Tag: Blue Beetle

Weekend Shopping Guide 4/10/09: Of Geeks And Speeder Bikes

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…

(Also, please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

The year 1971 brought the still-developing sister of Charlie Brown – Sally – and made her a fully-realized character, which is why her face adorns the cover of The Complete Peanuts: 1971-1972 (Fantagraphics, $28.99). This volume also brings a young brother to Linus & Lucy Van Pelt (Rerun), Marcie, and even Snoopy as Joe Cool.. This series continues to be a wonderful exercise in still fresh comedy and childhood nostalgia.

When just about every device you can think of requires some kind of battery – particularly those quickly devoured AAs – having a top-notch rechargeable battery system is an economic must. To that end, I present the La Crosse Battery Charger with LCD Display ($39.99), an all-in-one kit that not only charges your batteries, but can refresh rechargeable batteries that you may have thought were doomed to the bin. If that weren’t enough, the kit includes 4-AA, 4-AAA, and 4 “C” and 4″D” size adapters that allow you to use rechargeable AA batteries in devices using those sizes. How cool (and useful) is that?

Graham Linehan – with Arthur Matthews – is one half of the creative team behind the legendary britcom Father Ted. With The IT Crowd (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), he’s done for tech support nerds what Ted did for Catholic priests… In other words, he’s made a surreal, sublime, goofily funny show that only gets better as it goes along. The series focuses on the world of corporate IT drones Roy (Chris O’Dowd) & Moss (Richard Ayoade), whose male clubhouse deep in the basement is upset by new boss Jen (Katherine Parkinson)… And, well, just do yourself a favor and pick up the first season set, featuring all 6 episodes, plus deleted scenes, outtakes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a short film.

We were given a tease of them a few years back in the big ol’ Superman box set that came out, but now the fully restored official release of Max Fleischer’s Superman cartoons (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP) is here, containing all 17 theatrical shorts produced by the Fleischer Studios from 1941-1942. They look positively STUNNING, and were worth the wait compared to the inferior public domain releases over the years. The 2-disc set also features a pair of featurettes on the cartoons and the Superman myth.

My absolute favorite iteration of the Justice League continues to get the nice, prestige treatment it deserves (even if the characters aren’t getting it in current DC continuity) with the snazzy hardcover release of Justice League International: Volume 4, which collects issues #23-#30 of the Giffen/Dematteis/Maguire/Templeton run. If you haven’t been picking these up, you’re missing a lot. A LOT! And you’re not my friend. Rectify that.

Warner Bros. has an immense catalogue of titles. Thousands and thousands of them. And even with their aggressive DVD release schedule, there’s no way they can get to all of them – and, economically, some of the titles have such a small appeal that it’s just not viable to do a wide release on them. Those who thought their chances of picking up some of those obscure titles were nil can rejoice in the introduction of Warner’s new Archive Collection – www.warnerarchive.com. Essentially, it’s DVDs on demand, allowing you to purchase either a physical DVD-R copy (for a flat $19.95) or an instantly downloadable digital copy (for $14.95) of an ever-increasingly library of titles from the Warner vaults. Where else are you going to be able to get everything from Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery in Private Lives to Paul Simon’s One Trick Pony?

Warners and TCM turn their spotlight to another actor for a themed box set, this time delivering the Doris Day Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The set contains 5 features starring Day – It’s A Great Feeling, Tea For Two, Starlift, April In Paris, and The Tunnel Of Love, plus vintage shorts, cartoons, and the theatrical trailers.

You’ve seen all of the wonderful production art behind their feature films, well now you can pick up a handsome volume looking at The Art of Pixar Short Films (Chronicle Books, $40.00 SRP). It’s put together similarly to all of the other wonderful Pixar Art Of books that have come out in the last few years, and the artwork featured is just as impressive (and the volume belongs on your shelf just as much).

There’s something about seeing classic musicals in full high-def that brings the energy, music, and production design to the fore. For a good example, check out the new editions of An American In Paris and Gigi (Warner Bros., Not Rated/Rated G, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP each) and their stunning picture and sound. Bonus features are the same as those found on the special edition DVDs, including an audio commentary, featurettes, shorts, a cartoon, trailers, and – in the case of Gigi – the original 1949 version.

