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 are many films from my childhood that I place upon a pedestal merely for sentimental reasons, despite glaring deficiencies in quality. You know exactly the type I mean. But then there’s Mary Poppins (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP), a film I loved as a kid, a statement I am not ashamed to make as it still holds up as a stellar film, with songs I know by heart to this day (having to sing “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” in elementary school certainly helps). The remastered 2-disc 45th Anniversary Edition is a welcome presentation of the film, with a fine audio commentary (with Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, Karen Dotrice, Richard Sherman, and Robert Sherman), a brand new making-of documentary, a look at the misguided Broadway show, and a few more surprises.
There are a lot of low-cost portable video options out there, but there aren’t very many credit card-sized video players that will give you 2 GB of storage, a MiniSD slot, hours of playing time, AVI/MPEG ability, a built in external speaker, and included earphones for under $100. Well, ThinkGeek has got just such a Credit Card-Sized video player for only $69.99. Even if it’s just for running around with some vids on the fly, you really can’t beat that price for a nice little pocket player.
Long a legendary cult tape often whispered about but rarely seen, Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) – produced/directed/co-written by and starring Michael O’Donoghue – was originally intended to run as a special in Saturday Night Live‘s time slot in 1979. Unfortunately, what O’Donoghue delivered was so bizarre that the network decided it was unairable. I largely agree with them – this is pure alternative comedy, and not network TV fare. It’s also something every comedy fan should see at least once, even if it’s an uneven, scattershot affair. Bonus materials include “Mr. Mike’s Least-Loved Bedtime Tales” sketches from SNL, an audio commentary from co-writer Mitch Glazer, and Bill Murray’s on-air eulogy after O’Donaghue’s passing in 1994.
In 1976, a group of British comedy and music luminaries got together for a benefit show to raise money for Amnesty International. In 1979, this charity gathering was rechristened The Secret Policeman’s Ball, and over the years would feature members of Monty Python, Peter Cook, Fry & Laurie, Rowan Atkinson, Pete Townshend, Neil Innes, Sting, Jackson Browne, French & Saunders, and many more. Long available in the UK, all of the classic Balls are now available in the US in the form of The Secret Policeman’s Balls (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). Bonus features include a 2004 retrospective documentary, rare comedy & music performances not featured in the original films, TV spots, news footage, introductions, and audio commentaries.
It seems like it’s taken years – because it has – but the we can now lay our mitts upon the eleventh and final season of Cheers (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Sadly, they’ve opted yet again to chintz on the bonus features so the retrospective special that aired before the finale is not present, and neither is the infamous drunken Tonight Show episode, which makes me think we’re going to be a complete series collection in the future, packed with an exclusive bonus disc. Those bloodsuckers.
Make the waiting for the next full season set a little easier with one of Nick’s holdover single-disc editions – Spongebob Squarepants: Spongicus (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), featuring 8 episodes and an animation art gallery.
He could be like battery acid in your ears, but the diamonds in the rough more than made it worth experiencing the comedy of Sam Kinison. He’s specials are finally getting the treatment they deserve with the special edition release Sam Kinison Unleashed (Mill Creek, Not rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which features 1987’s Sam Kinison: Breaking The Rules and 1991’s Sam Kinison: Family Entertainment Hour, plus additional never-before-seen footage.
All I could think while watching Rock N Rolla (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$34.99 SRP) is that if this is the film Guy Ritchie makes while his marriage to Madonna is falling apart, he’s probably got a great film in him now that the marriage is finished. It’s his usual tale of English gangsters and swagger a plenty, but there’s an energy that hasn’t been seen since Snatch. Bonus features include an audio commentary, an additional scene, and a featurette looking at Ritchie’s London. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) is also available with identical bonus features.
Warners has looked into the vaults and dug up four new-to-DVD flicks for their Sidney Poitier Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated/Rated PG, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – Edge Of The City, A Patch Of Blue, Something Of Value, and A Warm December. All 4 films contain the theatrical trailers, while A Patch Of Blue also contains an audio commentary with director Guy Green and a stills gallery.
Okay, for the sole reason that it stars John Denver and John Rhys Davies, Higher Ground (Sony, Rated PG, DVD-$19.94 SRP) is worth picking up. Do you really need a stronger argument than that? And there’s a plane! In Alaska! Come on!
