Tag: Brad Pitt

Weekend Shopping Guide 1/13/12: Idiots Abroad

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 FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)

What do Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant do when they’re bored? They send the decidedly reticent Karl Pilkington on tour of the wonders of the world in An Idiot Abroad (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), in which every globe-spanning destination is geared to make poor Karl that much more uncomfortable. Quite fun to watch, though. Bonus materials include the preview show and deleted scenes.

I’m always interested in products that take up less room but still accomplish a job I need, which is why the Tiltpod ($14.99) is such a compact gem, as it’s a tiny ball-socketed magnetic “tripod” – really, a foot – for your digital camera. Nice, right?

It’s a new year, and waiting for us in the bright and shiny are a pair of new classic Doctor Who releases – the Jon Pertwee story Invasion Of The Dinosaurs (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) and the Tom Baker Android Invasion (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). That’s two invasion stories for you, both packed with audio commentaries, documentaries, featurettes, and much more supplemental material than you can shake a sonic at.

Want to know just how snowed under I’ve been for, oh, ages? I actually missed that a pair of new Rifftrax shorts collections AND a Rifftrax holiday special had been released on DVD. Rectifying that glaring oversight, I’m here to recommend you rush over and pick up your very own copies of Rifftrax Shorts: Old Tyme Shorts Roundup, Rifftrax Shorts: Shorts To-Go, & Rifftrax: Santa And The Ice Cream Bunny (Legend, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95 SRP each). Get them. Get them all. NOW!

I resent a sports film that makes me like it in spite of it being a sports film. Because I really do not like sports. So damn you, Moneyball (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), for being a film about baseball that kept me engaged throughout. Maybe it’s because it’s not really about the game, but the mechanics of the business behind the game. And it stars a totally engaging Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Yeah, that can’t hurt. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, and a blooper.

What does work, though, is HBO’s miniseries adaptation of Mildred Pierce (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), starring Kate Winslet as the Depression-era single mother struggling to make a go in a time when the odds are stacked demonstrably against her. Just see it.

Want to be depressed this holiday season with a fearsome piece of plausible disaster? Then kick back with some egg nog and candy canes and watch Contagion (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), in which a killer virus runs amok and claims Gwyneth Paltrow. Bonus materials include a trio of featurettes on the real world implications and possibilities of the premise.

You may not remember (though fans most certainly do), but there was a massive outcry a few years back when the first couple of seasons of both Roseanne & 3rd Rock From The Sun hit DVD. The trouble? Instead of the original broadcast versions of the episodes, the DVDs featured the edited syndication cuts. Yeah, so fans were not happy. Well, thanks to the fine folks at Mill Creek, you can now get Roseanne: Season 1, Roseanne: Season 2, 3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 1, & 3rd Rock From The Sun: Season 2 (Mill Creek Entertainment, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each), all completely unedited and retaining all of the featurettes and interviews from the original sets. So, perfect world.

The kids will feel a seasonal chill from Spongebob Squarepants: Spongebob’s Frozen Face-Off (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), which pulls together 7 episodes, some of which have a decidedly icy setting. Bonus materials include episodes of Fanboy & Chum Chum & Tuff Puppy.

Though it’s produced by Martin Scorsese and one of the writers from The Sopranos, the period piece Boardwalk Empire (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) has not become the destination viewing that it should be, considering its pedigree and star Steve Buscemi. Taking place in 1920 Atlantic City during the rise of Prohibition and spotlighting the corrupt society that grew up around it, I really should have liked it more. Perhaps viewing it again will soften my disappointment. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and a clutch of featurettes.

It’s the end of the road for Steve McGarrett as we finally arrive at the 12th and final season of Hawaii Five-O (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The 5-disc set contains all 19 episodes plus a promo and a music video tribute.

Buoyed by still-powerful performances from Gary Oldman & Chloe Webb, Sid & Nancy (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) makes its way to high definition looking and sounding great, and sporting a pair of featurettes… Though a Johnny Rotten commentary track must remain an unfulfilled wish.

I have to be honest in saying I’m not much for the dimensional beastie hijinks of Primeval (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), but I know there are plenty of fans who will probably be wanting to pick up volume 3, and will enjoy its featurette and prequel webisodes. So enjoy!

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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January 13, 2012
Review: SE7EN

Se7en

Undoubtedly meant to capitalize upon the eminent release of his latest feature, The Social Network, the reissue of David Fincher’s breakthrough Se7en is a reminder of both how far the director has come from a music video director and the de facto cartographer of late-’90s urban malaise and how much he has remained the same. His modern films, even the crime thriller Zodiac, lack the grime that cakes and festers in his early works, but they retain that sense of dreadful hollowness.

