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…
I admit – I was wary of Wall-E. Cars had left me a little cold (and the creepy, post-apocalyptic, human-less but made by humans world it was set in was just disturbing), but Ratatouille was more enjoyable than I thought it was going to be, and my faith in Pixar was ready to be fully restored. And it was. It helps that I experienced the film sitting beside my 4-year-old nephew, who was in the process of taking in his very first movie on a movie theater’s BIG SCREEN. It was a magical time from start to finish, and the DVD brings it on home. If standard definition is still your cup of tea, then I recommend the Wall-E: 3-Disc Special Edition (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$39.99 SRP), featuring an audio commentary with director Andrew Stanton, deleted scenes, a sneak peek at “Wall-E’s Tour Of The Universe”, a look at Ben Burtt’s sound design work, the “Presto” short, a brand-new short following the frustrated robot Burn-E, a look into the workings of Buy n Large, behind-the-scenes featurettes, Leslie Iwerks’s feature documentary The Pixar Story, and more. For you high-def enthusiasts, the Blu-Ray Wall-E (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$40.99 SRP) features all of the bonus features of the standard edition, plus the addition of picture-in-picture storyboards and commentary on “Burn-E”, pop-up commentary, video games, 3-D set fly-throughs, and Cine-Explore with Andrew Stanton. Take your pick, but be sure to pick up at least one.
Kudos to Stephen Colbert for reviving the tradition of a pundit holiday special – just like the George Plimpton celebrations of yore – with A Colbert Christmas (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Would you believe it’s full of festive musical performances and opinionated tidings? And a video fire? BELIEVE IT!
While I don’t think it’s quite the revelatory masterpiece that the hype made it out to be, I did enjoy Tropic Thunder (Dreamworks, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). In a nutshell, the plot finds a group of spoiled, pampered actors – led by Ben Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr., and Jack Black – who are filming a Vietnam epic that derails after only a week’s worth of shooting under a first-time director (Steve Coogan). Pressed by the hard-ass, batshit crazy studio boss (Tom Cruise channeling Harvey Weinstein) to get the film made or else, the director decides to drop his actors into the real jungle for a bit of cinema verite. To reveal anything else would be spoiling some genuine surprises, so I can only suggest you check out the 2-disc unrated edition, featuring audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted/extended scenes, an alternate ending, video rehearsals, the MTV Movie Awards, and more. A Blu-Ray edition is also available ($39.99 SRP) with identical features, but presented in full HD.
After a pair of unsatisfying “best-of” compilations spanning the show’s entire run, we finally go back to the beginning for a proper complete first season set of Spin City (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). Reuniting Michael J. Fox and the creator of Family Ties, Gary David Goldberg, Fox starred as the deputy mayor to the barely competent mayor of New York (played wonderfully by Barry Bostwick). The show played like a wonderful cross between Benson and Night Court, and I’m glad it’s finally getting some DVD respect. The 4-disc set features all 24 episodes, plus audio commentaries, a retrospective featurette with the cast and crew, and a 1996 Paley Center seminar with Fox & Goldeberg.
After her turn in the Christmas special “The Runaway Bride”, some were worried about Catherine Tate reprising her role of Donna Noble as the 10th Doctor’s new companion in the fourth series of Doctor Who (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP). I’m happy to report that those fears quickly dissipated right from the get-go, as Donna – and Tate – proved to be one of the Doctor’s finest companions in a season that saw the return of the Sontarans and Davros, plus a few more surprises to boot. The 6-disc set features all 14 episodes plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, video diaries, the Children In Need special “Time Crash”, a retrospective featurette, Doctor Who Confidential, teasers, and trailers.
There’ve been a boxful of previous soundtrack releases for the Indiana Jones films, but now we’ve got Indiana Jones: The Soundtrack Collection (Concord Records, $59.98 SRP). The set features expanded scores for all 4 films containing previously unreleased cues, as well as a bonus 5th disc with interviews (Williams, Spielberg, & Lucas) and additional cues from the films.
If you’ve been patiently avoiding the single-disc releases for the next seasonal batch of that happy chap that lives in a pineapple under the sea, then you’ll rejoice in your purchase of SpongeBob Squarepants: Season 5 Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), whose 2 discs feature 21 episodes.
