I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have another chat with writer Kelly Thompson, about failed tests, villainous cameos, Substack futures, kiddie admin, ideal process, distractions, creative playlists, sidestepping stories, reading habits, the mystery of Christie, long runs, Captain Marvel, Spider-Man, Eisner awards, Jeff, Gurihiru, teamworking, Zdarsky odes, Taskmaster love, and a musical challenge.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have a chat with actor Darin De Paul, about J. Jonah preaching, tasty vocals, bagel offices, theater magic, Reinhardt-at-Law, voice dandy, Disney rubberheads, Burt Reynolds, Charles Nelson Reilly, broken glass, Adventurer’s Clubbing, zombie starbursts, Union Squared, toy stories, pandemic promises, and storytelling.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have another chat with actor Yuri Lowenthal, about Spider-Man, statuary burdens, stenciled doors, first jobs, dead tech, Lowhawk & Fiddlesticks, young bones, power records, Rockcomics, dad jokes, and Spidey ad-libs.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have a chat with writer/artist/certified genius Chip Zdarsky, about deadlines, nothing pits, working holidays, maritime adventures, Spider-Man rules, columnists, Extremely Bad Advice, studio dorms, oil paintings, Tintin hooligans, self-awareness, illustration, copycats, romantic hooky, focus, Sex Criminals, Zdarsky legends, work wives, second acts, Fantastic Four, X-Men, ego, Daredevil, life stories, and no clones.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have a chat with artist Robbi Rodriguez, about Spider-Gwen, SpiderVerse premieres, Target dreams, fractal foundations, backbeat Rico, critical Toth, Golden LaTours, Slott schemes, Bendis tabling, and premiere Tupperware.
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…)
Many folks are enamored with Funko’s Pop figures, but I’ve always found their stylistic sameness and beady Coraline eyes to be both boring and disturbing. For my money, I’ll go with the Q-Figs from Quantum Mechanix ($14.95 SRP each). Not only are the stylization of the designs infinitely more appealing to me, but they also allow for much more dynamic poses. These are beautiful pieces that look perfect on a desk or shelf. Just take a gander at the cross-section of pieces below, from Spider-Man’s mid-photo street lamp dangle to Mr. Freeze’s frustrated attempt to eat an ice cream cone, these are just spectacularly fun. Come on, look at how dynamic that Harry Potter is! I can’t wait to see where this line goes from here… And I hope some classic-costumed members of the Fantastic Four – and a Doctor Doom! – are in the offing soon.
I continue to follow Game Of Thrones and a I stuck through an increasingly-baffling Westworld, but the real joy of the HBO year is the one-two return of Veep & Silicon Valley (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP each), which also means the welcome arrival of their respective previous season box sets just before the new seasons hit. And considering the density of the writing on both, it’s quite enjoyable to have a refresher binge. While Silicon Valley only sports some deleted scenes, Veep packs on both deleted scenes and audio commentaries, every one of which is worth a listen.
Over the course of 25 volumes released over the past 13 years, Fantagraphics has done a truly incredible job presenting the complete 50-year run of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. It was no small amount of surprise and delight that they tacked on a 26th volume of The Complete Peanuts (Fantagraphics, $29.99 SRP), which gathers together rare comics, advertising art, and drawings produced during the strip’s half-century run. A lovely end for a brilliant presentation of a legendary strip.
When Thinkgeek designs products in-house, it’s a fair bet that the final result will be something you didn’t even know you wanted until you saw it, and then you must absolutely have it. Case in point are a pair of cookery items sure to make the kid – or adult – enamored with all things Pokemon absolutely giddy. Have a party coming up? Use the Pikachu Cake Pan (Thinkgeek, $19.99) to bake an electrifying treat. Or, if you’ve come in from a hit day of wandering the wastelands to fill out your Pokedex in Pokemon Go, chill your drink with ice cubes made from a Pikachu Silicon Mold (Thinkgeek, $9.99). See? How can you resist ’em!
Generational nostalgia is a linear beast, which means everything will eventually get its moment, which brings us to the release of the complete first and second season of Nickelodeon’s beloved Rugrats (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). The shows have never looked better on home video, and while there are sadly no bonus features to speak of, it’s nice to have them available.
The plate may now be empty, but there was once a glorious confection of a British import that you can savor again with the release of The Great British Baking Show: Seasons 1-3 (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each). While the future holds a radically different program, we can still taste the sweetness of the original version.
I’m a sucker for ephemera books – you know, the kind that feature reproductions of rare historical materials – and in their eternal quest for new revenue streams, we get Monty Python’s Flying Circus: Hidden Treasures (Abrams, $40 SRP), featuring tons of the aforementioned ephemera to delight fans.
Sure, there’s a fair bit of Saturday Night Fever (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$16.99 SRP), but the remastered director’s cut proves that the aspirational tale remains timeless and Travolta’s performance is still a career-defining marvel. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and a deleted scene.
While I’m not particularly enthusiastic about Pixar’s vehicular franchise, I very much adore the Art Of books that the company does with the fine folks at Chronicle, the latest of which is The Art Of Cars 3 (Chronicle Books, $40 SRP). As usual, it’s positively packed with concept art and behind-the-scenes insight.
Sketch comedy is hard to do, and when you set the bar as high as Amy Schumer had with the first three seasons of Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), not hitting that high-water mark is more easily noticed. That’s the case with the often strained but still funny 4th season. Bonus materials include a writers room featurette and outtakes.
The 1957 police drama Decoy (Film Chest Media, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) was significant for a trio of firsts – the first police drama to shoot in NYC, the first to feature a police woman as the main protagonist, and the first to feature stories based on real-life subjects. Starring Bevery Garland as Office Casey Jones, you can now rediscover this forgotten series via this set, featuring all 39 episodes.
The nicest thing I can say about Vin Diesel’s pet resurrection of a franchise, XXX: Return Of Xander Cage (Paramount, Rated PG-13, UltraHD 4K-$49.99 SRP), is that he’s really, really good as Groot in Guardians Of The Galaxy. As for this – I’m still trying to figure out who was asking for it, and why. I assume it was Vin. It was probably Vin. Bonus materials include featurettes and a gag reel.
There’s a lot of tension to be found in the drama of a diamond-dealing family dragged into the underworld in Ice (eOne, Not Rated, DVD-$40.99 SRP), but the real draw of watching the show is its cast, which features Donald Sutherland, Ray Winstone, and Jeremy Sisto. Bonus materials include featurettes and a music video.
There’s a lot of fun to be found in Warners new franchise push – DC Superhero Girls: Intergalactic Games (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), which finds the female superheroes in friendly competition that runs afoul of a bevy of baddies. Bonus materials include 7 featurettes and a music video.
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…
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…)
With not the least bit of hyperbole, Criterion’s new high definition remaster of the Beatles’ legendary feature debut, A Hard Day’s Night (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), is absolutely stunning. Crystal clear with nary a blemish to be found, it looks as pristine as one could possible hope for. Add a brilliant new sound mix that is equally as sharp, and you’ve got the ultimate presentation of the still-enjoyable lark. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a featurette incorporating vintage interviews with the Fab Four, a pair of making-of documentaries, a featurette on director Richard Lester’s work, Lester’s Oscar-nominated The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film, a featurette on Lester’s style, and more. Get this.
Hey, webheads! Based on the artwork of J. Scott Campbell, the fine folks at Sideshow have followed up their gorgeous Mary Jane Watson maquette by crafting an equally beautiful – in more ways than one – polystone maquette of Peter Parker’s original crush, Gwen Stacy ($269.99). The attention to detail in capturing Campbell’s style extends to the unique shading of the paintjob, meant to evoke the same feeling of the original art – And it most certainly does. With an edition size limited to only 4000 pieces, you’ll want to get yours as soon as possible, true believers.
Fans knew it was only a matter of time before we could finally buy our own toy version of The Other Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver (Underground Toys/Thinkgeek, $23.99) from the Doctor Who 50th anniversary special “The Day Of The Doctor”, as wielded by John Hurt. It features a light-up tip and four individual sound effects.
A few years back, it seemed a pretty unlikely notion that Paramount would invest the money necessary to completely remaster Star Trek: The Next Generation (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.99 SRP) in high definition. Now, we’ve got 6 of the show’s 7 seasons fully remastered from the original 35mm elements, and even when the stories are lackluster, the show looks and sounds spectacular. Bonus features include everything available with the previous DVD edition, plus newly-produced documentaries, commentaries, and a gag reel. As they have with previous seasons, they’ve also carved out a two-parter – this time, it’s the Cardassian torture episodes Chain Of Command (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) – and edited them into a feature-length presentation, with a new audio commentary and documentary.
They were the first to commit to the idea, and Warner Bros. remains at the forefront of getting their deep catalogue titles out to the diehard fans of various properties via their Warner Archive, which has just dropped a slew of brand new discs. First and foremost, their Blu-Ray program has released the long-awaited John Milius masterpiece The Wind And The Lion (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), sporting an audio commentary from Milius and a behind-the-scenes featurette. They’ve also given a high-def release to the first season of The Mentalist (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$40.99 SRP), with featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. On the standard-def MOD deep catalogue side, they’ve released 1979’s Beyond The Poseidon Adventure (Warner Bros., Rated PG, MOD DVD-$17.99 SRP), Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes (Warner Bros., Rated R, MOD DVD-$17.99 SRP), and Paul Greengrass’s Bloody Sunday (Warner Bros., Rated R, MOD DVD-$17.99 SRP).