Underneath the aesthetic distance of his deep-focus photography, however, is a clear morality. Occasionally, it’s sneering, as it was in Fight Club, with its (justly) condescending look at emasculated fools, but for the more part he’s astonishingly sincere. Zodiac filled the gaps in the real-life investigation by focusing on the effects of unsolved murders on those trying to solve it. Contrary to the “Forrest Gump-redux” accusations leveled at it, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is ephemeral, not a lazy tour through important events so much as a meditation on how quickly those moments pass for those who experience them.

Looking back on Se7en within the context of Fincher’s second period, even the grisly murder-thriller can be said to be inherently moral. Its protagonist, Detective Somerset (Morgan Freeman), lives on the brink of nihilistic despair, the same sort that grips Sheriff Bell in Cormac McCarthy’s later No Country For Old Men. With a week left until retirement, he doesn’t want anything remotely complicated to fall on his desk so that he can retreat to the countryside without any more ghosts that will already tail him out there.

Naturally, fate intervenes, and, despite his wishes, he cannot stop himself from helping his replacement (Brad Pitt), when a serial killer begins leaving crime scenes modeled after the seven deadly sins. Each of these murders is more sickening and disturbing than the last, and the extremity yet sound science of the setups positions the film neatly at the middle of the two most notable pop culture items to be inspired by the film: Saw and C.S.I.

Fincher, at last freed from the yoke placed on him for his feature debut, Alien3, displays the range of his visual talents and establishing many of his trademarks, from the aforementioned deep focus to low-angled tracking shots. Everything removes the audience even as the story grips us tighter and tighter, creating the effect of being pulled apart that only compounds the stomach-churning feeling that the film engenders. Yet by removing himself aesthetically, Fincher prevents himself from getting too into what he’s depicting. Because of this, he never focuses too lasciviously on the murders, even staging the horrific Lust murder in an ingeniously roundabout manner that gives us all the details but leaves the true image of the death for the audience to create in their minds. This remove would serve him even better on Fight Club, but it allows him to remain on Somserset throughout the film.

At its core, Se7en uses the perverted religious fundamentalism of the murders to restore Somerset’s humanity. Unable to walk away from the case in good conscience, he at last realizes that there is something worth fighting for, that Mills, for all his arrogance, is a young man with ambition and a wife (Gwyneth Paltrow) who loves him. Plenty of films use horrific events to restore a religious faith (see Signs), but the great irony of this film is that Fincher uses atrocity based in religion to bring about a genuine humanity, one free of any obligation to anything save the people around us. When Somerset tells his captain that he’ll be “around” after the shocking climax, we realize that, rather than retreat from a world that terrifies him, he will instead continue to help in order to prevent something like this from happening again. So, the greatest surprise and twist of Se7en may have nothing to do with the plot; the biggest revelation is its beating heart.

Blu-Ray Specs

It should come as no surprise that a David Fincher film would look good on Blu-Ray – the court submits Fight Club, Zodiac and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button as Exhibits A-C – but I was blown away by Warner’s director-approved remaster. The sickly green and scabbed yellow-brown palettes pop off the screen, while the film’s attention to detail benefits from the heightened resolution. Black levels do not appear crushed nor blue, and the density of the film’s deep use of shadows has never looked so good.

The audio, too, has been bolstered impressively. The DTS-HD MA 7.1 track is both nuanced and powerful, with the incessant rain crashing around the speakers and the creaks of rotting buildings echoing until your brain rattles. Technically, this is one of the finest releases of the year, up there with the crop of Spielberg releases that hit the market in 2010 and pushed home theater systems to the limit.

Extras

Most of the supplemental features are reproduced from the Platinum Series DVD released all the way back in 2000. Fortunately, those extras were voluminous and so thorough that one could hardly expect any major expansion. Se7en comes with four packed audio commentaries, each involving Fincher and focusing on a specific section of the cast and crew. Remarkably, there is barely any overlap between the four, as Fincher is on-point in all of them and adapts perfectly to each scenario. Listening to him casually shoot the shit with his actors even as he displays a keen insight into their performances, as well as dissecting the nuances of Andrew Walker’s script helps one understand that the director is about more than the visuals. Deleted scenes and standard EPK material also makes the disc, but the addition of bonus material centered on the remastering job done for the Blu-Ray. If simply watching the film doesn’t convince you of the strength of this transfer, just take a gander at the comparisons offered between the old theatrical cut and this reissue. They even compare the audio tracks as well