Criterion sprinkles their cinematic fairy dust and delivers to film geeks another stellar special edition, this time for the acclaimed 1965 adaptation of John le Carre’s The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (Criterion, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). In addition to the stunning new restoration to the film itself, the 2-disc set features a select-scene commentary from DP Oswald Morris, an interview with le Carre, a BBC documentary on the author, a 1967 interview with star Richard Burton, an audio conversation with director Martin Ritt, a gallery of set designs, and the usual Criterion essay booklet.
I view the remastered editions of the original Star Trek to be a unique aberration that sometimes succeeds in providing a richer experience than the original effects work, but often just plays as just an awkward exercise. Still, you can now wrap things up with the release of the final season, Star Trek: Season Three – Remastered (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$84.98 SRP), featuring all 24 episodes plus the original and extended versions of “The Cage”, plus the third installment of Billy Blackburn’s home movies.
It’s been edited to remove Kermit, but Jim Henson’s The Christmas Toy (HIT, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) makes its DVD debut. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about last year’s toys becoming fearful that Santa’s new deliveries on Christmas Eve will replace them. There’s nothing like toy angst.
By now, when one goes into a Werner Herzog film, one expects an experience wholly unique. That’s certainly what you get with Encounters At The End Of The World (Image, Rated G, DVD-$27.98 SRP), in which the filmmaker follows an extraordinary group of individuals carving out an existence at the literal end of the world – Antarctica. The 2-disc set features an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, Jonathan Demme interviewing Herzog, and the theatrical trailer.
Fans of The Who have been waiting years for a pristine release of the band’s 1977 concert in Kilburn, North London, and The Who at Kilburn 1977 (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) certainly delivers that. It’s also one of the last concerts to feature drummer Keith Moon. The 2-disc set also contains the band’s 1969 concert from the London Coliseum, which is the first ever live recorded performance of Tommy.
You know, I didn’t think I’d get anything out of Fred Claus (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$28.98 SRP) – starring Vince Vaughn as the bah humbug black sheep brother of goodnick Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti). Wouldn’t you know it, events conspire so that only Fred can save Christmas, and the bigger holiday miracle? I actually enjoyed the flick. Bonus features include additional scenes, an audio commentary, interviews, and behind-the-scenes featurettes. The Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) sports a bonus disc with the game Fred Claus: Race To Save Christmas.
When it first premiered, I had Bones pegged as one of those quirky shows that couldn’t possibly survive the network ignoramusi for long. But here we are with Bones: Season Three (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) hitting DVD, and all of the quirkiness is still intact – and stars Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz are still having a ball as the lighter Mulder & Scully. The 5-disc set features extended editions of all 14 episodes, plus 4 bonus episodes from season 4, the unaired version of the episode “Player Under Pressure”, a gag reel, and more.
The idea of Will Smith playing an antisocial ex-superhero who gets hooked up with an image consultant played by Jason Bateman seems like it should delight me to no end, but Hancock (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$34.95 SRP) just left me cold. Maybe that’s because it never seems to find the right tone for the material, careening from slapstick to serious often enough to give you whiplash. The 2-disc set features an unrated version of the film in addition to the theatrical version, behind-the-scenes featurettes, trailers, and more.
The third season of How I Met Your Mother (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is when the show finally started to turn a corner for me. I found the writing on the first two seasons to be forced and annoyingly “clever” – even though the actors were bringing their A game – but this season everyone started to loosen up and find a groove that could finally move the show towards ultimately becoming a classic. Here’s hoping they can maintain the momentum. The 3-disc box-set features all 20 episodes plus audio commentaries, additional scenes, featurettes, music videos, Lily & Marshall’s honeymoon videos, a gag reel, and more.
A&E Home Video has leapt into the world of high definition with a pair of pre-existing catalogue releases that certainly set the stage for some nice drops in the future. First up is the inaugural season of their interstellar documentary series The Universe (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.95 SRP). The second is about as far from that as you can get – Macca’s most recent concert film, Paul McCartney: The Space Within Us (A&E, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.95 SRP). Maybe we can get some of their licensed series soon, too. Blu-Ray Monty Python, anyone?