I thought Click was amiable fun, so I found myself enjoying the latest in Adam Sandler’s family-friendly fare, Bedtime Stories (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), wherein Sandler plays an uncle whose grand stories for his niece and nephew start coming true in real life… But he’s not in control. My nephew loved it – of course, considering it rains gumballs at one point, that’s almost a given. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette, deleted scenes, and bloopers. As with most of the recent Disney releases, the Blu-Ray edition also comes with a standard DVD of the flick.

It’s one of the most unique animated series ever made for TV – a collaboration between French writers and Japanese animators – and there’s some fun nostalgia in tripping through the complete run of The Mysterious Cities Of Gold (Fabulous, Not Rated, DVD-$79.95 SRP). The 6-disc set features all 39 episodes fully restored, deleted scenes, featurettes, documentaries, interviews, singalongs, biographies, and more.

I’m reminded of the old days of videocassette (and my old videodiscs) when I see Disney deciding to get back into the habit of releasing themed collections of their animated shorts under the Walt Disney Animation Collection banner. The first trio are Mickey And The Beanstalk, Three Little Pigs, and The Prince & The Pauper (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each), and my nephews love the lot.

Explore the life and death of the 16th president with a pair of fascinating documentaries – Looking For Lincoln and The Assassination Of Abraham Lincoln (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP each). The former looks at many of the controversies surrounding Lincoln’s views, while the latter examines the ramifications of Lincoln’s death.

It’s no Pixar flick, but The Tale Of Despereaux (Universal, Rated G, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is still a charming, often lovely fairy tale about a mouse with oversize ears living in the kingdom of Dor who dreams of becoming a knight, who is banished for his goals and winds up – you guessed it – having quite an adventure. The sole bonus feature worth mentioning is a making-of featurette. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available with identical bonus materials.

You know those type of “prestige” pictures that have the word “PRESTIGE” attached to a club that they bludgeon the audience with, in order that we fully understand that we’re watching a “PRESTIGE” film? Doubt (Miramax, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) is one of those – based on an award-winning play, an uber-serious subject matter (the titular doubt thrown up by a prim nun when the parish priest takes an interest in a troubled boy), and weighty stars (Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis). Bonus features include an audio commentary and a quartet of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

And one Oscar nominee brings an Oscar winner out on Blu-Ray, with the release of the Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men (Miramax, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP). Bonus features are identical to the standard release, with featurettes, interviews, and more.

Blake & Krystle get married as – would you believe it? – Alexis schemes in the first half of Dynasty: The Fourth Season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features the first 14 episodes of season 4.

Elmo gets a new color scheme that Kermit would find familiar in the environment-centric Being Green (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP), where the hyper Muppet learns a thing or two from Abby and Mr. Earth (Paul Rudd).

As much as I disagree with the loss of Christopher Robin, my nephews do like the CG My Friends Tigger & Pooh and the latest release, Tigger & Pooh And A Musical Too (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP). As you can guess, it finds the denizens of the Hundred Acre Wood putting on a bit of a show.

On the surface you could say that Jim Carrey covered much of the same ground in Liar Liar as he does in Yes Man (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$34.99 SRP) – about a man who decides to change his life by saying “yes” to everything and everyone that crosses his path – but while Liar was pure farce, this is actually a nice comedic look at how many things we say “no” to, sometimes with good reason. Bonus features include featurettes and music videos. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) adds an interview with British comedian (and author of the original book) Danny Wallace, and two additional featurettes.

Rejoice, parents and recreational drug users! A new release of everyone’s favorite bizarre kiddie show comes to DVD with Yo Gabba Gabba!: New Friends! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), featuring a quartet of episodes but sadly no bonus features.

After only seven years, it’s finally senior year on Beverly Hills 90210 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), and there’s diplomas to be gained, virginity to be lost, mental illness, and even pregnancy. The 7-disc set features all 31 episodes, but nary a bonus feature.

Wrap up the first season of Ben 10: Alien Force (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) with the third single-disc volume, featuring episodes 10-13, plus a villains database.