I’m still not entirely sure if I like Comedy Bang Bang (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). I mean, I think I do… And then it just gets slightly more bizarre than actually funny bizarre, and I have to reconsider my position. Your mileage may vary. I *think* I like it. Yeah. The complete second season set contains audio commentaries, VFX tests, supercuts, test shoots, and more.
Few series stand up terribly well decades after they first aired, but one that most certainly does is I Spy (Timeless Media Group, Not Rated, DVD-$129.99 SRP), which is available for the first time as a complete series box set collecting all 3 seasons. And the reason it holds up so well? The timeless affability and charm of its secret agent double act, Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. Give it a spin and you’ll see for yourself.
It doesn’t quite succeed in what it’s trying to do, but Winter’s Tale (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) still manages to be a perfectly enjoyable little fable about the struggle of good versus evil with the love of a woman at its core. And who doesn’t want to see Russell Crowe and Colin Farrell as the adversaries in that struggle? Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.
Shout Factory has become the last great hope for many TV series whose DVD releases were cut off short of completion, as they turn their benevolence towards Sipowicz and his new partner Danny Sorenson (Ricky Schroder) for the complete sixth season of NYPD Blue (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP). The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
When you watch 300: Rise Of An Empire (Warner Bros., Rated R, 3D Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP), expectations are quite simple – essentially, a rudimentary plot that exists solely as a lattice upon which to hang nudity, blood, guts, and incredibly displays of deep male bonding. And guess what? That’s exactly what you get! Plus sea battles! Bare-chested sea battles! It’s so much easier when a film just gets to its point. Bonus materials include a grab bag of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Fans of Dora and her monkey sidekick will want to explore her latest DVD release, Dora The Explorer: Dora’s Magical Sleepover (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which includes her titular museum sleepover adventure, plus two more bonus episodes.
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…
Contest ends at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 27th 2014.
Per Sideshow: “Mary Jane Watson is the quintessential girl next door, exuberant and charming, she’s the light of Peter Parker’s life. Designed by the incomparable J. Scott Campbell, Sideshow brings this irresistible comic siren to life in the Mary Jane Comiquette, the first release in our J. Scott Campbell Spider-Man Collection. Cast in high quality polystone, MJ is hand painted with a new high-contrast technique, creating added depth and dimension to each piece.”
Please note: International winners agree to pay shipping on any prizes granted by Sideshow Collectibles during any contest or giveaway. International winners (including EU regions) will be responsible for VAT, duties or import fees on the shipment of their prize that may be assessed by their governments. Due to custom requirements, the prize will be assigned a value of at least US$1.
CLOSED! THANKS FOR ENTERING!
Official Rules
No member of FRED Entertainment or their immediate families may enter.
No Purchase necessary to win.
Must be 18 years of age or older to enter.
One entry per day, per person.
All submitted entries must be received by 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 27th 2014.
The winner must allow 4-6 weeks after notification of win to receive the product.
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…)
When it comes to kitchen sink filmmaking, the grandmaster of them all is Stanley Kramer’s larger than life comedy It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (Criterion, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP), and it’s been given a fitting treatment from the fine folks at Criterion, who have not only beautifully remastered the theatrical version of the film for high definition, but have also crafted the most extensive restoration yet of the long-missing extended road show version of the film, which while still incomplete, is as close as we’re probably ever going to get. Bonus features include a brand new documentary, an audio commentary on the extended cut, and much more.
You could never do a show like Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$249.95 SRP) today. A daily serialized play on soap opera tropes, its sly satire was only made possible by the fact that it was also the brainchild of TV powerhouse Norman Lear. And thanks to the miracle workers at Shout Factory, you can now own all 325 episodes in one massive box set packed with bonus features, inclu8ding featurettes and a handful of episodes from its brilliant spin-off assault on middling talkshows, Fernwood 2 Night. Here’s hoping a Fernwood 2 Night box set is on the way.
After the spectacular flame out of the blah-tacular Tobey Maguire Spider-Man franchise, it was a spectacular breath of fresh air to get Andrew Garfield as the friendly neighborhood Amazing Spider-Man (Sideshow Collectibles, $204.99), who has now been captured in eerily lifelike detail by those equally amazing artisans at Hot Toys. While I’m not fully sold on the changes made to the suit’s design, there’s no denying it is accurately reproduced in this fully-articulated figure, and the swappable Garfield head sculpt is pretty darn perfect. The figures comes with a handful of swappable hands, plus an assortment of webbing for recreating your favorite web-slinging poses.
After years in the wilderness, it’s nice to see Woody Allen continue his latter-day winning streak with his latest, Blue Jasmine (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), about the titular east coast socialite (Cate Blanchett) making a go at a new, less glamorous life in San Francisco in which she tries to reconcile her troubled past with her lower class future. Oh, and it has Louis CK. So, win. Bonus materials include a featurette and the cast press conference.
I’m still not entirely sure if I like Comedy Bang Bang (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). I mean, I think I do… And then it just gets slightly more bizarre than actually funny bizarre, and I have to reconsider my position. Your mileage may vary. The complete first season set contains character audio commentaries, alternate interviews, supercuts, test shoots, and more.
If you’re looking for a pair of fascinating documentaries this weekend, the Smithsonian Channel is serving up the unsung heroes of the space program with Space Voyages (Smithsonian Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) and the unsung staff that make the President’s residence livable in White House Revealed (Smithsonian Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP).
Shout Factory has become the last great hope for many TV series whose DVD releases were cut off short of completion, as they turn their benevolence towards Sipowicz and Simone for the complete fifth season of NYPD Blue (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP). The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
Join Grover, Abby, and Elmo as they learns the ins and outs of sportsmanship in Sesame Street: Be A Good Sport (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring over 2 hours of thematically linked furry fun for youngsters.
Disillusioned by the direction he sees professional wrestling headed, Steve Scarborough decides to take matters into his own hands and founds the Platinum Championship League, whose origins and development are chronicled in the documentary The Booker (Indiepix, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP).
The second volume of the second season of History Channel’s Counting Cars (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) has arrived for those of you who have finally succumbed to History Channel Stockholm Syndrome and understand there is nothing there any more but these “reality” series full of people doing things in a “real” way. Bonus materials include 35 minutes of additional footage.
The latest in the line of quickie joke-a-second pop culture lampoons has come down the pike in the form of The Starving Games (Ketchup, Rated PG-13, DVD-$20.99 SRP), which takes on The Hunger Games, The Avengers, Avatar, Angry Birds and much more.
It’s hard to believe it’s taken this long, but the Doctor Who toy universe now has not one, nor two, but THREE new action figure sets featuring the arrival of Nicholas Courtney’s Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. The Claws Of Axos Collectors’ Set (Underground Toys, $57.98 SRP) features The Brigadier, Jo Grant, and Axon (in humanoid form). The Daemons Collectors’ Set (Underground Toys, $57.98 SRP) features The Brigadier, The Master as Magister, and Bok the gargoyle. And finally, The Three Doctors Collectors’ Set (Underground Toys, $57.98 SRP) features The Brigadier, Jo Grant, and a Gel Guard.
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…
I’m a comic fan. Despite what I think of the emaciated, dying industry as it exists today, I’ll forever hold fond memories of my comic book reading childhood.
And if you’re a child of comic books and Saturday morning TV (like myself), then Stan Lee is instantly recognizable as the creator (with artists such as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, & Don Heck) of Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Avengers, Daredevil, X-Men, and many, many more.
If that list reads like a story out of a Hollywood trade magazine, it’s because all of those properties have gotten – or are about to get – the big screen treatment.
As with many of my interviews, I got a hankering to chat with one of my childhood idols, and went out and did it. When chatting with Stan, you’re instantly aware that his mutant power is sheer, unbridled enthusiasm. He has been, and remains, a dynamo of boosterism.
And a fun guy.
Also, despite his claims that he has a bad memory, many a gem will slip from that forgotten treasure trove if the circumstances are right.
What follows are two of the interviews I’ve done with Stan, the first of which was while he was having huge success with the internet media start-up Stan Lee Media – which would end the year under a dark legal cloud (through no fault of Lee’s) that would decimate the company.
The second interview followed about 2 years later, and was mainly me taking a promotional opportunity just to chat with him again.
And on a quick tangent, here’s a bit of fun I was able to arrange to celebrate Halloween last year, after joking about it with him in one of my interviews – Stan Lee reading Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven…
And now, without further ado, delightful discourse with the dandily dignified (and definitely dear) Stan Lee…
KEN PLUME: If you were to sum it up, what was your introduction into the comics industry?
LEE: Well, I applied for a job in a publishing company… I didn’t even know they published comics. I was fresh out of high school, and I wanted to get into the publishing business, if I could. There was an ad in the paper that said, “Assistant Wanted in a Publishing House.” When I found out that they wanted me to assist in comics, I figured, “Well, I’ll stay here for a little while and get some experience, and then I’ll get out into the real world.” In those days, it just didn’t seem like comics was the kind of field that anybody would want to make a career in. They were the absolute bottom of the cultural totem pole. Nobody had any respect for comic books in those days.
PLUME: So this is, what, the early 40’s?
LEE: It was either 1939 or ’40 when I started… I can never figure out which year it was.
PLUME: You described it as a temporary job…
LEE: I thought it was at the time…
PLUME: So what exactly were your aspirations at the time?