It did nothing at the box office, but Pride & Glory (Warner Btos., Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP) is a good, solid cop & crime drama in the 70’s tradition, starring Ed Norton, Colin Farrell, Jon Voight, and Noah Emmerich as a cop family that make some tough choices and must face even tougher consequences. The sole bonus feature is an in-depth making-of documentary. A Blu-Ray edition ($35.99 SRP) is also available,
Love is in the air – and Valentine’s Day is fast approaching – so it should be little surprise that Warners is releasing a Romance Classics Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.92 SRP), bringing together a quartet of catalogue romantic flicks – Palm Springs Weekend, Parrish, Rome Adventure, & Susan Slade. Bonus features are limited to the theatrical trailers.
Take Old School and make it about rock & roll dreams, and you’ve pretty much got The Rocker (Fox, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP), starring Rainn Wilson as a middle-aged rocker who gets a second chance at stardom 20 years after being unceremoniously booted from his 80’s hair band. Bonus features include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, a gag reel, interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a music video, and more. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available, featuring identical bonus materials.
Yes, I recall many a Saturday morning watching The All New Super Friends Hour (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), starring all my favorite DC superheroes Wonder Twin sidekicks Zan & Jayna, and Gleek the space monkey as the fought injustice from the iconic headquarters, the Hall of Justice. This 2-disc second volume wraps up the show’s first season with 32 episodes and a special featurette on the Wonder Twins phenomenon in pop culture.
Paramount isn’t the only studio catching up on catalogue releases – Fox also brings their own basket of back titles to high definition with Drumline (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), Unfaithful (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), Stargate: The Ark Of Truth (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), and Antwone Fisher (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP). All 4 titles feature the same complement of bonus features as their standard DVD counterparts.
I admit it – with all due shame – I did watch at least the first season Blossom when it originally aired. In retrospect, I’m not sure why. It’s certainly your standard sitcom fare – except with a dancing Mayim Bialik. Am I being too hard on it? Well, you can judge for yourself with Blossom: Seasons 1 & 2 (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), which collects all 37 episodes of those first 2 seasons, plus retrospective featurettes, the original pilot, and audio commentaries. Did you ever think Blossom would get such a wealth of bonus features? Me neither.
Another admission – there was a period when I read John Grisham novels. I’m not going to apologize – it’s a phase many go through, and then we move on. That means, however, that I’ve seen the quartet of films contained in the John Grisham Courtroom Collection (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13/R, DVD-$39.98 SRP) – The Pelican Brief, The Client, Runaway Jury, and A Time To Kill. They’re certainly all solid flicks, in a cable kind of way.
The second and final season of The Invaders (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP) – starring Roy Thinnes as the witness of an alien landing who tries desperately to convince the country of impending danger – arrives on DVD in a 7-disc set featuring all 26 episodes, plus an audio commentary, intros, and an interview with Thinnes.
It’s not as good as he’s managed be lately, but Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Genius, Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.95 SRP) goes a long way towards proving that the dark days of the 90’s and early aughts are behind writer/director Woody Allen. Continuing his expat streak, this time the story takes us to Barcelona, and centers around a pair of Americans (including Scarlett Johansson) who are swept up by a Spanish Casanova (Javier Bardem) and become romantically entangled with him and his volatile ex-wife. As usual for an Allan disc, there are zero bonus features.
Like Cops with even more junkies and dealers, Spike’s reality series DEA: Detroit (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) makes its way to DVD. The 2-disc set also features an uncut episode of Real Vice Cops.
Now that the classic specials have all gotten their due, the remastered edition treatment is turning towards the lesser of the Peanuts specials with You’re A Good Sport, Charlie Brown (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). The disc also contains the bonus special You’re The Greatest, Charlie Brown and a new featurette about the inspiration for Sport‘s dirt biking storyline. Where’s my special edition of Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown?
One must marvel at the ability of The Love Boat (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98 SRP) to bring together such an incredible amount of B, C, & D-list talent on an episode-by-episode basis. It’s actually ludicrous just how many stars decided to try a some not-so-exciting and new. The 3-disc Season 1 Volume 2 features 13 episodes plus episode promos.
Oh, Disney. What am I to do with The Secret Of The Magic Gourd (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP)? About a little boy and his magic gourd? Tell me, Disney – what am I going to do with that? Bonus materials include bloopers, a music video, and a behind-the-scenes featurette.
Comedian Russell Peters delivers a one-two punch with a combo set of his stand up DVD and CD, Russell Peters: Red, White And Brown (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a pair of featurettes.