There are collectibles that you look at and are nonplussed. There are those you view with “ooohs” and “ahhhhs”. Lastly, there are those that, on laying eyes upon them, you are gobsmacked by sheer, unadulterated, geeky awe. Such was my reaction after taking in Sideshow Collectibles’ incredible Speeder Bike and Scout Trooper Premium Format Figure ($799). First of all, you’re struck by the scale – at almost 3 feet long, the Speeder Bike itself is MASSIVE. Almost intimidatingly so. Once you take in the size, the next “wow” factor is the level of detail and fidelity to the big screen source material (specifically the model work of ILM). In fact, you could have told me this piece came out of the ILM archives, and I wouldn’t have batted an eye. Hell, the 1/4-scale Biker Scout is pretty much icing on the cake – the figure is accurate, the pose is dynamic, and the display is incredible. I can’t stop gushing about this thing. I know the price may seem steep in this economy, but you absolutely are getting your full value for the money, and with an edition size of only 1,500 pieces, once this is gone, the aftermarket is going to be insane. Here – let the pictures below sell you on just what a big WOW this is (and for scale, I’ve placed the 3.75″ R2-D2 and C-3PO figures on the Speeder Bike’s dash in the final pics)…

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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April 9, 2009
Toy Box: Batman – The Brave and the Bold Deluxe Aquaman/Blue Beetle

Cartoon Network recently started a brand spankin’ new Batman cartoon on Friday nights, with a lot of your favorite old time characters. Batman – The Brave and the Bold has a Super Friends look, with some witty banter and interesting relationships between characters like Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Plastic Man and even Blue Beetle. The stories and writing style are very much directed at that 5 – 8 age range, but adults can enjoy the show as well.

Mattel has also released action figures based on the show, and they seem to be hitting the New Year hard with plenty of different characters. I reviewed the regular single pack Batman, Aquaman, Kanjar Ro, and Black Manta over at mwctoys.com just last week, and over the weekend picked up the single pack Red Tornado as well. Today I’m checking out the deluxe Aquaman and deluxe Blue Beetle, which come with a larger, action feature based accessory.

If you have any questions or comments, drop me a line at mwc@mwctoys.com, or swing by my site at Michael’s Review of the Week – Captain Toy.

Batman The Brave and The Bold: Deluxe Aquaman and Blue Beetle

You can expect to find these at mass market retailers, like Target, Meijers, or my least favorite, Wal-mart, where they’ll run you right around $8 for the singles, and around $11 for the deluxe sets. There are also a couple vehicles hitting right now, including the Batsub, and you should see quite a bit of the product as part of the new Target reset.

Packaging – ***1/2
I’m digging the packaging, largely due to two aspects. Yes, the design is attractive, and I like the retro feel to the graphics and colors, but those aren’t my main pluses. I really like the personalization on each cardback and bubble, with specific graphics and text for the character housed inside. Also, there’s no twisties or rubber bands anywhere to be found. They’ve used intelligently designed interior trays to hold the figures in place, making their removal a much easier process.

Sculpting – Beetle ***; Aquaman **1/2
The show has a very Super Friends feel to it, and Mattel has added to that some of the characteristics of their recent Super Friends line of figures, designed for that under 5 set. The larger, blocky feet and legs are obvious on most of the characters, but some (like Beetle) lack the huge honking feet.

Most folks will either hate or tolerate the accessory holes on the figures. Nobody over 8 (and probably not many under) are going to love them, at least from an aesthetic point of view. These holes are on the back, shoulders, forearms and calves of most of the figures, but interestingly, Blue Beetle does not have them on his forearms, and he’s the better looking figure for it. I don’t mind the one on the back of course, and the one on the shoulders actually looks fine on Beetle. It also helps that he has some cool looking armor pieces as part of this deluxe set that can snap on his shoulders. Had they dropped the calf holes, I may have even gone another half star on this figure.

Aquaman has that smart ass grin, and as voiced by John Di Maggio, he has that attitude on the show too. I love the chiseled head sculpt, but I’m less enamored with the standard body sculpt than in my first review. The longer I look at certain characters (like Aquaman and Batman) the less tolerant I am of some of the holes. The ones on Aquaman at the shoulders and elbows are way too obvious, while his calf holes are fine – completely different than Blue Beetle. I think it’s the rounded shoulders and skinny elbow joints that are doing it, whereas the more square shoulders (like on Beetle or Red Tornado) don’t look quite as bad with the holes.

These figures stand about 5″ tall, making them slightly shorter than The Batman figures. They are also stockier, so they don’t really work together, but I included a group shot that has the Batman figure from the eariler line in back for comparison. It will be the last photo in the review.