LEE: I just wanted to know, “What do you do in a publishing company?” How do you write… How do you publish? I was an assistant. There were two people there named Joe Simon and Jack Kirby – Joe was sort-of the editor/artist/writer, and Jack was the artist/writer. Joe was the senior member. They were turning out most of the artwork. Then there was the publisher, Martin Goodman… And that was about the only staff that I was involved with. After a while, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby left. I was about 17 years old, and Martin Goodman said to me, “Do you think you can hold down the job of editor until I can find a real person?” When you’re 17, what do you know? I said, “Sure! I can do it!” I think he forgot about me, because I stayed there ever since.
PLUME: And it was Timely Comics at the time, wasn’t it?
LEE: Yeah, it was Timely Comics.
PLUME: What did the position of editor entail at Timely?
LEE: I was responsible for all the stories, either writing them myself or buying them from other people. In comics – in those days, anyway, and always when I was there – being the editor meant being the art director too, because you can’t just edit the stories without making sure the artwork is done the right way so it enhances the stories… And the stories have to enhance the artwork. They have to go hand in hand. So I was really the editor, the art director, and the head writer.
PLUME: So you were a jack of all trades?
LEE: Yeah.
PLUME: The 40’s and 50’s have always struck me as a very nebulous time at Timely… What exactly were the events that led up to the boom of the early 60’s?
LEE: Well, what happened was that – until the early 60’s – I did everything the publisher wanted, and his way of publishing was to follow the trends. Whatever was selling at the moment – he would publish books in that genre. For instance, when it looked as though Westerns were hot… we added a lot of Western titles. When Romance stories were doing well… we published a lot of Romance books. Then we did a lot of War magazines. Then Horror. Then Crime. Then the Animated-type of characters… The Terrytoons-type of things. We did Teenage titles. We never were leaders in the field – we always followed the trends. In those days – until the early ’60’s – comic books were very cyclical. There were trends… One year, Romance books would be hot… One year it would be Horror stories…whatever… and we just went along. We were like a production house – we just kept producing whatever was hot at the moment.
All during that time, I kept wanting to quit, because I felt, “There’s no future in this.” I’d say to my wife, “I’m going to give it another few weeks and then I’m getting out of there.” Then I’d get a raise, or we’d add some new magazines, and I’d get a little bit interested in them and I’d figure, “Well, I’ll stay a little bit longer.” Somehow, the years just kept falling away and, before I knew it, I’d been there for 20 years.
It was now 1960. By now, I really wanted to leave, because one edict that my publisher had was that the stories had to be geared towards young readers – or unintelligent older readers. We weren’t supposed to use words of more than two syllables, and we had to have simple plots – no continuing stories, because he felt our readers weren’t smart enough to remember from month to month where they had left off. It was really boring.
In either ’60 or ’61 I said to my wife, Joanie, “This time, I’m really going to leave.” She said, “Well, if you’re determined to leave, why don’t you first do a book or two the way you wanted to, no matter what the publisher says? The worst that can happen is that he’ll fire you. You won’t care, because you want to leave, but at least you’ll get it out of your system.”
It happened that – at that time- my publisher had been playing golf with Jack Liebowitz, who was one of the bosses at DC comics – which in those days was called National Comics. Jack Liebowitz had told him that he had a magazine called The Justice League, which was selling very well, and it was a group of super-heroes. So Martin came to me and he said, “Hey Stan… Why don’t you do a group of super-heroes?” Again, this business of following the trend.
I figured, “All right, but this time I’m going to do it my way.” Instead of the typical heroes that have secret identities and nobody knows who they are, I did The Fantastic Four – where everybody knew who they were. And instead of the girlfriend who doesn’t know that the hero is so-and-so, I had the girl in the series actually be engaged to the hero, and she was a heroine – she was part of the team. Instead of the typical junior sidekick, I had a teenager who was also the brother of the heroine – and the hero would soon marry the heroine, so they would be brothers-in-law. The fourth member of the team was a monstrous-looking guy, called The Thing, which was not a typical super-hero type in those days. I also tried to give them fairly realistic dialogue, and I didn’t have them wear colorful costumes. I always felt that if I had super-power, I wouldn’t immediately run out to the store and buy a costume. Somehow or other, the book caught on. We had never gotten fan mail up until that point… Sometimes we might get a letter from a reader that would say, “I bought one of your books and there’s a staple missing. I want my dime back.” And that was it. We’d put that up on the bulletin board and say, “Look! A fan letter!” Suddenly, with The Fantastic Four, we really started getting mail… “We like this… We don’t like that…. We want to see more of this.” That was exciting! So I didn’t quit. Then we did The Hulk, and that did pretty well…. And then the rest is history.
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…)
I’m not a fan of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and less so of Tobey Maguire’s DOA-delivery as the titular hero (and those godawaful organic webshooters). The only thing they did get right was the costume, which was just about perfect. With the rebooted Amazing Spider-Man (Sony, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$55.99 SRP), Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man is pretty damn good, and the story and direction are energetic, with a real nice use of 3D in the city swinging. Hell, we even get genius Peter designing his web shooters. What doesn’t work is the pointless redesign of the costume, which is overly busy and awkward, and hopefully will be ditched in the sequel. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, rehearsals, pre-viz and progression reels, a second screen app, and a 3D film school.
Because you can never have enough flexibility in your mobile charging options, the fine folks at Thinkgeek have released an ultra low profile USB Car Charger ($19.99) that lies practically flush with your lighter socket (a little flippable handle allows for easy extraction), and is capable of 2.1 amps. It even has a dedicated on/off switch! So, really, you have no excuse to keep just about any USB device powered up on a long trip, or during a home power outage.
It’s been a long wait, but we’ve finally got the 3rd volume of Sesame Street Old School (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.87 SRP), featuring classic episodes and clips from the period between 1979-1984. By this point, the show had moved from being a phenomena to an institution, and all of the rough edges had been sanded away – while still, thankfully, operating with all of the original performers. Of course, on that front, this is also an era marked by sadness, as it was during this period that the beloved Mr. Hooper passed away, leading to a landmark episode in which the concept of death was presented to the show’s young audience. Full of bonus featurettes, clips, and rare footage, how can you not pick this up?
I was worried going in to The Campaign (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) that it would be just a goofball affair, but its tale of a North Carolina Republican primary showdown between a cocksure incumbent (Will Ferrell) and a small town challenger (Zach Galifiankis) pitted against each other by a pair of multi-billionaires (John Lithgow & Dan Aykroyd) intent on getting their way actually has some genuine bite in this election year. And it’s damn funny. Bonus materials include Deleted scenes, alternate lines, and a gag reel.
Formerly available as just a retailer exclusive, John Hughes still-brilliant Planes, Trains And Automobiles (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$22.98 SRP) is finally available in high definition in wide release, and it’s perfect viewing for the holiday season. The Blu-Ray carries over the DVD special features, including a retrospective featurette, tributes to Hughes and John Candy, and a deleted scene.
While its had holiday episodes in the past, It’s A Spongebob Christmas! (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is the first truly special holiday event, as it’s a beautiful stop-motion affair that presents Bikini Bottom in widescreen for the first time since the Spongebob feature film. Also? The tunes from Tom Kenny are fantastically fun. Bonus materials include featurettes, an animatic, a Yule Log, and mp3s.
It may not be considered the best animation to come down the pike, but there’s no denying that the kids shows produced by Filmation – from Fat Albert and Star Trek to Superman and He-Man – left their mark on a few generations. The story of the studio is told by its founder in Lou Scheimer: Creating The Filmation Generation (Twomorrow’s, $29.95 SRP).
It’s not their usual stop-motion fare, but Aardman Animation’s festive holiday CG feature Arthur Christmas (Sony, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$55.99 SRP) is still an appealing, good looking little tale about Santa’s son’s desperate quest to deliver one child’s present that was left behind. Bonus materials include featurettes, an Elf Recruitment Video, and progression reels detailing the production process.
A new Disney film has come down the pike, which also means a new, beautiful, must-have Art Of book from the fine folks at Chronicle – and that’s just what The Art Of Wreck-It Ralph (Chronicle Books, $40.00 SRP). Filled with the usual copious amounts of development and production artwork, interviews with the creators, and more, it’s the definitive visual exploration of Disney’s latest CG animated offering.
Tick another classic film off the list, as an absolutely beautifully restored Sunset Boulevard (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP) makes its way to high definition, featuring a never-before-seen deleted scene, retrospective featurettes, the theatrical trailer, galleries, and more. This edition is certainly ready for its close-up.
It doesn’t hold a candle to the classic films, but Muppet Christmas Carol (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$26.50 SRP) is a damn site better than the recent cinematic misfire, and the Dickensian tale makes its high definition debut just in time for the holidays. Bonus materials include commentaries, featurettes, and a blooper reel. Now if only we can get the first two Muppet films in high definition by next Christmas…
So what have we got for this week’s soundtracks? We’ve got a brand new score from the mighty John Williams for Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (Sony, $9.99 SRP), and Thomas Newman’s beautifully bombastic old school score for the new Bond film, Skyfall (Sony, $9.99 SRP).
How about a pair of catalogue releases from the folks at Buena Vista? New to high definition are the Bette Midler tearjerker Beaches (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$20.00 SRP) and the Reese Witherspoon romantic comedy Sweet Home Alabama (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$20.00 SRP). Both sport audio commentaries, featurettes, and more.
Though there are some that dismiss him, I will stand by my long-held love for the comedy of Louie Anderson, still going strong in Louie Anderson: Big Baby Boomer (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). There’s a relateable, Cosbyian quality to Anderson’s storytelling, and I’m glad he’s still creating (and, finally, releasing shows).