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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There are a handful of beloved shows that many have claimed we’d never see on home video in their original form, due to their extensive use of popular music over the course of their runs. Well, you should never says never and nothing is impossible, and to prove that, the folks at TimeLife managed to clear an immense amount of obstacles to being out a truly special edition of The Wonder Years: The Complete Series (Starvista, Not Rated, DVD-$249.95 SRP), in which they’ve managed to clear nearly all of the music for the series, and added in a truly impressive clutch of newly-produced bonus materials to boot. And, if you buy the complete series set, it comes packaged in a miniature metal case fashioned like a school locker, complete with combination lock. However, if you want to buy the show in easily digestible season form, they’ve also released Season 1 individually (Starvista, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP).
The Walt Disney company has a brilliant musical legacy going back 85 years to its very first sound cartoon, and the company is diving headfirst into its impressive archives and surfacing with the absolutely incredible “Legacy Collection” of releases. Over the course of the next year on an almost monthly schedule, they’re releasing completely remastered and expanded editions of soundtracks from their most beloved films, as well as what one can only hope is a multi-disc set spotlighting the music of Disneyland. In addition to the soundtracks themselves, each set also includes rare demos, deleted songs, and newly-recorded “Lost Chords”, which takes those deleted songs from the films and realizes them with brand new recordings that attempt to match how they might have sounded if they were finished for the original films. The first clutch of releases to come down the pike – all of which are a must-have – are 2-disc sets for The Lion King and Sleeping Beauty (Walt Disney Records, $14.98 SRP each) and a 3-disc set for Mary Poppins (Walt Disney Records, $21.88 SRP). My fondest hope is that the series will keep rolling along even beyond its August 2015 end date, and start giving long-deserved proper treatment to the music of Disney’s 1940s compilation films like The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Fun & Fancy Free, The Adventures Of Ichabod & Mr. Toad, Melody Time, and Saludos Amigos. Here’s hoping, but until then, buy every single one of these.
Has there ever been a cartoon as delightfully and decidedly weird and wonderful as Adventure Time (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$32.07 SRP) consistently proves to be? Because it has grown and matured into as epic a narrative as any full blown adventure should be, with a surprisingly mature narrative at its core. Want proof? Dive into the fourth season episodes collected in this set, and then prepare yourself for the bright darkness to come in season 5. Bonus materials include commentaries and a featurette on the show’s music.
While the legendary Carl Barks will always be foremost among the many comics creators working with Disney’s ducks, not the least for his creation of Scrooge McDuck, the second position in my heart goes to Don Rosa. Taking his inspiration from Barks, Rosa was able to craft incredible epics for a new generation of fans, full of intricate details and mythology that embraced the legacy of Barks’ classics. And now, the fine folks at Fantagraphics have followed up their wonderful Carl Barks Library releases with the first volume of the new Don Rosa Library, Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Son Of The Sun (Fantagraphics, $29.99 SRP), which collects the first batch of Rosa’s Duck Family work, along with additional essays and insights. And it is GREAT.
It took a few episodes for me (and the show) to latch onto its tone, but once we both did, it was a delight to dive into the twisted, brilliant, and consistently funny world of Rick And Morty (Adult Swim, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.02 SRP). Kudos to Justin Roiland, Dan Harmon, and the entire writing staff for a ride that’s probably the closest we’ll get to an American version of Doctor Who. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, animatics, a featurette, deleted scenes, and special guest commentaries (with the likes of Matt Groening, Pen Ward, and more).
Chalk it up to poor marketing, because Edge Of Tomorrow (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP) is too good a film to have died the death it did at the box office. But it’s entirely appropriate that a sci-fi Groundhog Day about coward Tom Cruise learning from his mistakes in order to prevent total destruction of the human race in a war with aliens may get a second chance to be discovered on home video. Heck, it even appears the studio is trying to rename the film from its vague theatrical title Edge Of Tomorrow to the much more straightforward Live. Die. Repeat. Will it work? I hope so. See it. Bonus materials include a handful of featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
It still baffles me that Nickelodeon has not released their positively beautiful Ninja Turtles series in high definition, but at least they’ve finally bundled together Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete 1st Season (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP), which simply boxes together the previously available releases. I guess that’s something right?
I’m surprised it’s taken this long for him to turn his eye towards such an iconic American dynasty, but Ken Burns is at his absolute best in his portrait of The Roosevelts (PBS, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.99 SRP). The 7-part series explores the lives of Teddy, Franklin, and Eleanor in the usual comprehensive and irresistibly fascinating fashion. Bonus materials include additional footage, deleted scenes, and a making-of featurette.