Paint – Beetle **1/2; Aquaman **
These are mass market figures, and they have very mass market paint jobs. Poor Aquaman also suffers from a rather dopey looking color scheme.

Blue Beetle looks good, although it’s a bit of a variation on his suit in the show. The suit tends to morph a whole lot though, so you can give them some leeway there. He has some overspray, weak cut lines, and the occasional rub mark, much like your average run of the mill big toy store figure. And by ‘big’, I mean the store, not the figure.

Aquaman has a sub par paint job, even for a kid’s toy. There’s plenty of slop between the green and gold, and there’s even inconsistent coverage with both colors. Cut lines are weaker than Don Knotts after a weekend bender, and there’s a fair share of stray marks. Most of these issues are on the body though, with the paint job on the face and hair a bit more similar in quality to Beetle’s.

I was very happy with the paint on the first four figures I picked up, so this is a huge step backward. What this really means is that the line is very inconsistent with the quality of the paint ops, so be careful picking them off the peg.

Articulation – **
The articulation is the most disappointing for me, but as a kid’s line, I can understand the decision behind some of the missing joints.

These figures only have cut neck, cut shoulders, pin elbows, and cut waists. Oh, and don’t forget those old school T hips. I’m not surprised they dropped the knee joints, as these tend to break a lot when kids get their hands on them. But ball jointed shoulders would have been nice, particularly with figures like Aquaman and Batman who already have rounded shoulders. Yea, those dopey holes probably made it impossible, but it’s still disappointing. I’m also disappointed that there are no cut wrists or ball jointed necks, as these would add a lot to both the playability and poseability of the figures.

Accessories/Action Features – ***
Ah, those goofy peg holes on the bodies might look odd, but they do serve a purpose. Now it’s time to break out the accessories and add them to the mix.

Beetle is the ‘bug zapper’ version. Generally he’s the only bug in the fight (unless we get to see a Blue Beetle/Killer Moth battle royale!) so having a ‘bug zapper’ doesn’t make a lot of sense to me, but I’m sure somebody was very proud of themselves when they came up with that name.

His zapper is actually made up of several interchangable parts. There are small articulated bug wings, two blade like side attachments, and the main zapper body that fires a small projectile. The entire attachment can be put together as a single unit (and worn on his back), or you can pop off the blades and attach them to his shoulders, put the wings on his back, and even have him hold the zapper body in his hand. Because of the multiple holes, you can attach these things in a whole lot of different ways.

Aquaman also has a fairly large contraption, called the “aqua pack”. It has a center backpack piece, as well as two fan blade like attachements, and two long sorta Trident looking front blades. When these blades are attached to the main backpack and the button on top is pushed, they spin menacingly.

Like the Beetle’s weapon, these can all pop apart and be reattached to Aquaman on any of his peg holes. I’m not sure why he’d want the fan blades on his shoulders, but I gave that a try anyway. These can also be used on any other version of Aquaman or on any other figure in the series for that matter, making the build/accessorize feature pretty cool.

Fun Factor – ***1/2
Sure, these aren’t exactly a collector’s line, but kid’s should have a lot of fun with the build/accessorize feature of the accessories and holes. They are also very solid figures, so breakage should not be much of an issue. They’ve aimed these squarely at the 5 – 8 range, giving smaller kids DC figures before they are old enough to enjoy and appreciate something like the DC Universe line.

Value – **
Eleven bucks for a 5 inch action figure with an accessory – even one that can be used as armor – is not a great deal. The regular figures are eight bucks or less, and the action feature of this slightly more complex accessory is not worth another three bucks.

Things to Watch Out For –
Of course, always watch that mass market paint, but otherwise, you shouldn’t have any issues.

Overall – Beetle ***; Aquaman **1/2
This is quite clearly a line – and show – designed primarily for kids. But just like Playmobil or Lego, that doesn’t mean they can’t be pretty damn cool. So far, I’m liking this line more than I’m disliking it, and I suspect it’s going to grow on me over time. If Mattel can get a nice healthy line up of figures on the pegs, that’s going to go a long way as well. It’s only been out a couple weeks, and I already have six different characters, and I’m on the hunt for that Batsub. However, if the distribution ends up being as crappy as their DC Infinite Heroes line, it’s going to die an early death with me.

Where to buy –
These are hitting mass market retailers like Target and Meijers right now.