Full disclosure time. I consider my very first crush to be on Punky Brewster. Just to show how aware I was at the time, as a wee lad, I even knew that the precocious Punky was played by a girl named Soleil Moon Frye – who I vowed I would one day marry. At least that’s what I told my friends while we played in our junk wood playhouse at the top of the hill behind Quantico base housing all those years ago. I never did marry Soleil (her loss, really), but I did watch her show. Now, thanks to those pop culture machiavellis at Shout! Factory, I can relive that long-ago crush with all four seasons of Punky Brewster (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP). Not only does this 4-disc set feature the first season, but you get interviews with the cast and crew, as well as episodes from the animated It’s Punky Brewster. Some crushes die hard… “Punky Power,” indeed…
It’s hard for them to dig themselves out of the hole the show has been going deeper and deeper into the past few years after its stellar first few seasons, but they at least attempted some course correction during the 7th season of Scrubs (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$29.99 SRP), attempting to bring the show back to more grounded humor and away from the live action Family Guy it had become. The 2-disc set contains all 11 episodes, plus audio commentaries, the making of “My Princess”. Alternate lines, deleted scenes, bloopers, and an interview with Ken Jenkins.
It’s a legendary concert and now it’s gotten a suitably reverent release with Cheap Trick: Budokan! (Sony Legacy, $49.98 SRP), loaded with the original remastered release, the complete concert in its entirety, and a bonus DVD. I want you to want it. You know you want it.
Minoru Kawasaki is a bizarre filmmaker whose bizareness is matched only by that of his films themselves. Don’t believe me? Check out the psychological thriller starring a 6-foot office-working Executive Koala, or the toupee-flinging crack detective The Rug Cop, or the wonderfully odd post-apocalyptic satire The World Sinks Except Japan (Synapse, Not Rated, DVD-$21.99 SRP each). Bonus features include featurettes, trailers, and an audio commentary on The World Sinks. Bi-zarre.
Tick another one off the list, as the fifth and final season of The Odd Couple (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) makes its way to DVD. We’re running out of classic television series that are still absent from home video (I’m looking at you, full season Sgt. Bilko sets). The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus Murray the Cop in drag.
One of my nephew’s favorite Nick shows is The Fairly Oddparents, so I’m sure he’ll eagerly devour The Fairly Oddparents: Season 6 Volume 1 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). The 2-disc set contains 16 episodes, including The Fairly Odd Baby movie.
I am not the target audience. At all. But I know the target audience is probably screaming in giddy anticipation for the release of Hannah Montana: Season 1 (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP). The 4-disc set features all 26 episodes, plus a behind-the-scenes featurette, highlights, and Miley Cyrus’s opening song from the 2008 Disney Channel Games.
A staple of my 80’s Nick At Nite viewing returns with its sophomore outing in the form of Father Knows Best: Season Two (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). The 5-disc set features all 36 episodes starring Robert Young as the very epitome of the 50’s TV family man. Bonus features include new cast interviews, the Robert Young film Stage To Yuma, an episode of Young’s next series (Window On Main Street), and more.
There were times during the 3rd season of The Unit (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) that I felt where I was watching a post-modern, serious version of the A-Team‘s final season. And no, I’m not kidding. See for yourself. The 3-disc set features all 11 episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a featurette.
The pants-loving foursome is back in The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 2 (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.98 SRP), which finds the four best friends finishing up their first year of college and journeying out into the world during their summer break. Bonus features include additional scenes, a look at the genesis of the final sequence, and a gag reel. A Blu-Ray edition is also available ($35.99 SRP), containing the same bonus features.
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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Let’s kick things off this week with a very special video feature – an episode of COOKERY! hosted by me, Ken Plume. Like many others before me, I’ve become addicted to partaking of both Pineapple and Orange-flavored Dole Whips whilst enjoying a day… or a week (whatever!)… in either Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Thanks to a bit of sleuthing and the fine folks at Precision Foods and Cuisinart’s ICE-45 soft-serve ice cream machine, I managed to make my very own batch of Dole Soft Serve in my very own home, and you can, too. Watch…
Oh, Shout Factory. I’ve long since come to have an unconditional belief in your ability to clear even the gnarliest of rights tangles, and you’ve proven your miraculous powers once again in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXII (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP) and its inclusion of Space Travelers (aka Marooned), which was once thought to be unclearable. And then you did it. The set rounds out with Hercules, Radar Secret Service, and San Francisco International, making for a nice mix of Joel and Mike episodes, plus a clutch of bonus featurettes and introductions from Frank Conniff.