Final Thoughts

Warner’s Blu-Ray collection has been exceedingly rewarding almost across the board, and Se7en is one of their finest jobs yet. I would have liked to see a supplemental feature about the film’s impact a decade later and how you can trace both torture porn and the rise of forensic shows to the film, but then that road also leads to a lot of back-patting and redundancy so perhaps it’s for the best that no real retrospective was planned. Even without much in the way of new extras, the transfer alone justifies any hesitation you might have over double-, even triple-dipping. Se7en has never looked so good, and if you’re like me, you might be surprised at how much more is going on beneath the plot turns that make this a film that warrants repeat viewings and deeper consideration.

– Jake Cole is a journalism student at Auburn University, where he regularly avoids people in favor of writing about film, television and music on his blog, Not Just Movies. He aspires to be a critic, partially out of his love for film but mainly because he’s always dreamed of living a life of extreme poverty.

September 23, 2010
Soapbox: Give Us The Girly Men (And Nobody Gets Hurt)

Give Us The Girly Men (And Nobody Gets Hurt)

It all began when a woman I know described Justin Bieber as “sexy”. Sure, I guess he’s a cute kid and all, but this just seemed wrong to me. How can a woman in her mid-thirties find a sixteen year old child “sexy”? I tried to let her comment slide, but found myself haunted by images of ‘The Biebs’ as he is lovingly referred to by his fans. How does a 16 year old boy from Ontario become an internationally worshipped and drooled over sex icon? Furthermore, why does it creep me out so much?

Granted, many of his fans are teenage girls, but how could this skinny little teen appeal to women with the likes of George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Josh Holloway equally available to receive their affections from afar? I have a theory which may surprise you.

Girly Boy and Manly Man

According to various scientific studies, being on the birth control pill may be the reason many sexually mature women swoon over the likes of Justin Bieber and everyone’s favorite sparkly vampire Robert Pattinson (Twi-moms, anyone?). Many of the studies to date do not fully tackle the issue of physical attraction based on appearance alone, but to me it seems the effects of the birth control pill on at least some women’s preferences towards different types of men are apparent.

Scent has been identified as a crucial factor in terms of physical attraction, as subconsciously we are all affected by them. Through these imperceptible differences in scent, naturally ovulating women are naturally attracted to males with differing MHC genes than their own, to ensure offspring with healthy and functioning immune systems. This does not seem to apply to women on the birth control pill, and as many studies have shown they actually tend to be more attracted to men with more similar MHC genes.

What does this mean? Generally, men with very differing MHC genes from women are rugged, manly, hairy, and strong. Men with MHC genes more similar to their female counterparts tend to be less hairy, less muscular and possess more effeminate features.

Couples who share similar MHC genes are far more likely to be related, which some studies are linking to higher infertility rates. It also means that the laws of natural attraction no longer apply for many of us, men and women included. Ovulating women are known to give off subtle signals that attract men and signal fertility – women with regulated hormone levels do not.

Nobody really knows why this makes them more drawn to more effeminate men, but some theories suggest that the hormones in birth control which mimic pregnancy also tend to subconsciously draw women to more nurturing companions. This brings in another issue entirely: deciding to go on or off the birth control pill could have potentially disastrous effects on a relationship. Think about it, if your girlfriend is attracted to you while she is on the pill, and then stops taking it, she will undergo a massive change in hormones which she will have no control over. This hormonal change could wreak havoc on an unsuspecting relationship in a number of ways – such as the woman being more likely to end the relationship or cheat as she is no longer attracted to the partner she is with on a purely physical/hormonal level.

One thing is for sure: A lot has changed since the 1960’s when the birth control was made widely available to women. Though this may be highly subjective, to me it appears that male sex icons are getting younger and for lack of a better word, girlier, while female sex icons have remained relatively the same age, with the same degree of femininity.

It is impossible to argue that pre-1960’s heartthrobs such as Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty, Sean Connery, Clark Gable, Paul Newman and Clint Eastwood were not ultra-masculine. Can you say the same for the 1990’s or 2000’s? Fashions and styles change, but when pictured side by side it is clear that more modern definitions of sexual attractiveness have undergone many changes in the last fifty years. Even comparing Michael Keaton (who played Batman in 1989) to Christian Bale (who played Batman in 2005) you can see how these changes have affected what is sexy in 2010. Whether it has been a purely cultural shift or something more complex is up to you to decide.