Related Links –
As I mentioned earlier, I covered several of the single packs last week.

January 6, 2009
Weekend Shopping Guide 6/6/08: Blue & Gold Are Go!

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…

Even though they’ve done just about everything possible (including throwing the kitchen sink at it) to tear down the beloved characters and stories of their relaunch, time and unfortunate editorial machinations have only made the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis/Kevin Maguire run of Justice League International look all the more enjoyable by comparison. Ignore all of that Uber Final Infinite Crisis of Something Or Another business and pick up the first volume of Justice League International (DC Comics, $24.99 SRP), which collects the first 7 issues. You won’t regret it.

Ah, but I will say this – thank jebus for the relaunched Booster Gold. Slowly but surely, the series has been fixing the bastardizations wreaked in the past few years within the DC universe, and reintroducing some of the FUN and ENJOYMENT that’s been missing in comics today. Let me say, unequivocally, grab the first collection, Booster Gold: 52 Pick-Up (DC Comics, $24.99 SRP), and support a creative team that are proving that reading comics doesn’t have to be a depressive chore.

Even though I think there were diminishing returns following the spectacular, pre-franchise outing and its first sequel, it’s still welcome to have brand new, deluxe special editions of the five films featuring Detective Harry Callahan – aka “Dirty Harry”. Dirty Harry (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$20.99 SRP) established everything you needed to know about the take-no-prisoners cop, and the new 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary, retrospective featurettes on the film, a spotlight on Clint Eastwood, and more. Magnum Force (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$14.98 SRP) was one of those rare sequels that built on the original, with a powerful screenplay by John Milius and Michael Cimino. Milius returns for an audio commentary, which sits alongside a pair of featurettes that focus on both the politics of Dirty Harry, and compare him to the Warner crimebusters of yesteryear. The rest of the series – The Enforcer, Sudden Impact, and The Dead Pool (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$14.98 SRP each) are watchable outings, but don’t live up to the heights of the first two flicks. The remaining films have all got commentaries and brand new featurettes.

You know a major feature film is fast-approaching when the studio starts releasing the classic material to DVD, and such is the case with the rapid fire release of both the 3rd and 4th season of the Bill Bixby/Lou Ferrigno Incredible Hulk (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP each). Bonus features include an audio commentary on the episode “Prometheus”, a pair of featurettes, and a look at the upcoming film.

If it had an arc like the plant its characters peddle, than season 3 of Weeds (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is when events start to harsh the mellow of suburban single mother/pot dealer Nancy Botwin’s local business. Everything begins to go south when Nancy’s small-time operation begins to turn into a mini-empire – with all of the potentially dangerous baggage that brings. The 3-disc set features all 15 episodes, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, montages, and a spotlight on Randy Newman.

If Indiana Jones has made you interested in finding out what real archeology is all about, I can recommend no more enjoyable series than Time Team – the Brit show which performs digs across the UK, and is hosted by Blackadder‘s Tony Robinson. A perfect introduction to the series is The Very Best Of Time Team Digs (Channel 4, Region 2, Not Rated, DVD-Â£24.99 SRP), which features a clutch of the team’s favorite digs, plus bonus materials.

This weekend, the space nerd in me will be delighting in reading Floating To Space: The Airship To Orbit Program (Apogee Books, $27.95 SRP). It’s basically a look at the various schemes to use… well, essentially balloons, in order to make a much smarter, cheaper ascent to space. The book also contains a DVD of some beautiful, amazing test footage.

It’s always a pleasant surprise when a series whose release has been pleaded for by fans gets put out on DVD, and it’s even more exciting when there are actually a decent amount of bonus materials as well. Such is the case with the complete first season of Mannix (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), starring Mike Connors as PI Joe Mannix. The 6-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus audio commentaries, episode intros, Mike Connors on The Mike Douglas Show, the sales presentation, TV Land promos, the 1967 CBS Fall promo, and more.

Hopefully, you’ve already picked up all four volumes of the Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus, as they should be required reading for any comic fan. If you’ve already wisely purchased those, you’ll also want to get Jack Kirby’s OMAC: One Man Army Corps (DC Comics, $ S24.99 SRP), which collects all 8 issues of Kirby’s fascinatingly bizarre tales of Buddy Blank’s super-powered, crime-fighting alter-ego in the “near-future”.