If you want to take an already impressive display piece – the various 12″ Iron Man figures that have been released over the last couple of years by the fine folks at Hot Toys – and plus it into ridiculously cool territory, then you’ll want to clear off a large shelf and get your very own Suit Up Gantry ($359.99), as seen at the beginning of Iron Man 2. Incredibly screen accurate and completely articulated – from pistons to clamps – and featuring a light-up base that shines on the figure details, it’s a conversation piece and a half. Get it while you can, because you’ll be kicking yourself when it’s gone.
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…
This month I have been mostly watching youtube videos so November’s round-up is going to heavily reflect that. I’d argue that I may need to get out more but if I did, I wouldn’t have anything to share with you in this column and what would be the sense in that?
1) Battle of the Brick: Built for Combat
In this mostly wordless stop motion animation Alex Kobbs recreates the Halo map Zanzibar pretty damn accurately with nothing but lego bricks. In the 30 minute movie he pits Reds versus Blues in a crazy capture the flag game. And there is a lot of really clever stuff involved.
Not only is it extremely faithful to the Halo franchise with lots of the weaponry and moves used but it also captures the hectic and sometimes hilarious moments of online multiplayer gameplay. Over the top action sequences combine with some nice direction on behalf of Kobbs to make for the most enjoyable Lego movie I’ve seen in quite a while.
Unfortunately the youtube video was taken down (youtube is really starting to become a nightmare for blocking things) but luckily it’s still available thanks to the guys at GameTrailers.com. So check it out below!
Ain’t It Cool News reporter Quint has been giving updates from the set of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. I was a massive fan of the Lord Of The Rings movies so obviously I’m giddy to see what Jackson does with Tolkein’s material this time round.
Jackson has been doing some great behind-the-scenes blogs himself. In fact, I think it’s kind of amazing that so far he has released 45 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. It’s really a testament to how much Jackson respects the fans that he’s willing to give such an advance look. Of course, they keep lots secret but I love seeing film crews work so it’s a delight to watch.
Here’s the first video if you’re too lazy to go to the channel.
3) Avenging Spider-Man
The first Spider-Man comic I’ve bought in 10 years (and considering he’s my all time favourite comic book character, that’s a long time) and it’s all Joe Madureira’s fault.
God damn, he draws a good Spider-Man. It’s slightly cartoony but has so much energy and character. It fits perfectly for this kind of book too. It’s a continuity light, action heavy, team-up book. Spidey gets to hang out with some of his Marvel friends and beat-up bad guys while wise-cracking along the way. The first issue was released this past month so jump on now. I enjoyed the hell out of it.
4) WWE Cat Wrestling
Do you like kittens? Do you like wrestling? Then you’ll love kitten wrestling!
5) “Twas me Burfday yesturday”
That was both a highlight and a lowlight. I’m now officially 28. It’s been a great year and I can honestly say I’m happy with how things are going in my life right now. So yes, being alive is one of my favourite things of November. Deal with it.
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And that’s it! My favourite things of the last month.
– Aaron Poole is the creator of the word “snuggle”. He is also more acurately an internet whore and rarely leaves the house. If you like what you read here check out his blog http://aaronfever.blogspot.com
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…)
Nothing like the getting a film you’ve desperately wanted on Blu-Ray from a given director dropping alongside a misfire from said director to really set up the cognitive dissonance. I’m ecstatic to finally have Tim Burton’s Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), replete with an audio commentary from Burton & Paul Reubens, a commentary with Danny Elfman, additional scenes, and production art. But then Burton’s misguided Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), which is just an odd, unnecessary remake of a true classic. And this disc is actually loaded with bonus materials, including an audio commentary, featurettes galore, and much more. Swings and roundabouts.
You know me. You know I love multi-tool gadgets, just for their design awesomeness in secreting away a bunch of tools in a simple, straightforward, often practical form. Such is the case with the 23 tools found in the Kelvin 23 ($24.99), which bills itself as an urban super-tool. And it is, with everything from a screwdriver and measuring tape to a hammer and spirit level.
I admit, I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of the return of Pee Wee Herman. I wanted it to happen, but feared that after all this time and an awful lot of water under the bridge, the charm that made the show so iconic could not be recaptured. Well, my fears vanished when watching The Pee Wee Herman Show On Broadway (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which brilliantly combines elements of the original live show, the TV show, and new material into a magical evening of theatre that this special perfectly captures. The disc also features a raucous audio commentary that’s well worth a listen.
It walks a fine line of quirkiness, but Richard Ayoade’s Submarine (Anchor Bay, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is the offbeat coming-of-age film that Wes Anderson so desperately wanted Rushmore to be. I can’t recommend you dropping everything and watching it as soon as possible highly enough. So do it. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette and deleted scenes.
With the release of both the deluxe Beauty And The Beast 3D & Lion King 3D sets (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP each), you can delight in truly special editions of both films, loaded with bonus features, and also make your own judgement on whether the process of retroactively making 2D animated films into 3D is a wise one. Personally, I’m still on the fence. While the technology and skill involved in pulling it off are certainly impressive, and there are plenty of “wow” moments while watching both at home, it doesn’t really add much to what were already solid, classic films. But hey, for the price you’re paying to get the 3D sets that contain the regular Blu-Ray and DVD versions as well, you’d be a fool not to pick them up that way. The bonus features on the Beauty and the Beast set are identical to the previous Blu-Ray release, while the new-to-disc Lion King comes loaded with an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, a deleted song, bloopers, and more.
And while you’re watching the animated versions cavort, why not see how the real live felines act and interact with the Disneynature documentary African Cats (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). As you can expect from Disney’s documentary history, it’s got a narrative structure, but the footage is absolutely stunning. Bonus materials include filmmaker annotations and featurettes.
If you’re a fan of the era and creators that truly solidified Marvel as the premier comic book company, pick up a copy of Pierre Comtois’ excellent overview Marvel In The 1970s (Twomorrows, $27.95 SRP), which takes an issue by issue look at the House of Ideas comics the defined the decade, and the writers and artists behind them.
For the past few years, when I’ve wanted to show off the incredible quality of Blu-Ray – and my massive TV – I’ve popped in the BBC’s landmark nature documentary Planet Earth (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP). Well, they’ve gone and made it better with a brand new special edition, featuring a re-encoded and improved picture, plus four brand new bonus programs in addition to the features carried over from the previous release. Is it worth the upgrade? Yes. Yes it is.
The show’s overcome a rough start and solidified into a quirky delight, but the main reason I’ve stuck with Bored To Death (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) through its second season is that they very wisely amped up the presence of the one-two punch of Oliver Platt and John Hodgman. In fact, I’d like a spin-off series starring just them. Solving mysteries. Around the world. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
What’s the easiest way to tell a series has caught on? The obligatory special edition re-release of an already existing release, this time being the new edition of the first season of The Walking Dead (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.97 SRP). The new edition adds a 3rd disc featuring the black & white version of the pilot, audio commentaries, more featurettes, and interviews with Greg Nicotero and (now-fired) showrunner Frank Darabont.
While it’s not as abysmal as Back In Action, Space Jam (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) was still a painfully awkward and ultimately unsuccessful attempt to make the classic Looney Tunes characters “hip” to modern audiences – ignoring the obvious fact that the characters’ original cartoons are eternal because they are actually *funny* and not a disingenuous attempt to make them supporting players to Michel Jordan. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and music videos.
It’s not exactly high brow cinema, but I have a fondness for the farce Soapdish (Paramount, Rated PG-13, DVD-$12.98 SRP), featuring an all-star cast in the ludicrous world of network soap operas, where the drama behind the scenes is even more insane than what’s in front of the cameras. Hell, it’s worth seeing just for Kevin Kline’s performance. Really, it’s just a shame this 20th anniversary edition didn’t get a Blu-Ray release. Bonus materials are limited to a making-of featurette and the theatrical trailer.
It doesn’t hold a candle to actually seeing him live, but you can get a pretty good, and pretty enjoyable sense, of the tour-de-force fun with Weird Al Yankovic Live: The Alpocalypse Tour (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$22.98 SRP), filmed during his most recent tour. Bonus materials include additional live performances, music videos, YouTube videos, and more.
I’m not sure I fully appreciate the material generated for and presented on Hit Record’s Recollection Volume 1 (Hit Record, $29.95 SRP), which is a book/DVD/CD collection of essays, short films, songs, poems and more, brought together by the collective founded by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. To be sure, I appreciate the creative freedom and exploration evident in its very existence, and hope they can continue doing it for years to come.
The story behind Fast Five (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is really not terribly important. Are you really watching the Fast And The Furious movies for the story? Really? Of course not. You’re watching them for the cars, and the things the cars do. Often in a fast, dangerous manner. You’re also keeping Vin Diesel off the streets. So you remember that. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.
When I was a kid, during visits to her house on Long Island, my aunt used to occasionally play us her favorite song – Bette Midler singing “The Rose”. Since then, and because of seeing Better be pretty damn funny during appearances on Johnny’s Tonight Show, I have an affection for The Divine Miss M, so much so that I actually got a kick out of her bombastic, camp, yet joyously showbizzy return to the stage in Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), in which she sings her hits.
I don’t particularly think anyone was clamoring for a new installment in the Scream franchise, but Scream 4 (Anchor Bay, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP) has arrived regardless, and manages to be a not-embarrassing bow on the continuing adventures of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, and David Arquette in slasher-land. Oh, and they added Emma Roberts to the mix this time. And Rory Culkin. Everything’s better with Rory Culkin. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted/extended scenes, a gag reel, featurettes, and more.