Their brand new seasons are returning soon to deliver us from the doldrums of Girls, but in the meantime you can rewatch the stellar debut season of Silicon Valley (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) and the equally brilliant third season of Veep (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP). As for bonus materials, Silicon Valley has audio commentaries and a trio of featurettes, while Veep has a quartet of audio commentaries and a clutch of deleted scenes.
In an era of CG, it’s refreshing to see a beautifully realized animated film like Song Of The Sea (Universal, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) done in hand-drawn 2D by the same folks who created the also-gorgeous Secret Of The Kells. Based on the Irish legend of the Selkies, it’s like getting a feature film mash-up between The Legend Of Zelda and The Black Cauldron. And did I mention how wonderful it looks? Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and animation tests.
I’d like to say that the final installment of Peter Jackson’s 3-part adaptation of pulls together all of the threads into a gloriously satisfying finish, but The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP) instead feels like a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. There are some grand moments, and a fair number of characters we’ve come to, if not love, at least be fond of, but poor Bilbo feels like an afterthought in his own story, as the focus remains squarely on Thorin and its associated sturm & drang. A shame, really. And we all know we’re merely marking time until the release of the expanded edition at the end of the year, so this theatrical cut gets only the barest of bonus features, with about an hour’s worth of featurettes.
Chris Rock is a funny, funny man. And his writing and directorial debut, Top Five (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is a funny, funny film, starring Rock as a stand-up forced to take a long, hard look at himself after an encounter with a journalist (Rosario Dawson). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
As both a documentary film and a powerful indictment of justice mishandled, Errol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) remains just as effective today, particularly in light of recent events. And now the film looks and sounds better than ever, thanks to a high definition upgrade from Criterion. Bonus materials include new interviews with Morris and The Act Of Killing director Joshua Oppenheimer, an NBC news report from 1989, and an essay by film scholar Charles Musser.
It seems hard to believe, but it’s only now that the Marlon Brando classic The Wild One (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP) is making its high definition debut. Joining it on Blu-Ray is the lesser Orson Welles classic The Lady From Shanghai (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP). Both are a long time in coming, but finally here.
Much like the overly-ballyhooed Gravity before it, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) tries to trade on a ham-fisted approach to real science before devolving into mealy-mouth spiritual gobbledygook in a saccharine finale. Which is a shame, because it could have been so much more, rather than a half-baked Kubrick. Bonus materials include a clutch of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
A beautifully shot documentary about an incredibly nifty animal narrated by Morgan Freeman? In 3D? Yes, please. Because that’s exactly what IMAX Island Of Lemurs: Madagascar (Warner Bros., Rated G, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) delivers. plus a passel of additional featurettes.
If you’re not willing or able to dive into the complete season sets but just want to dip your toe, CBS has released a trio of sampler collections for just that purpose. Star Trek: Captain Kirk’s Boldest Missions (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) contains the episodes “The Corbomite Maneuver”, “The Doomsday Machine”, “The City On The Edge Of Forever”, “The Conscience Of The King”, “Balance Of Terror”, “Space Seed”, “Mirror Mirror”, and “Return To Tomorrow”. Matlock: Greatest Cases (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) is a 3-disc affair sporting a dozen episodes spanning the run of the show. Finally, Petticoat Junction: Family Favorite Episodes (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP) sports 8 episodes, fully restored, from across its black & white and color run.
Exercise your dormant creativity with Drawing Is Magic: Discovering Yourself In A Sketchbook (Melanie Falick, $17.95 SRP), as artist John Hendrix presents scores of brilliant creative prompts and lessons that make drawing fun and interactive.
Another week, and the fine folks at Olive Films surprise with another solid clutch of new-to-high-def catalogue releases. This week brings Brian Dennehy & James Woods in Best Seller (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Bill Pullman & Gabriel Byrne in Wim Wenders’ The End Of Violence (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Robert Duvall & James Earl Jones in Convicts (Olive, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Gary Oldman & Dennis Hopper in Chattahoochee (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Tim Roth & Paul Rhys in Vincent & Theo (Olive, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), and the brilliant documentary John Ford: Dreaming The Quiet Man (Olive, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), about the director’s 20 year journey to realize his film.
It came and went at the box office, but the modern re-make of Annie (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$38.99 SRP) is a nice little charmer, even if it will never reach the iconic status of the flawed John Huston take on the musical. Bonus materials include featurettes, an audio commentary, a deleted song, bloopers, a music video, and more.