You know, few shows are feature characters as relentlessly flawed as Rescue Me (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) – and I probably wouldn’t have it any other way. The fourth season features Tommy (Denis Leary) fighting charges of arson and insurance fraud and facing questions of paternity on his new baby – and then there’s everyone else’s problems. The 4-disc set sports all 13 episodes, plus featurettes, deleted scenes, minisodes, a gag reel, and more.

Although it never lit up audiences, you can at least say that the TV series based on Stephen King’s The Dead Zone (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP) was a solid show throughout its run. That all wraps up with the release of the sixth and final season, as we come to the end of Johnny Smith’s odd journey. The 3 disc set features all 13 episodes, plus a quartet of audio commentaries, and a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Although it quickly disappeared from screens when it hit in the mid-90’s, the attempted re-launch of Get Smart (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) – which brought Don Adams and Barbara Feldon back and gave them a bumbling secret agent son, played by Andy Dick – missed it by *that* much. Given some time to develop, it could have probably evolved into a decent series, but as it stands, it never seemed to find its footing.

Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt’s Animation Show (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) returns for a third volume, featuring another 16 animated shorts and an introduction from Beavis & Butt-head. There’s also interview with the artists, to boot.

It’s goofy and good-natured and well within his safe zone, but there’s something undeniably tired about Will Ferrell’s latest loveable boob pic Semi-Pro (New Line, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). The flick finds Ferrell back in the 70’s, this time starring as a semi-pro basketball star who’s local celeb status is threatened by an impending NBA merger. What will he do? And will it be funny? Marginally so. The 2-disc unrated edition sports behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a music video, trailers, and more.

Continuing their spotlights on great British actresses (having already dedicated sets to Judi Dench and Helen Mirren), we now get Maggie Smith At The BBC (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 3-disc set contains The Merchant Of Venice, The Millionairess, Suddenly Last Summer, and Bed Among The Lentils. Bonus materials include a newly-produced tribute, a pair of archival interviews with Ms. Smith, and the radio play The Country Wife.

Give it enough time and even the most marginal of films enters into the realm of classic, and it’s with that in mind that we’ve now got a special collector’s edition of City Slickers (MGM, Rated PG-13, DVD-$14.98 SRP). This uber-edition features an audio commentary, retrospective featurettes, and deleted scenes.

The least effective officers of the California Highway Patrol are back on their bikes in the second season of ChiPs (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). The 4-disc (sadly double-sided) set features all 22 episodes, including a Halloween outing and an Evel Knievel pastiche. Bonus features include an interview with Erik Estrada and a “best of seasons 1 & 2” feature-length clip episode.

The latest release from The Weinstein Company’s high-falutin’ “Miriam Collection” is the tragic tale of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, Control (Genius, Rated R, DVD-$28.95 SRP). Sam Riley is compelling as Curtis, with Samantha Morton in a turn as his teenage bride (upon whose memoir the film is based). Bonus features include an audio commentary, a making-of, music videos, extended performances, and more.

With a powerhouse producing team – including Ridley and Tony Scott – I expected quite a bit from the new mini-series based on Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). While it’s perfectly serviceable and remained relatively faithful to Crichton’s tale of humanity’s effort to control the deadly spread of an interstellar virus, it lacked the energy and verve I’ve come to expect from the Brothers Scott. Sad, Really, because there remains a fantastic adaptation to be made from it. Bonus features include an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and galleries.

I tried – jebus how I tried – to find something funny in Meet The Spartans (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP), but I couldn’t. As parodies go, it makes Airplane! look like Shakespeare. The unrated edition features an audio commentary, featurettes, a gag reel, and trailers.

As we rapidly approach the release of Dark Knight, the Batman merchandising machine is kicking into high gear. That’s all well-and-good, but my tastes skew more towards pop culture nostalgia, so it was with particular delight that I greeted Mattel/Hot Wheel’s) production of a 1:18-scale Batmobile from the 1966 TV show (Mattel, $19.98 SRP). Nicely detailed and pretty damn snazzy, it’s a must-have for the shelf of an self-respecting fanboy. If you’re looking for something a bit cheaper, though, a 1:50-scale version is also available in a line which also include the Batcycle, the animated series Batmobile, and the Batmobile from the comics (Mattel, $6.98 SRP each).

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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June 5, 2008