Besides the obvious double entendre in the title, Elvira’s Haunted Hills (E1, Rated PG-13, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is a fun enough little flick, even if it lacks the powerhouse that drove the Mistress Of The Dark’s first feature – Edie McClurg. Still, this one does deliver Richard O’Brien as a creepy widower with eyes on Elvira, who just so happens to be the ringer for his late wife. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, outtakes, and more.
I know I had misgivings at the time, but it’s not until all these years later, revisiting it for its high definition release, that I realize just how cloyingly caramel apple sweet The Cider House Rules (Miramax, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP) is. That, and Prince of New England Tobey Maguire really has the emotive skills of a wood plank. At least Michael Caine is there to remind you that Michael Caine is there. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a making-of featurette, a deleted scene, and the theatrical trailer.
How do you know a new season of Beavis And Butt-Head is on the horizon? You get the release of Beavis And Butt-Head: Mike Judge’s Most Wanted (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring 20 cartoons selected by Judge, plus a featurette, a preview of the new season, and the uncut “Frog Baseball”.
Gabriel Byrne returns as therapist Dr. Paul Weston in the 3rd season of In Treatment (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP), which finds the good doctor coping with his recent divorce, a move to a new city, and a medical scare, as well as a batch of new patients. The 4-disc set contains all 28 episodes.
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…
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…)
For all its desperation to make itself a loving homage to Spielberg, Super 8 is a crass wannabe next to Nick Frost & Simon Pegg’s alien road trip Paul (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), as it evokes all of the loving geek warmth the former wanted to evoke without the effort and with the added bonus of being funny. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, galleries, bloopers, and more.
Adding to the mystery presented to viewers all those years ago, the introduction of River Song in the episode “Silence In The Library” found the enigmatic Dr. Song in possession of her very own Sonic Screwdriver, given to her by The Doctor in the future and an advanced version, no less. Now you can own your very own Doctor Who: Future Sonic Screwdriver ($19.99) featuring both a blue AND red setting.
If you tend to think of Mickey Mouse as nothing more than a bland corporate spokesman, prepare to be both fascinated and delighted by the incredible comic strip adventures of the 30’s by Floyd Gottfredson, collected for the first time in Mickey Mouse: Race To Death Valley (Fantagraphics, $29.99 SRP), the first volume of hopefully the entire run. Get it! Now!
Oh, they’re coming fast & furious now. What, you ask? More classic Doctor Who adventures – this time the Tom Baker story The Sun Makers and the Sylvester McCoy story Paradise Towers (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP each). Both are loaded with the usual complement of commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more. We’re so close to having all of the extant classic Who stories on DVD that you can almost taste it.
Let’s all forget about the American abomination and just re-watch the from-front-to-back enjoyable 16th season of the original UK Top Gear (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which finds Jeremy, James, & Richard crossing the US, and then find themselves in Albania later in the season. Bonus materials include chats, behind-the-scenes footage, a studio tour, outtakes, and more.
Although only one of them was made as a period piece, enough time has passed that both Fast Times At Ridgemont High and Dazed & Confused (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$ 26.98 SRP each) are now both snapshots of their respective eras, and both making their high definition debut. Fast Times features a documentary, an audio commentary, and in-film behind-the-scenes materials, while Dazed has featurettes, deleted scenes, and retro PSAs.
If you’re a big fan of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett’s post-MST3K endeavor Rifftrax, you owe it to yourself to partake of the heightened energy of a pair of recent live show releases that were originally beamed to theaters around the country – Rifftrax Live: House On Haunted Hill Riffed Live From Nashville 2010 & Rifftrax Live: Reefer Madness Riffed Live From San Diego 2010 (Legend Films, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$17.95 each), both of which are now available in high definition. Heck, the Nashville show even has a special set from special guest Paul F. Tompkins.
With the recent resurgence in popularity of Nickelodeon’s 90’s line-up – or, at least Nickelodeon’s acknowledgement that there is a fanbase out there – it should come as no surprise that those fans will now be able to pick up the complete first season of Hey Arnold! (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP). The 4-disc set contains all 20 episodes.
I’ve made no secret of my intense hatred – borne of even more intense disappointment – in Torchwood (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.98 SRP). Still, I know that there are wrongheaded fans of the ongoing mess who will probably want to snap up the complete series box set, featuring seasons 1 & 2 and the Children Of Earth miniseries, plus all of the bonus features from the original releases. So for you fans – have at it.
If Pineapple Express was a stoner action flick, than the rather obviously named Your Highness (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), you’ll not be surprised to learn, is a stoner swords & sorcery flick, which finds Danny McBride’s pampered prince forced to join his brother James Franco’s quest to find the bride stolen by an evil wizard. It’s got Toby Jones, Charles Dance, and a mechanical bird, so it’s at least worth a spin. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
While Pixar and Dreamworks get most of the attention, let’s not overlook the equally enjoyable films from other studios that don’t get the attention, like Blu Sky Studios fun, funny tale of a domesticated macaw intent on returning to his roots in South America in Rio (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, music videos, and more.
I admit, there’s a fondness in my heart for The Fox And The Hound (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), as it was one of the first Disney films I saw as a kid. Now, don’t mistake that fondness for any belief that it’s one of the studio’s best animated films, as it’s often a plodding affair, but it does have some flashes of charm and I’m happy whenever a classic Disney flick makes its way to high definition. They also very rightly are packaging this with the high-def release of the forgettable sequel The Fox And The Hound II, as that’s the only way anyone would buy it. The 3-disc set also carries over all of the bonus features found on the original DVD release.
I’m a big fan of Berkely Breathed’s children’s book Mars Needs Moms (Walt Disney, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), in which a young boy’s mother was kidnapped to the red planet. The movie version would have been a fun flick if not for producer Robert Zemeckis’s godawful motion capture animation, which despite his mighty protests to the contrary STILL have dead eyes and dwell firmly in the uncanny valley. The 3-D effects in the home theater are impressive, which is a shame, because they really deserve a better design style. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
During that period when Hanna-Barbera was just crankin’ out feature-length specials of just about all of their characters, George & Jane Jetson’s eldest daughter got her own, featuring a witch, a teen idol, aliens, and even Elroy. And the folks at the Warner Archive Collection have made Rockin’ With Judy Jetson (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.95) available.
Oh, the 80’s was just packed full of mediocre animated series that inspired dedicated fans who’ve grown up to have disposable cash and a desire to relive their rose-tinted memories – Which is why we have MASK: The Complete Series (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$99.99 SRP), which features guys in masks who drove cars and trucks. And the good guys had a robot that looked like an ambulatory egg. So, yeah. Bonus materials include retrospective featurettes.
It’s still not The Hudsucker Proxy, but I’m still happy about the high definition arrival of The Big Lebowski (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP). The real key is the improved presentation of the film itself, as the bonus features are carried over from the last DVD special edition. So, yes – The Dude still abides.
Get your literary drama on with a pair of releases from A&E sure to delight the higher-brows amongst you. The first is the Thomas Hardy Collection (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), featuring adaptations of both Tess Of The D’Ubervilles & The Mayor Of Casterbridge. If adventure is more your speed, there’s Horatio Hornblower: The Further Adventures (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP), which contains the feature-length films The Duchess And The Devil & The Wrong War.
Curious how timing works out such that the 5th season of Spin City (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP) gets its release during the year of Charlie Sheen’s flameout, as the 5th season is when Sheen was brought in to take over the lead from the ailing Michael J. Fox, carrying it on for a few more years.
See Brits survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland and make the journey to a distant planet to make a new start in Outcasts (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP). Suffice to say, life on the new world isn’t a cake walk, as events both natural and interpersonal threaten to destroy humanity’s future. Bonus materials incl7ude interviews and a featurette.
My nephews will be delighted to see another volume of the Frosty Freezy Freeze fans and crime-fighting duo back for another batch of episodes in Fanboy & Chumchum: Brain Freeze (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which contains 7 episodes plus an animatic.
Some are fascinating, but I’m not one for re-living that horrible day, but from a historical perspective the documentaries collected in the September 11th Memorial Edition (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP) are pretty comprehensive and are thankfully free of editorial or agenda.
If I were to choose the giant robot cartoon that left the biggest mark on my childhood psyche (after Transformers), it would have to be Voltron. Watching the 7 remastered episodes contained in Voltron: The Legend Begins (Vivendi, Not Rated, DVD-$12.99 SRP), the show still holds up as a fun adventure romp, supported on this new disc by a clutch of retrospective featurettes.
For the most part, I loathe the Spider-Man feature film franchise, but I will give them credit on one detail they nailed – the Spider-Man costume itself. One just has to watch previous attempts at making a real-world version of the costume in other productions to see just how poorly things can go, and see just how right they went in this instance (as opposed to the horrid redesign being employed in the upcoming cinematic reset of the franchise). Well, the costume I love has now been made into a Spider-Man 12″ Figure ($149.99) from the fine folks at Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles. Packed with a clutch of alternate hands (ranging from swinging to web-firing), a pedestal, and numerous web lines – and outfitted in a pretty snazzy small-scale version of the film’s costume – it’s a welcome addition to the collection of any diehard webhead.
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…
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…)
Shout Factory has settled into a pleasantly clockwork schedule of releasing new sets, but I still greet Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVIII (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP) with delight, because it means more episodes have made it out. This go round, we get Lost Continent, Crash Of The Moons, The Beast Of Yucca Flats, and Jack Frost. Bonus materials include new intros from Kevin Murphy & Frank Conniff, a spotlight on Coleman Francis, and MST Hour wraparounds.
