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…
Ever since seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark as a wee child, Indy’s iconic headwear has held a special fascination for me. Even going back 15 years, I contemplated trying to get a fedora of my own – but the price was quite prohibitive (or, at least, relative to my finances today). Still, the dream persisted, and on a trip to Disneyland a few years back I picked up one of their $35 officially licensed fedoras – and I was happy. It looked close enough to the real thing for me to feel like I finally got what I’d always wanted. Ah, but then ThinkGeek had to step in and slap me across the face, and show me that there was a difference between hamburger and steak with their high-end, officially licensed Indiana Jones fedora. Featuring 100% pure felt, a leather headband, and a satin liner, it’s the ultimate geek dream – so, surely, it must be hundreds of dollars… But you’d be wrong! The hat can be yours for just $99. Head on over to ThinkGeek straightaway and get yours, now… You know you want to. Hell, as you can see from the pic below, I’m wearing mine right now… I might even wear it to bed.
We’ve now officially reached – and passed – the middle of The Muppet Show‘s DVD release with the arrival of season 3 (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). There’s only two more seasons to go, but you’ll more than enjoy the magnificent clutch of classic episodes contained herein, with guests including Harry Belafonte, Gilda Radner, Pearl Bailey, and more. The 4-disc set also features a welcome return of absolute must-have rarities from the archives (thanks, Craig!), including the public television special “Muppets On Puppets”, Rowlf the Dog Purina commercials, and a spotlight on the Muppet performers.
With all that attention being paid to the man with the hat, let’s turn our eye towards the original Lucasian franchise that was driven into the ground with an unfortunate return, Star Wars. Before the release of the prequels – even before the release of the special editions – there was an incredible behind-the-scenes tome that was released. Though out of print for years, it was brought back into print a few years back, and it’s celebration of an unsullied Star Wars universe warms my frosted heart. Packed with hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos and detailed information, get your own copy of Star Wars Chronicles (Chronicle Books, $150.00 SRP) and try to recapture some of the magic stolen by that bearded bastard.
Although still largely unknown in the US, I’m quite the fan of mentalist/magician/illusionist/creepy guy Derren Brown. I heartily recommend you pick up the DVD documenting his live tour Derren Brown: Something Wicked This Way Comes (Channel 4, Region 2, Not Rated, DVD-£12.99 SRP). It’s a simply stunning piece of theater, and a must-see. The DVD contains deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes footage, but sadly no commentary (I want to know how the walking on glass/reduced circulation trick was accomplished).
It’s been so long since their airing that I barely remember the episodes features in the 5th season set of Penn & Teller’s Bullshit (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). The 2-disc set features 10 episodes on topics including obesity, Wal-Mart, breast hysteria, de-toxing, exorcism, immigration, handicap parking, Mt. Rushmore, anger management, and more. Unfortunately, we’re still not getting any bonus features, making the features on the first season set a fluke.
Although his smarmy, opportunistic, and ultimately destructive behavior became cartoonish in his last years as prime minister, it’s a film like writer Peter Morgan and director Stephen Frears’ The Deal (Channel 4, Region 2, Not Rated, DVD-£15.99 SRP) that shows that Tony Blair was always a little Machiavelli. The film details the rise to power of Tony Blair, on the back of current Prime Minister Gordon Brown – from the broken Labour Party of the 80’s to their triumphant return in the 1990’s, and the understanding that Blair would step aside after a second term… which, obviously, he did not. Michael Sheen reprises his role as Blair, and David Morrissey is pitch-perfect as Brown. It’s a fascinating piece of political drama that is still having repercussions today.
Long before her turn as Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Jessica Parker was teamed with Amy Linker in the 80’s prototype for My So-Called Life, Square Pegs (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). You can now own the complete awkward misadventures of Patty and Lauren in the harrowing halls of Weemawee High School via this new DVD set, featuring all 19 episodes across 3 discs. Bonus materials include interviews with the cast and crew and minisodes of Silver Spoons and The Facts Of Life.
Longtime readers of this column will know I’m a sucker for historical documentaries, so keep that in mind when I say I watched The Hunt For John Wilkes Booth (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), which illuminates and traces the escape route the assassin used after shooting Lincoln.
If you’re an armchair adventurer, you might want to pick up a copy of The Indiana Jones Handbook: The Complete Adventurer’s Guide (Quirk Books, $18.95 SRP). It’s essentially a tongue-in-cheek survival guide based on the Indy universe, advising on everything from “How To Pass Under A Moving Truck” to “How To Escape The Wrath Of God”.
