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…
(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
In its 5th season, House (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) has settled comfortably into its routine – crotchety doc, beleaguered staff, ridiculously exotic maladies, miraculous last-minute saves by crotchety doc. And so it is with the 24 episodes featured in this box set, which also sports audio commentaries and a clutch of featurettes (including one on the 100th episode).
I have been waiting years for someone to deliver something the ridiculously straightforward USB to SATA/IDE Combo Kit ($24.99) – a handy cable that attaches to any hard drive and interacts via USB. No fuss. No muss. Where has this been all my nerd life? Seriously.
Want a pair of classic TV shows cheap and in one fell swoop? Well, now you can get the complete 3 season run of Steve McQueen in Wanted: Dead Or Alive (Mill Creek Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) and all 4 seasons of The Adventures Of Robin Hood (Mill Creek Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Isn’t that quick and painless?
The History Channel continues down the path of its bizarre “Must make movie reenactments” form of documentary filmmaking with Art Of War (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP), which weaves together the history Sun Tzu and tactics of his now – legendary book.
For a last look at what an amazing talent she was, and what we lost with her unexpected death, look no further than The Mama Cass Television Special (Infinity, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), a 1969 network ABC network special that gave Cass Elliott the spotlight, along with a clutch of special guests.
If Juno was just a bit too cutesy for you but you love that quirky vibe, then check out Adventureland (Miramax, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP), starring Jesse Eisenberg as a 20-something who has to cancel his big summer vacation plans in order to earn money for grad school. His solution? Take a thankless job at a regional theme park, where he finds Em (Kristen Stewart), and has one of those movie summers you only wish you had. Bonus features include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Warner Bros. is still rolling out new additions to their on-demand “Archive Edition”, making available some catalogue titles that otherwise would sit in the vaults. Newly added to the available list is the made-for-TV 70’s horror films Bad Ronald and Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 each). Of real interest, though, is that they’ve made available all of the latter-day MGM Our Gang comedies in the 5-disc Our Gang Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$34.95), whose 52 shorts are an essential companion to last year’s multi-disc Little Rascals collection of the early Hal Roach shorts.
While it was a step up from the bewilderingly awful seventh season, the eighth season of Scrubs (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) didn’t go far enough in recapturing the charm and grounding that marked its brilliant early seasons – which is a shame, as this was the swan song for the cast as it had stood from the show’s inception. Ah well, at least we have those early DVDs. The 3-disc set features all 19 episodes, plus alternate lines, webisodes, a featurette, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
Though seen as groundbreaking at the time, thirtysomething: The Complete First Season (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) can often be a hard go, as we focus on the lives of couples that fall into the titular age category. It would be interesting to pick up with them now as fiftysomethings. The 6-disc box set features all 21 episodes, plus audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes, and more.
Sad that the nicely pleasant Chrstina Applegate series Samantha Who? (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) had to face the axe at the end of its second season, as Applegate has matured into a wonderful comedic actress. The 3-disc set contains featurettes, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
Need a RomCom fix? Or simply need to recommend a RomCom to a significant other, to keep them occupied? Then here’s this week’s recommendation – How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which stars Matthew McCounaughey and Kate Hudson as a pair of people that eventually wind up together. You know the deal. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a music video. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
Take The Sopranos, set it in a biker gang led by Ron Perlman, and you’ve essentially got Sons Of Anarchy (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.99 SRP), a new series featuring the titular gangs increasing descent into lawlessness. The 3-disc set features audio commentaries, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
David Duchovney returns as writer Hank Moody – single-father, ex-boyfriend, and a man keen on sex, liquor, and drugs – in the second season of Californication (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$42.99 SRP). The 2-disc set features all 12 episodes, plus audio commentaries, interviews, and a featurette.
Seeing as how it’s from the same producers, I can understand why Sunshine Cleaning (Anchor Bay, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) has a Little Miss Sunshine vibe about it – and by that, I mean it’s got the offbeat, quirky dramedy thing going for it. It stars Amy Adams as a single mother eager to get her son into a better school – which requires money she doesn’t have. To earn it, she drags her slacker sister (Emily Blunt) in and launches a crime scene clean-up business, along with their father (Alan Arkin). Bonus features include an audio commentary and a making-of featurette.
Even though they’re inferior to the multigenerational writing of iCarly, preteens will probably hound the parents for the first volumes of Suite Life spin-off The Suite Life On Deck and the new Sonny With A Chance (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each). Both discs contain bonus episodes.