When I was a kid, I always wanted the 5 transformable lions that would join to form the mighty battle robot Voltron. Sadly, I never did wind up getting it back then. As an adult, however, I have gotten the 25th Anniversary Voltron ($69.99) in all its 1:197-scale glory. Yeah, it’s cool.
Relive the great legacy of Sesame Street back in the days before the show went down the tubes with the DVD release of 1989’s Sesame Street: 20 Years And Still Counting (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), back when Jim Henson and Richard Hunt were still with us and the show hadn’t become pap-filled Elmo Central. Maybe we can get them to release Don’t Eat The Pictures next…
If you’re keen for a massive tome that takes a backstage look at the genius behind the concepts, designs, and implementations of their theme parks, look no further than Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind The Dreams Look At Making More Magic Real (Disney Editions, $60 SRP), which does exactly that, along with additional ephemera inserts.
Tide yourself over for the next season release with Spongebob Squarepants: Triton’s Revenge (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), which collects another 7 episodes, plus “The Clash of Triton” shorts and a Fanboy & Chum Chum episode.
It’s hard not to be enthralled by the images on display in World War I In Color (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), as “The Great War” has long been one that exists in modern memory via black & white photos and footage, allowing some emotional distance between the viewer and history. Now, through the discovery and restoration of rare footage, the War suddenly pops in full color, making the events that much more immediate and visceral. Highly recommended.
If you’re curious what Reality Bites would look like at middle age, look no further than Greenberg (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), which finds Ben Stiller as the titular layabout whose rudderless life is presented with options when his brother asks him to housesit in LA. Amiable if not memorable, it’s a decent watch. Bonus materials include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Warners continues to mine their deep library of noir films with the 5th volume of the Film Noir Classic Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which contains another 8 flicks – Cornered, Desperate, The Phenix City Story, Dial 1119, Armored Car Robbery, Crime In The Streets, Deadline At Dawn and Backfire.
Post-MASH, Robert Altman decided to cash most of the goodwill audiences had in with the bizarre, daft Brewster McCloud (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP), which stars Bud Cort as… I don’t know what. A dreamer? A failed realist? A fantasist? Give it a spin and see if you can figure it out.
In the early days of Nick at Nite, one of the shows I watched night after night was My Three Sons, and I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s because of star Fred MacMurray, as single parent Steve Douglas (sadly, sans Flubber). Or maybe it was just the lovably crotchety presence of William Frawley. Either way, both the first and second volumes of season 2 are now available (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP each), each containing 18 episodes apiece, plus sponsor spots.
Paramount continues to undercut the public domain cheapie market with the welcome release of the complete second season of The Lucy Show (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which collects all 28 episodes of Lucille Ball’s guest star-studded follow up to I Love Lucy. Bonus materials include vintage openings & closings, interviews, rare clips, cast commercials, The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour special with guest Bob Hope, and more.
I was never a fan of Saving Grace (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), as its detective w/ a “real” guardian angel schtick just felt like Colombo meets Highway To Heaven, but I’m sure fans will pick up the 3rd (and final) season set. The 5-disc set contains all 19 episodes.
Since you can’t introduce your kids to the superheroes you loved as a kid via comic books anymore (dark, violent aberrations that they’ve become), pick up The Superhero Squad Volume 1: Quest For The Infinity Sword (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.93 SRP) for fun, kid-friendly versions of all of your Marvel Comics favorites that are a lot closer to what you remember than what’s in the books now.
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…
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…
(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
I admit, I went into JJ Abrams’ reboot of Star Trek (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) not wanting to like it, based on my less than enthusiastic view of Abrams’ previous work and a healthy level of fondness for Trek (when it was done right – not in the crap Berman/Braga/Voyager/Enterprise/latter-day films era). So yes, I had to be won over to the whole reboot-in-continuity thing, and I must say – overall, I *was* won over. I still think that wrapping it all in the flag of Nimoy’s Spock was a bit half-assed (and don’t get me started on the design, particularly that engine room lifted from the RMS Titanic), but there was enough fun and energy amongst most of the story and the majority of the cast that I got swept along. Regardless of my qualms, on a technical level, the Blu-Ray does look and sound pretty damn snazzy, and is made to show off your home theater system. Bonus materials include 30 behind-the-scenes featurettes, an audio commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a Blu-Ray exclusive 360-degree tour of the Enterprise and the Narada.
Another in the long line of comedy gems cancelled way too soon, Shout has given a nice, comprehensive special edition collection to Andy Barker, PI (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP). Co-created by Conan O’Brien and starring Andy Richter as a mild-mannered accountant who finds himself thrust into the shady world of private investigation, it’s a must-see piece of funny whose six episodes are just a sweet taste of what could have been. Bonus features include audio commentaries, a pair of featurettes, and a gag reel.
Including JJ Abrams reboot, I still stand by my assessment that Galaxy Quest (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is the best modern Star Trek film there is. Its parody is from a perspective of love for not only the high-flying adventure of the original Trek, but also the larger-than-life actors that brought it to life. This new high definition edition contains behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a Thermian audio track, and the theatrical trailer.
Though he’s been painted with a “grim” and “dense” brush, you’ll realize within a few pages of the Tom Strong Deluxe Edition: Volume 1 (DC Comics, $39.99 SRP) that Alan Moore really does love the silver age of comics, and this is his (along with artist Chris Sprouse) energetic, and downright fun, tale of the greatest hero of the 20th century. This is a beautiful, hardcover presentation, and I look forward to the other two volumes collecting the first 12 issues of the series.
For the 10th anniversary of Sandman – waaaaay back in 1999 – Neil Gaiman teamed with P. Craig Russell and Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano for a unique, beautiful tale featuring the King of All Night’s Dreaming, and the result was The Dream Hunters (Vertigo, $24.99 SRP). Now, 10 years after its original release, it’s gotten a facelift and re-release with bonus covers and sketches.
The high-def brigade has struck again, delivering a trio of Kevin Smith flicks into the single, aptly-titled Kevin Smith 3-Movie Collection (Miramax, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$89.99 SRP), collecting the extant Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back with brand-new special editions of Clerks & Chasing Amy, contains new featurettes and audio commentaries. The real gem of the set is the feature-length documentary Tracing Amy, which upholds the tradition of stellar behind-the-scenes looks into the View Askewniverse. So yes – get this.
It’s not the animated Batman, but I’ve been enjoying the animated adventures of ol’ webhead, the latest collection of which is now available as Spectacular Spider-Man: Volume Five (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$19.94 SRP). The disc contains a quartet of episodes, but sadly no bonus features.
Though some might consider the 22 shorts contained in The Three Stooges Collection Volume 7: 1952-1954 (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP) to be lesser lights from Shemp’s tenure (he suffered a minor stroke in late 1952 which some claim slowed him down, and the budgets of the latter-day Stooge shorts were drastically cut), there’s still plenty of comedy to be had in this penultimate set. Take a gander for yourself.
It’s not as polished or memorable as his early 70’s work, but the seeds were clearly planted in the eponymous debut album David Bowie (EMI, $24.98 SRP), with its iconic opening track “Space Oddity”. The new, fully remastered 2-disc set contains a slew of bonus material, including demos and alternate takes.
I thought it was a pretty good gimmick flick when it first came out, but I don’t find Fincher’s Fight Club (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) holds up to repeat viewings. Still, it’s a beautifully shot movie, which really shines in high definition. And for fans, there’s quite a surprise on the new Blu-Ray edition, which also includes audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted/alternate scenes, trailers, TV spots, PSAs, galleries, and a music video.
I’d like to say that Sacha Baron Cohen does it again with Bruno (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), but I found the style that served Borat so well to wear thin with the far more grating titular character. It’s a shame, because some of the scenarios Cohen drops the character into are stronger than those in Borat. Bonus features include deleted/alternative scenes and an interview with Lloyd Robinson.
Based on the history of the show, you know that It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) isn’t going to be your regular, everyday holiday special. And it’s not. Let’s just say that the gang’s run-in with Santa is a keeper. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a featurette, and a sing-along.
Not given the love of stablemates like The Sopranos and Deadwood when it aired, Rome (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$99.98 SRP) finally gets the deluxe special edition that its epic tale of love, betrayal, and empire deserves. In addition to all 22 episodes, the set also sports audio commentaries, a quartet of featurettes on Roman history, a quintet of behind-the-scenes featurettes, an interactive historical guide, and more. A lovely looking Blu-Ray edition ($139.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features but with a much more incredible picture.
A perfect companion piece to Wizard Of Oz‘s recent beautifully remastered anniversary release is Warner’s other gem of 1939, Gone With The Wind (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$24.98 SRP). In addition to the sparkling print, the 2-disc edition contains an audio commentary by historian Rudy Behlmer.
I was about to try defending Devlin/Emmerich’s Godzilla (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.95 SRP) as just mindless, goofball, monster fun – but it’s still a wrongheaded mess of a movie that really would have been smarter not calling itself, well, Godzilla. It is still a glorious enough mess in high-definition to be worth giving a spin, just to see a bunch of special effects on your nice TV.
I tried numerous times to get into Farscape, but could never get past its overly artificial, manufactured sci-fi feel, but I know it has a massive, rabid fanbase who are probably counting their pennies for the immense, comprehensive Farscape: The Complete Series (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$149.95 SRP). The 26-disc set contains all 88 episodes, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, documentaries, interviews, promos, and much more. Over 15 hours worth of bonus materials in all. Does that make you Farscape fans happy? I certainly hope so.