If you’ve not yet seen Brass Eye (Channel 4, Region 2, Not Rated, DVD-£19.99 SRP), you need to rectify that egregious comedic oversight immediately. I’m serious. Immediately. As satire goes, it’s absolutely brilliant, pointed, and brutal in its take on the topics of sex, crime, animals, science, and more. The DVD contains the entire series, plus bonus footage, audio commentaries, trailers, and more.
Often – and unfairly – overshadowed by the much showier Platoon, Hamburger Hill (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP) gets a new 20th Anniversary special edition of Bravo Company’s struggle to take the infamous Vietnamese hill. Bonus features include n audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a timeline.
After four seasons of Jim Nabors bumbling around as the titular Gomer Pyle, USMC (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), you pretty much know what you’re going to get. It’s a safe bet that Gomer will screw up something or another on Camp Henderson, much to the consternation of Sgt. Carter. The 5-disc set features all 30 episodes, sparkling-fresh.
You’ve got to love BBC period dramas – and I do. They’re lush, they’re dependable, and they’re usually packed with top-flight actors. Such is the case with Cranford (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) – based on the works of Elizabeth Gaskell – which features Judi Dench, Michael Gambon, and Imelda Staunton. The sole bonus feature of the 2-disc set is a making-of featurette.
I was an avid Saturday morning cartoon watcher during the 70’s and 80’s, and even I don’t remember that there was such a beast as the Richie Rich Scooby Doo Show (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Despite my lack of knowledge, there apparently was, and the first volume of it is now available – its 2 discs featuring 7 episodes and the featurette “The Story Of Richie Rich”. Who knew?
Not one to let the dead rest even a moment, George Romero returns with another installment in his seemingly never-ending zombie saga, Diary Of The Dead (Dimension, Rated R, DVD-$24.99 SRP). This go round, it’s the Cloverfield of the run, as we find a group of college film students documenting the rise of the zombie epidemic. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a feature-length documentary, featurettes, and more. Also available is a newly-restored, feature-laden special edition of Romero’s original Night Of The Living Dead (Dimension, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), featuring a pair of audio commentaries, a feature-length documentary, interviews, and more.
If watching war flicks over the labor day weekend seems kind of old hat, you might want to try taking a look at the veritable wagonload of westerns making their way out of the vaults. First out the gate is Fox, which has dropped John Wayne: The Fox Westerns (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), featuring a quartet of the Duke’s outings for the studio – The Big Trail, North To Alaska, The Comancheros, and The Undefeated – including Fox Movietone News segments, featurettes, audio commentary, trailers, and more. Also available is Fox Western Classics (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), with Rawhide, The Gunfighter, and Garden Of Evil.
For sheer volume, though, MGM has opened up the floodgates with Man With The Gun, Man Of The West, The Gunfight At Dodge City, Day Of The Outlaw, The Way West, Sergeants 3, Navajo Joe, and The Westerner (MGM, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each), as well as the complete collection of the Michel Biehn starring TV take on The Magnificent Seven (MGM, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP).
If you’re in the mood for a great drama that features Eddie Izzard (and really, who isn’t?), try the Region 2 release 40 (Channel 4, Region 2, Not Rated, DVD-£19.99 SRP), which focuses on the interwoven lives of seven men & women reaching the titular age and realizing exactly who they are – and what they’ve done – in life, with some unforeseen consequences.
Surely I can’t be the only one that had zero interest in National Treasure, and even less interest in its sequel, National Treasure 2: Book Of Secrets (Walt Disney, Rated PG, DVD-$29.99 SRP). I mean, I found the story to be lackluster and Nic Cage to be about as interesting as paint drying. No… wait… I’d rather watch the paint, hands-down. For those of you who do care about Cage’s search for the Lost City Of Gold, the 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, outtakes, and more.
Take Party Animal, mix in The Hills, and add a bit of the envelope pushing of Queer As Folk – oh, and set it all in the UK – and you’ve got the basic formula for Skins (Channel 4, Region 2, Not Rated, DVD-£39.99 SRP), an acclaimed dramedy which follows a group of hard-partying teens that are slipping through the cracks of society in the most hedonistic way possible. The 6-disc box-set features both the first and second seasons, plus interviews, video diaries, bonus stories, and more.
The be-uniformed crusaders of the Judge Advocate General’s office return in the sixth season of JAG (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$55.98 SRP). Thrills! Spills! Cast shake-ups! The 6-disc set features all 24 episodes, but not a single bonus feature.