– Mary Hoffman

June 3, 2010
Weekend Shopping Guide 1/9/09: Bod’s Oddkins

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…

There’s nothing more depressing than finishing a good novel. Perhaps the absolute was a bit much, I admit, but it is with a sense of disappointment that one finishes a good novel and must leave its world. I felt that sense of loss upon completing Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins, $17.99 SRP) – the wonderful tale of a boy named Bod, adopted by the dead in a small town graveyard after his family is murdered by a mysterious evil man named Jack. I shall not attempt to summarize if further (or any more poorly) except to say that you should seek the book out immediately and give it a read. I’ve read many a book in my day – fiction and non, biographies (both auto & non), textbooks… you name it. I’ve finally determined exactly what I enjoy about Neil Gaiman’s books, and that is the sense of magic in the stories he writes. It may not even be literal magic – though there’s plenty of that – it’s more a general sensibility that permeates his work.

He’s avoided taking the plunge into many a feature film (besides small roles in Stardust, For Your Consideration, & A Night At The Museum), so there must have been something special that Ricky Gervais saw in Ghost Town (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP) to finally sign up for the lead. After watching it, I can see why – it’s a nicely calculated move that allows him to have a plum part with a well-written script in a film that also has a broad appeal. In a nutshell, imagine if the lead in Ghost had been Whoopi Goldberg’s character – but instead of just hearing them, Gervais’s curmudgeonly dentist Dr. Pinkus can see and hear the departed after a brief “episode” during a routine colon examination. Ultimately, this does involve a love story and Greg Kinnear and a true heart, but the real joy is just watching Ricky be Ricky. Bonus features include an audio commentary with writer/director David Koepp & Gervais, and a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition is also available ($39.99 SRP) with identical bonus features.

While it’s not exactly the continuing adventures that some fans have been clamoring for, JK Rowling dipped back into the Harry Potter universe to bring to life the magical book of fairy tales that played a role in the 7th and final Potter installment. The only catch was that she originally crafted those books as a clutch of handmade tomes distributed to those who had helped make the Potter series a reality, plus one edition that was sold at auction for charity. That edition sold to Amazon.com, and through many a winding path and all for charity, the general public can now get their own copy of The Tales Of Beedle The Bard (Scholastic, $12.99 SRP) with commentary from the late Albus Dumbledore. It’s a slight volume, but it is a fun little peek back into that world.

It was dismissed by many, but I got a kick out of Joel & Ethan Coen’s spy comedy Burn After Reading (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), as it plays like a quirky cross between the plot twists of Fargo and the quirkiness of O Brother, Where Art Thou. Bottom line, it’s a nice character piece, and worth a second look. Bonus features include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes.

I wasn’t sure, going in, whether or not I’d enjoy Pineapple Express (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP). When all was said and done, though, I wound up digging it’s genre-melding ability to place a Judd Apatow pot and immature adult flick into an 80’s action flick that feels like Michael Mann meets John McTiernan. If you’ve been hesitant to give it a spin, give it a chance. The 2-disc special edition features an unrated cut of the film, an audio commentary, deleted/alternate scenes, making-of featurettes, raw footage, line-o-ramas, rehearsal footage, a table read, a gag reel, and more. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.95 SRP) with the same bonus features is also available.

It didn’t make much of a blip at the box office despite a strong showing on the festival circuit, but here’s hoping home video will give a second life to the made-for-cult status comedy Hamlet 2 (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which stars Steve Coogan as a not-terribly-talented actor turned high school drama teacher who devises a grand scheme to save the budget-axed drama program. That scheme? Engaging his blasÃ© students and saving the program via his grand epiphany – a sequel to Hamlet that’s equal parts Shakespeare, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Doctor Who. Just watch the thing already. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a making-of featurette, a sing along, and more.

John Hodgman has been hounding me to give it a second chance, and now that I have the penultimate Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.0 (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) in hand, I may very well go back and give the whole thing another try. For fans, the 4-disc set features the extended version of the TV movie Razor, featurettes, podcasts, deleted scenes, and video blogs.

It’s light, it’s frothy, but the real reason to watch The House Bunny (Sony, Rated PG-13, DVD-$39.95 SRP) is for the always-enjoyable comedic talents of star Anna Faris, here playing a Playmate who’s tossed out of the mansion and finds herself turning around a sorority filled with awkward girls. Think of it as some kind of bizarre Playboy’s Revenge Of The Nerds. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a music video, and more. A Blu-Ray edition is also available ($ SRP), sporting the same bonus materials.

