widgett Walls.
All you have to do is download the mp3 file below, cue up the film/episode/whatever on your TIVO, VHS, DVD, or computer, then hit play on the commentary (or you can download the free Sharecrow DVD player, which allows you to sync up commentaries on your computer). Hope you dig it”¦
DOWNLOAD:
mp3 Format (106 MB)
[audio:http://asitecalledfred.com/commentaries/qsecommentary-2010.mp3]