While it was a step up from the bewilderingly awful seventh season, the eighth season of Scrubs (ABC Studios, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.99 SRP) didn’t go far enough in recapturing the charm and grounding that marked its brilliant early seasons – which is a shame, as this was the swan song for the cast as it had stood from the show’s inception. Ah well, at least we have those early DVDs. The 3-disc set features all 19 episodes, plus alternate lines, webisodes, a featurette, deleted scenes, and bloopers.
With Prohibition on the way out, the final 12 episodes featured in The Untouchables Season 3: Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) finds Eliot Ness focusing on gambling, prostitution, and narcotics in that big-shouldered city, Chicago.
It’s trickling out, but another volume of Ben 10: Alien Force (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) has his the ground. The 5th volume contains a quartet of episodes, plus a sneak peek at the live action movie.
Yes, Nash Bridges (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) – the only reason I ever watched you was to see costar Cheech Marin be Cheech Marin, which is always worth seeing. The 5-disc set contains all 23 3rd season episodes, but not a single bonus feature. Not even Cheech Marin.
I never sparked to Drawn Together (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). Based on a pretty solid concept for comedy – about a motley crew of various cartoon character parodies thrown together into an animated Big Brother house – but its writing always fell flat for me. Still, there were fans, and they’ll probably want this complete series box set, containing all 36 episodes.
I’ve long been a fan of the work being done by the fine folks at Electric Tiki, as they always manage to do some of the most glorious design and sculpting work for their licensed maquettes. With that in mind, it’s understandable that I was delighted to hear they had picked up a license from the Mouse House to do a line of maquettes under the banner of the Walt Disney Showcase Collection. The first couple of these have just hit US shores, and are worth every single penny it takes for you to make one your own (which may be difficult, as these are ridiculously low edition sizes of just a few hundred each). The initial batch – all standing around 7″-10″high – are Darkwing Duck (Sideshow, $99.99), the Rescue Rangers, Gadget, Chip, & Dale ($124.99) and Jessica Rabbit (Sideshow, $124.99), sporting an abandoned outfit designed for the short subject Rollercoaster Rabbit. As you can see from the photos below – tres magnifique.
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…
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…
(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Those fans that have only experience the butchered editions of weird and wonderful The Mighty Boosh that have been running on Adult Swim need to run – not walk – to their favorite DVD emporium and snag copies of the new-to-the-US unexpurgated editions of The Mighty Boosh seasons 1-3 that have now been collected into the massive Mighty Boosh Special Edition DVD set (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP). The 7-disc set is loaded with all of the bonus features from the separate releases – including featurettes, commentaries, bloopers, & oddities – plus an exclusive 7th disc with a documentary, a Q& A, deleted scenes & outtakes from the pilot, the Paramount channel Zookeeper sketches, Bob Fossil Audio, Live Night links, and more.
During my mother’s recent cancer battle, she spent her final week at home. While at home, I set up a pair of Laser Stars Projectors ($169.99), directed at the ceiling, for her to be able to see. With their green laser stars and a brilliant blue nebula display, all of which are in constant, soothing motion, it hopefully helped to ease her final days.
After 10 years spent off the air, wandering the wilderness of feature film development, the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf return for a brand new adventure in Red Dwarf: Back To Earth (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Made for the UK digital network Dave, the 3-part story is made to play like a small-scale feature film, and the digital look certainly plays to that. The endeavor is largely successful, but it makes the same error of the later series by forgetting to be as funny as it used to be. If, as suspected, this was a backdoor return to new production, here’s hoping Doug Naylor takes that to heart if things move forward. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, a making-of documentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, web videos, an easter egg, and smeg-ups. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
The most brilliant parodies always come from a place of deep understanding – and often affection – for the particular thing being parodied. Such is clearly the case with Peter Kay’s brilliant send-up of reality talent competitions whose full title – deep breath – is Britain’s Got The Pop Factor And Possibly A New Celebrity Jesus Christ Soapstar Superstar Strictly On Ice (Channel 4, Not Rated, DVD-£19.99 SRP). Every single aspect of those viewer-voted, panel-judged talent shows are skewered with a straight face and skill that those unfamiliar with Kay (who stars as contestant Geraldine McQueen) might well believe that it’s all true. Fun, funny, and highly recommended. Bonus features include the follow-up special, judges’ commentary, music videos, and trailers.
The Warner Bros. Archive Collection does it again, this time releasing The Joe McDoakes Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.95). The 6-disc set contains all 63 shorts starring George O’Hanlon (who would later voice George Jetson) as the titular protagonist, who spends each short comically trying to master the various skills or activities that are the short’s focus. If this sounds familiar, the Disney studio did a take-off on these starring Goofy. Billy West turned me on to these McDoakes shorts, and it’s fantastic that Warners has made them available through their On-Demand catalogue service. Get this set. Now.
Really, the nifty on-demand catalogue service The Warner Archive Collection is the only way we’ll get the short-lived and rather mediocre but fascinating sci-fi series Genesis II (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.95), from creator Gene Roddenberry. It’s the tale of Dylan Hunt, a man who awakes from suspended animation 154 years in the future to find the world decimated by war and torn between the peace-loving Pax and the militaristic, mutant Tyranians – and both want Hunt to choose a side.
I was one of the Disney fans who marveled at the clarity that the restored Platinum Edition of Snow White revealed, making the film look like it was made in the last 10 years – not 70 years ago. Well, the new high definition Diamond Edition of Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) trumps even that stellar presentation. I can’t imagine it looking or sounding better than this. The 3-disc special edition also includes a standard DVD, plus bonus features including an audio commentary, newly-discovered storyboards for a possible sequel, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a look at Walt’s Hyperion Studios, and more. This truly is the edition to get. And watch.
You can have your fancy, expensive, often bizarre, more faithful, Tim Burton-directed version of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, but I will always, always love and prefer Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (Warner Bros., Rated G, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), starring Gene Wilder as the titular confectioner and featuring songs that still play in my head, almost 30 years after I first saw it. Now, just when other classic catalogue titles are getting heir high-def treatment (Hello, Wizard Of Oz), Warners is also dropping Willy Wonka – and it looks & sounds a treat. Bonus materials are essentially ported over from the standard DVD special edition, including a making-of documentary, an audio commentary with the Wonka kids, a vintage featurette, sing-along songs, and the theatrical trailer.
I’ve gotta say – I really & truly love the amazing, unique, and altogether nifty pop art books that Abrams Comicarts have been putting out – their entire selection of which is worth a look see. Case in point is the new Toon Treasury Of Classic Children’s Comics (Abrams Comicarts, $40.00 SRP), which features a selected reprinting of vintage comic book stories chosen by Art Spiegelman & Francois Mouly. By vintage, I mean everything from Disney Duck stories by the great Carl Barks to C.C. Beck Captain Marvel. It’s a wonderful tome.
Oh, and also from Abrams, have a look-see at Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel (Abrams Image, $24.95 SRP), which presents the fictional yet photographically & artistically documented story of the world’s first robot solider. Created in 1893 and winding his way through history like a metal Forrest Gump, it’s a fun look at an alternate reality that’s lovingly crafted.
Originally created for IMAX theaters, Dinosaurs Alive! (Image, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP) is exactly the type of short, poppy educational film you’d expect to see at your local natural history museum. It’s pretty snazzy in the home theater, but probably blew audiences away in IMAX.
After a lapse in copyright that allowed it to move from Warner Bros. to Paramount, My Fair Lady (Paramount, Rated G, DVD-$19.99 SRP) gets a new special edition release that doesn’t quite live up to the lavish 2-disc special edition previously available from Warners. This new single-disc contains an audio commentary, vintage featurettes, Audrey Hepburn’s original vocal tracks, a featurette, trailers, and a Rex Harrison radio interview.
Slowly but surely, we’re catching up on the releases of Gordon Ramsay’s excellent cooking show, The F Word (BFS, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). The third series brings us a whole new crop of celebrity guests, celebrity cook-offs, remote ingredient locales, and much more. The 3-disc set contains all 6 episodes.
You know, I’m not entirely sure it hasn’t been forever since the last season release of the still-classic, still-hilarious Mary Tyler Moore Show (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). However long it’s actually been, it certainly seems like forever, but now we’ve finally got the 5th season to dive into and laugh heartily at. Now where’s season 6?
I have nothing against the Shannon Doherty years of the low-rent “reality” candid camera frightfest Scare Tactics (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), but it’s the 3rd season introduction of new host Tracy Morgan that’s really made the show a guilty pleasure – and more fun than it ever managed to be previously. The 2-disc Uncensored and Too Hot for TV set contains the first half of the season, plus bloopers and extra footage.
Even though I find the show the dramatic equivalent of beige paint drying, I still find Patricia Arquette watchable in Medium (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$60.90 SRP). The 5th season is more of Arquette’s psychic mom Allison Dubois helping a an investigative team that’s never seen an episode of CSI solve crimes. The 5-disc set features all 18 episodes, plus behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Reflect on an incredible body of work by a much-missed actor with the new Paul Newman Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$89.98 SRP), which collects in one package the special editions of 13 of Newman’s films for Twentieth Century Fox, plus a 136-page book packed with photos and information. The included films are The Long, Hot Summer, Rally ‘Round The Flag, Boys!, From The Terrace, Exodus, The Hustler, Hemingway’s Adventures Of A Young Man, What A Way To Go!, Hombre, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, The Towering Inferno, Buffalo Bill And The Indians Or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson, Quintet, & The Verdict.