Strip away some of the self-aware smarm of Juno and throw it on TV with Molly Ringwald playing the mother to the pregnant teen and you’ve essentially got the ABC family series The Secret Life Of The American Teenager (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). The first season set features all 11 episodes, plus an on-set featurette.

Everybody’s favorite sociopath makes his Blu-Ray debut with Dexter: The First Season (Showtime, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.98 SRP). It’s essentially the same special edition set as the standard DVD release, except in high definition and featuring a clutch of BD-Live features, including featurettes, a Michael C. Hall podcast, the first episode of season 3, and episodes of United States Of Tara.

Less meets the eye in the second visually off-putting season of Transformers Animated (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), which took great characters and designs and turned them into graphic noise. I guess the kids today like it. The 2-disc set features a pair of audio commentaries, two animated shorts, and a photo gallery.

From Doctor Who companion to woman for hire, Billie Piper stars in Secret Diary Of A Call Girl (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) as the low-key Hannah, who by night transforms herself into London’s wildest and most successful high-priced female escort. The first season set features all 8 episodes, plus a featurette.

The students of Cyprus-Rhodes University are back in class for the second season of ABC Family’s Greek (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP). Will a Spring Break trip to Myrtle Beach rock a few boats? Who knows? You will, if you watch the 12 episodes here, replete with audio commentaries, a flashback episode, a music video, and bloopers.

Known for his work on Battlestar Galactica, composer Bear McCreary has also been tackling the score for Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (La-La Land Records, $17.99 SRP), the first CD of which is now available for your listening pleasure.

Soft-spoken Monika Hertwig has a horrible family legacy that she has spent her whole life trying to reconcile – that her father was the monstrous Nazi Officer Amon Goeth, commandant of the Plaszow concentration camp that was portrayed on screen in Schindler’s List. In attempting to come to terms with that legacy, she meets up with Helen Jonas, who lived as an enslaved servant under Goeth’s roof. This struggle – and the meeting of these two women – is chronicled in the fascinating documentary Inheritance (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP). Give it a spin.

Will the secret past of bellybutton-less Kyle finally be revealed in the second season of Kyle XY (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP)? Or who the equally enigmatic Jessi XX is? Or anything, really? Find out in the 23 episodes comprising the second season, featuring audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and an alternate ending.

Obnoxious sarcasm has a name – and a species – and it is Duckman (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Even all these years later, it still stands as a caustic, bitter pill of a show that’s also quite funny. The complete 3rd and 4th season set features all 48 episodes, plus video of the original pilot animatics, walk cycles, expressions, pencil tests, storyboards, and more.

From the Pang Brothers, Bangkok Dangerous (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP) has the unfortunate luck to star Nicolas Cage as its lead, a hired assassin who tries to retire but finds himself being hunted himself. Sad that Cage has now become a parody of himself, and is largely unwatchable. The 2-disc edition features an alternate ending, featurettes, and the theatrical trailer.

No matter how much my Irish friend Brian sings its praises, I just don’t enjoy Frisky Dingo (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP). It doesn’t strike my funny bone, and I accept that. Still, people like Brian will delight in the complete second season, featuring all 13 episodes, a political commercial and an Xtacles skit.

So you’ve got state of CGI and a bunch of theories about the hunting techniques of the dinosaurs. What do you do with all of this and get today’s audience to watch? Why, Jurassic Fight Club (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) – in which these theories are presented for various predators in full computer generated glory. The complete first season set features all 12 episodes, plus additional footage.

Showtime’s sudsy pseudo-historical drama The Tudors returns for a second season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$40.99 SRP), as King Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Myers begins to hit the rocky relationship road that in many ways would define his reign. The 4-disc set features all 10 episodes, plus featurettes, galleries, and episodes of Californication and The United States Of Tara.

In many ways the Seventh Heaven of its day, the eighth season of The Waltons (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) finds America’s first family in turmoil as their son is reported MIA. Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom, as there are plenty of things like births, graduations, and so forth to brighten the day. The 3-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus a bonus retrospective special.

Seeking to recapture his Riddick heyday, Vin Diesel stars as the unfortunately named Toorop in the turgid sci-fi actioner Babylon AD (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP) that plays like a futuristic cross between Transporter and The Bodyguard. The 2-disc set contains a clutch of featurettes, a digital graphic novel, and more. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.

Considering they cost next to nothing, I suppose the recent spate of parody movies really don’t need to make much at the theater and home video to be considered a massive success. It’s good that the threshold is so easily attainable, considering just how awful the latest, Disaster Movie (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is.

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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January 8, 2009