I still believe the film is an unwanted return to a franchise whose potential was dashed upon the rocks of a mediocre first outing, but there is something to be said for Harry Gregson-Williams’ score to The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian (Walt Disney Records, $19.99 SRP), which really deserves a better film.
Hoping to fill the void left by Jeff Foxworthy’s departure from the sitcom scene, redneck compatriot Bill Engvall received the eponymous Bill Engvall Show (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which found him starring as a family counselor with a rambunctious and rowdy family of his own. Fun, right? You be the judge. The 2-disc set features all 8 first season episodes, plus interviews and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Broadway-philes can give a spin to the new revival cast recording from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific (Masterworks Broadway, $18.98 SRP). It’s a nicely upbeat affair that’s the perfect listening companion to the recent Radiohead album.
As everyone surely knows by now (You have been reading this column, right?), the new Indiana Jones film is currently unspooling (well, I guess there are no spools in digital projection) in theaters around the globe. While I’m not exactly enthused about the new flick, the upside is that it means a return to stores of Indy toys based on the original trilogy, and Raiders in particular. Not only do we have new 3 3/4-inch action figures from Hasbro ($8.99 SRP each), but you can get the young kids the cartoonish “Adventure Heroes” figure 2-packs (Hasbro, $5.99 SRP each). Lego is also in the game with their various playsets, but for sheer simplicity, fun, and economy, you can’t beat the Motorcycle Chase set (Lego, $9.99 SRP) from The Last Crusade, featuring the two Dr. Jones’s pursued by the German soldier.
However, I’ve saved my favorite Indy toy for last – because it is the most glorious “What in the hell were they thinking” toy I’ve seen in ages. Hasbro’s “Adventure Heroes” line is geared towards 3-year-olds, who one would presume have not seen Raiders of the Lost Ark – and probably won’t be seeing it for a few years. Imagine their shock when they find out the story behind the happy-go-lucky cartoon characters featured in the “Belloq and Ark Ghost” 2-pack ($5.99 SRP)…
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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It’s impossible – Impossible, I say! – that John Hughes’s The Breakfast Club (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) is celebrating its 30th anniversary. But, if it insists on making me feel so old, at least it’s doing so by getting a newly-remastered re-release, featuring a 12-part documentary, an audio commentary with Anthony Michael Hall & Judd Nelson, a trivia track, and a featurette on the legendary Brat Pack.
Following the Krang’s takeover of New York City, the Turtles take refuge in April O’Neill’s family cabin in the woods in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Retreat! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which collects the first 7 episodes of the show’s third season, plus seven “The Mutation Of A Scene” shorts”.
Shazam! Taking an Andy Griffith Show fan-favorite character and putting him in the military proved comic gold in the long-running spin-off Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), starring Jim Nabors as the titular grunt and perpetual thorn in the side of the anger-prone and easily flustered Sergeant Carter. And now you can golly up to the complete 5 season run, plus audio commentaries, audio intros from Nabors, the backdoor pilot episode of The Andy Griffith Show, Nabors on The David Frost Show, and clips from The Lucy Show and The Jim Nabors Hour.
The epic arc of Avatar Korra comes to an end in The Legend Of Korra Book Four: Balance (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$35.98 SRP), as she faces her greatest challenge in order to save the world, with surprising results. Bonus materials include 9 audio commentaries, a featurette, and the New York Comic-Con panel.
The passing of Robin Williams adds a poignancy to Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), in what already feels to very much be constructed as the last outing in the franchise. As with the previous films, it’s a light, goofy, affable if slight affair, mainly buoyed by the larger-than-life character acting from the supporting roles, of which Williams’s Teddy Roosevelt is front and center. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted/extended scenes.
The modern stone age family meets the modern stone age pastime in The Flintstones And WWE: Stone Age Smackdown (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), an original movie which finds Fred & Barney facing all of somebody’s favorite wrestling stars. Bonus materials featurettes and a pair of bonus cartoons.
They’re not my cup of pixie dust, but I know plenty of my friends’ kids adore the denizens of Pixie Hollow, and for them, there’s delight in the arrival of their latest animated adventure, Tinker Bell And The Legend Of The Neverbeast (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP). Tink and her bestie Fawn attempt to get to the truth behind the myth of an ancient creature and must protect it from their fellow fairies who fear it will bring nothing but destruction. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted scenes.
Help your preschooler learn the basics with the 3-disc Blue’s Clues: Get Clued Into School Pack (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), featuring Blue’s explorations in the alphabet, shapes & colors, and school.