As the world gears up for a newly reimagined big screen take on the character, dive into the original problem solver for hire with the limited edition complete collection of The Equalizer (VEI, Not Rated, DVD-$205.56 SRP), starring Edward Woodward as the titular Equalizer, Robert McCall, a British army vet and former member of a shadowy government agency who seeks atonement for his time in “The Company” by offering his services to the public. The 30-disc set contains the complete run, plus an audio commentary on the pilot, featurettes, and a photo gallery.
Every once in awhile, Disney drops another feel-good inspirational sports drama, and Million Dollar Arm (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) has the benefit of starring Jon Hamm as a desperate sports agent angling to save his fading career by finding the next big Major League pitcher in a quite unorthodox location – amongst Indian cricket players. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, an alternate ending, featurettes, and outtakes.
Freddie Highmore and Vera Farminga continue to be the main draw as young Norman and matriarch Norma in the second season of Bates Motel (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP),as the consequences from last year’s murder and quickly unraveling family secrets drive mother and son down far darker paths. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted scenes.
Disregarding his unfortunate obsession with William Shatner, To Be Takei (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) presents an intimate portrait of George Takei as an actor, a pop culture icon, a longstanding campaigner for gay rights, a living witness to the treatment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, and just a charmingly entertaining human being. As far as bonus features go, the DVD contains a clutch of bonus scenes.
I can appreciate what Seth MacFarlane was trying to do with A Million Ways To Die In The West (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which was to make a latter-day Blazing Saddles with modern crass sensibilities brought to the Western milieu. A great shame, then, that it’s so relentlessly off target and resoundingly unfunny, couple with a run time of over 2 hours that makes it feel like Judd Apatow found a time machine. Bonus materials include audio commentaries on both the theatrical and unrated versions, featurettes, deleted/extended/alternate scenes, and a gag reel.
Over 30 years ago, the now-legendary Motown 25 (StarVista, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) concert aired on NBC, celebrating a quarter century of the legendary hit factory and featuring the debut of Michael Jackson’s famous moonwalk. Unseen since then, the special has been fully remastered with 5.1 sound for this brand new special edition, featuring 3 discs packed with unseen performances and more.
And from across the pond, we get the complete second season runs of a pair of the BBC’s supernatural dramas, with Afterlife (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP) and In The Flesh (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Flesh is featureless, but Afterlife contains a behind-the-scenes featurette about crafting the show’s spooky atmosphere.
Just as atmospheric and fun as the film itself, Dario Marianelli’s score to The Boxtrolls (+180 Records, $12.99 SRP) is a perfect little sonic gem to pass an evening with while you’re waiting for the film to come to home video.
As biopics go, the greatest trick Houdini (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) performs is managing to take a compelling person and story and render it in a dishearteningly bland fashion with Adrien Brody as the titular escape artist/paranormal debunker. Which is a shame, because I wanted it to be so much more than it is. The real draw of the set is the glimpses in the bonus materials of the real Houdini.
From The Beatles to Lady Gaga, Money For Nothing: A History Of The Music Video (Virgil Films, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) takes a comprehensive, and exhaustive, look at the evolution of the art and commerce behind the enduring marketing phenomenon.
I’ve got to give Michael Bay credit for finding a way to make his already bloated and off-putting take on a fairly straightforward and ostensibly fun IP even more frustratingly boring and messy in Transformers: Age Of Extinction (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), which actively works to make you hate even “hero” Optimus Prime. It’s just… It’s really baffling. I would almost go as far as to call it an exercise in contempt for the franchise, or a form of self-loathing. With Mark Wahlberg. So, way to go, Bay! Bonus materials include a mess of featurettes and more.
Picking up a year after the events at the end of the first season, the second season of The Following (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) finds ex-FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) still in the process of rebuilding his life as a horrific killing spree brings Hardy and his ex-partner into the investigation and on a most disturbing trail. Bonus materials include an alternate season ending, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.
The revolving roster of Sipowicz’s partners lands on Rick Schroder in the seventh season of NYPD Blue (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP), which finds Dennis Franz’s grizzled detective emotionally scarred following the previous season’s events. The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes, but sadly no bonus materials.
It’s about as far from the hip, modern Friendship Is Magic reinvention of the franchise, but those who want every iteration of a thing will probably still pick up My Little Pony: The Complete Series (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP), which collects all 65 episodes of the 1980s original.
Paul Haggis has never met a top-heavy, overly-layered story he doesn’t latch onto and infuse with a profound self-importance, and that’s pretty much what you get in Third Person (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which interweaves a trio of relationship tales in three different locales, peopled by a cast that includes Liam Neeson, Mila Kunis, James Franco, Adrien Brody, and Kim Basinger. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a featurette, and a Q&A with Haggis.