Turns out Life (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) had a relatively short one on NBC, as the second season turned out to be its last, as the network decided not to renew the series about a wrongfully imprisoned detective who returns to the police force with a second chance at the life he lost. The 5-disc box set contains all 21 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Turn the people reading skills of and creepy skilled charm of Derren Brown into a deception expert played by Tim Roth, and you’ve got the series Lie To Me (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which finds Dr. Cal Lightman (Roth) solving crimes. The 4-disc set features all 13 episodes, plus a featurette and deleted scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($59.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.
Nick Cannon stars as 19-year-old Mike Holland in American Son (Miramax, Rated R, DVD-$29.99 SRP) – a young man who has just 96 hours to say goodbye to friends & family before being shipped off to Iraq. Perhaps he’ll even change his life. It’s an interesting, if uneven, look at the rollercoaster of emotions the troops go through before a deployment. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a featurette.
Schlocky and not a terribly good adaptation of Stephen King’s original short story, but a cult following has grown up around Children Of The Corn (Anchor Bay, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.97 SRP), who are sure to pick up the high definition 25th anniversary edition, featuring an audio commentary, featurettes, interviews, galleries, and more.
Smithsonian Networks has a trio of new documentaries on tap – first up being War Stories (Smithsonian, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which takes a look at the tales of modern service men and women. Next up is America’s Wild & Wacky (Smithsonian, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), which takes viewers on a ride to America’s largest bike rally. Finally, there’s The Da Vinci Detective (Smithsonian, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), which examines the mysteries of two great works of art.
Want to see a show that’s lost the plot and really doesn’t know what to do with itself anymore? Look no further than the 8th season of Smallville (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), where the still-not-Superman Clark Kent sort of meanders around a pointless supporting cast doing vaguely-Supermany things and killing time. The 6-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a pair of featurettes.
Would you be surprised to find out that a movie with the title Fighting (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is about fighting? Well, it does – starring Channing Tatum as a guy who turns to the world of underground bare-knuckle street fighting to make a better life for himself. Seriously. The disc includes deleted scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
-Ken Plume
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When I wasn’t watching Three Stooges shorts during the pre-dawn Saturday and Sunday mornings of my childhood, I’d watch the adventures of Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat, Darla, and all the rest of The Little Rascals. Kids today don’t have the joy of seeing those classic Hal Roach shorts in their heavily edited forms in syndication packets farmed out to networks near and far, but I’m positively giddy that the DVD genie has granted us 
A long time ago, not too terribly far away, there was a company that produced some of the most wonderful and faithful Star Wars prop replicas to be had. Sadly, due to corporate issues both various and sundry, the timeliness of the releases began to wane, and then the company decided to drop the license entirely. What became of it? Well, the core group who handled the license at that other company decided to strike out on their own, and they formed 
If I were pressed to choose my favorite sitcom of all time, the answer I’d have to give is 
It doesn’t interest me much – or at all, really – but my father got a big kick (as a fan) out of 
It’s goofy, it’s dopey, and the effects are ropy, but there’s something simpleton charming about the glorified IMAX 3-D excuse feature 
There’s nothing that points out the deficits in today’s lackluster TV fare than viewing some of the groundbreaking (and *still* pretty damn funny) sitcoms from the 70’s. One of those that still holds up is 
With 
Instead of pumping their minds full of Hanna Montana and princess pap, why not sit your daughters down with 
Yet another series has made the transition from individual season sets to one uber-mega-all-inclusive set with the release of 
One of those wonderful holiday classics of yore gets its special edition due in the form of the 3-disc 
I must say kudos to Sony for their move to consolidate their classic TV series – formerly released as single season sets – into one comprehensive set. 
The title is mostly apropos, as the 
Her work has become iconic – and some of it has become controversial – but there’s no denying that photographer Annie Leibovitz is an interesting character. Judge for yourself with the documentary 
I’m not a fan of torture horror, no matter how stylish it tries to make itself. That lack of interest certainly applies to 
Eager to expand the lucrative stranglehold on preteen girls they have with their omnipresent “Princess” franchise, Disney has decided Fairies are the next big thing, which means we get a feature-length straight-to-DVD abomination spotlighting the friends and family of Peter Pan’s formerly feisty paramour 