It’s quite rare when I actually enjoy a romantic comedy, only because the plot developments are as obvious as a truck on the side of your ear, so it really comes down to a decent enough script and a good clutch of actors to pull the whole thing off. With The Proposal (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$39.99 SRP), the tale of a Canadian boss of an American company trying to arrange a quickie marriage to her assistant in order to stay in the US only works because the leads in question are Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, and they manage to pull it off. Bonus features include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, and outtakes. A Blu-Ray edition ($44.99 SRP) is also available, which adds an exclusive deleted scenes to the bonus features from the standard DVD.
Does anyone actually enjoy The Hills (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), and not just state at the sheer idiocy on display, mouth agape? Do you know anyone who does? For those people, the first volume of the 5th season will probably be on their “pick-up” list, with special features including featurettes, deleted scenes, and interviews.
As you might expect, the soundtrack to Drew Barrymore’s roller derby flick Whip It (Rhino, $13.98 SRP) is packed with more punk rock tracks than you can shake a stick at, featuring everyone from The Ramones to .38 Special (with the folks like Ravonettes and The Breeders thrown in for good measure). Spin it.
I really have no other ammunition with which to recommend the CG-animated special Gotta Catch Santa Claus (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) than to say it has the genius masterstroke of casting William Shatner as the voice of Saint Nick. Genius, right? Genius!
At the end, the show was a shadow of its heyday high, but the cast of Married With Children (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) could still elicit a laugh based on talent alone. The 3-disc eleventh season set features all 25 episodes, but zero bonus materials.
Sam Raimi decided to abandon the tepid Spider-Man movies and return to form with the schlock-happy horror of Drag Me To Hell (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) that finds a young woman on the wrong side of a gypsy curse that will literally drag her soul to hell unless she can find away out of her bind. Simple, right? Bonus features include production video diaries.
Will Ferrell’s big screen take on the schlocky Sid & Marty Krofft Saturday morning classic Land Of The Lost (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is equal parts faithful and not-so-much, in that goofy, Brady Bunch Movie kind of a way. It’s all got a bit of a wink and a nudge as Ferrell’s has-been scientist Dr. Rick Marshall finds himself & two companions (Anna Friel & Danny McBride) wrong-turned into the titular prehistoric (and Sleestack ruled) land. Bonus features include an audio commentary, featurettes, and deleted scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus features.
I can’t tell you just how much I really, really don’t like the live action How The Grinch Stole Christmas (Universal, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$28.98 SRP). Now in high def with a bonus of the standard DVD edition, it’s just an awkward affair made even more regrettable when one sees the wonderful animated adaptation of Horton Hears A Who and inevitable turn your mind to what Grinch could have been in those hands, and not Ron Howard’s.
I think the final product has been a mixed bag, with none shining too terribly brightly, but if you’re keen on buying the recent animated direct-to-video movies starring your favorite Marvel Comics superheroes, you can now get the whole lot in the Marvel Animation set (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The 6 films included are Ultimate Avengers, Ultimate Avengers 2, Next Avengers, The Invincible Iron Man, Doctor Strange, & Hulk Vs.
It’s frustrating that Year One (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$28.96 SRP) is such a fertile subject for comedy so ably mishandled. The subject is a skewed, History Of The World Part I look at 1 AD, focusing here on a pair of serendipity prone guys (Michael Cera & Jack Black) who leave history in their wake. And, sadly, some not sharp enough comedy. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, containing an unrated version of the flick, with identical bonus materials.
I’ve never been a fan of Oliver Stone’s violent social commentary Natural Born Killers (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$20.98 SRP), but those interested in the flick will probably want to check out the unrated, extended director’s cut, featuring a new introduction from Stone. The 2-disc set also contains a new featurette, an audio commentary, and the previously available deleted scenes, Charlie Rose interview, alternate ending, and featurette about the storm around the film’s release.
Before you gawp at the live action flick, take in the classic animated version of Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are (Scholastic, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP). The disc also includes an addition quintet of Sendak tales – In The Night Kitchen, Alligators All Around, Pierre, One Was Johnny, & Chicken Soup With Rice (a personal favorite).
Do people still watch Nip/Tuck (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP)? I was never a fan, but I know there were plenty that tuned in to the soapy tales of the brothers cut-cut. For those of you still on the bandwagon, here’s the second volume of season five, which also features a bonus featurette.
If you’re not able to drop the cash for the more expensive Spotlight collections, or just want a nice sampler, then you’ll want to check out Tom and Jerry’s Greatest Chases: Volume 3 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which contains another 14 classic cat & mouse cartoons.
I tried desperately to avoid obvious swimming metaphors to talk about this title, but in the end, I lacked enough willpower to refrain from saying you should dive right in to the Esther Williams: Volume 2 collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The six films contained this go round include Thrill Of A Romance, Fiesta, This Time For Keeps, Pagan Love Song, Million Dollar Mermaid, & Easy To Love. Extras include vintage short subjects, cartoons, and musical outtakes.
Sensing it had been far too long since a new release and that brand awareness might be slipping, MTV has dug through the hall closet to scrape up enough material to fill Jackass: The Lost Tapes (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), featuring much material previously unreleased, deleted, censored, or just there.
I certainly tried, but I could never find enough of a toe-hold to get interested in The Legend Of The Seeker (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP), a coming-of-age sword & sorcery series about, well, The Seeker, his companions, and their rolling battle against an evil sorcerer. You can give it a spin yourself with the complete first season, featuring audio commentaries, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…
The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support Quick Stop by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
After what has seemed like an endless series of delays, the mother of all mockumentaries has finally made its way to high-def with the release of This Is Spinal Tap (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$ SRP). Picture and sound are as good as they’re ever going to get, and bonus materials include much of the same that we found on previous releases – including an audio commentary with the band (sadly, still no commentary from the old Criterion release), deleted scenes, featurettes, a quartet of Tap videos, outtakes, and a bonus DVD with their performance at Live Earth and the National Geographic Stonehenge interview with Nigel Tufnel.
As someone who prefers quiet walks at night when traffic isn’t quite as busy, it’s nice to have a practical hat like the Solar Light Cap ($34.99). With multiple brightness settings and the ability to recharge the cap in the sunlight (each charge provides 2-18 hours of light, depending on the brightness setting), it’s a nifty, all-weather safety accessory.
If you’re only exposure to Life On Mars (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) is the awkward US version, please put that out of your mind and dive into the complete first series of the UK original, about a modern-day police detective (John Simm) hot on a killer’s trail who gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. Yes – you read that right. Is he a time traveler? In a coma? Delusional? This is a ride worth taking, so do so. The 4-disc set contains all 8 first series episodes, plus audio commentaries, a behind-the-scenes documentary, featurettes, and an outtake reel.
The episodes have been released in single-disc releases thus far, but now you can get The Spectacular Spider-Man: The Complete First Season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$25.95 SRP). So far, it’s the closest Marvel has come to capturing the quality of the animated DC universe. The 2-disc set contains a pair of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
It’s the beginning of the end as the first of showrunner Russell T. Davies’ four telemovie swan songs comes to DVD in the form of Doctor Who: Planet Of The Dead (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). It’s certainly a rousing adventure, even if it falls short of the best of new Who. Still, best get your David Tennant fix satiated while you can. Bonus features include an hour-long behind-the-scenes special. And, for the first time, a Blu-Ray edition ($19.89 SRP) is also available.
Oh, Torchwood– you are such a flawed little spin-off. So desperate to be adult and differentiate yourself from parent Doctor Who, you’re just a mess of poorly realized characters, awkward writing, and unrealized potential. Still, fans can pick up The Complete Second Season (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.95 SRP) in high definition, with behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes. That’s something, right? Slightly better but still not what the show could be is the 5-part Torchwood: Children Of Earth (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which acts as the show’s 3rd season and acts as a bit of house cleaning. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette and an audio clip. A Blu-Ray edition ($34.99 SRP) us also available, with identical features.
It’s my second favorite Irwin Allen disaster flick (after the wondrous Poseidon Adventure, but The Towering Inferno (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is the first to actually be released on Blu-Ray. After seeing the lovely print and hearing the crisp sound, it makes me pine even more for my favorite to get its time in the sun. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted/extended scenes, featurettes, the AMC Backstory, interviews, the NATO presentation reel, and more.
Ever since being informed of its existence by the great Graham Linehan, I’ve been dying to see Big Man Japan (Magnolia, Rated PG-13, DVD-$26.98 SRP) – a delightfully bizarre flick about Japan’s plus-sized superhero defense against bizarro monsters, the titular Big Man Japan. Really – you just gotta see it. It’s hilarious. Bonus features include a making-of and deleted scenes.
Joss Whedon lost my trust during the abysmal final season of Buffy. I never got into Firefly, and every time I tried to watch his latest, Dollhouse (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) – starring Eliza Dushku as a blank slate, programmable, expensive call girl, essentially – but couldn’t shake the impression that it was a muddled mess that never gives the audience a reason to care about anything or anyone on it. The 3-disc season set features the original pilot, an unaired episode, audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($69.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
Weaving seldom-seen interviews, footage, and interviews with those who knew him, How Bruce Lee Changed The World (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) is a loving portrait of the martial artist, actor, husband, and father.
Though many will get their stuff in a bunch, I thought the finale of Battlestar Galactica was a big, awkward disappointment that jumped from “Huh?” to “What?” moments with reckless abandon. Still, fans are sure to snap up the final set, Battlestar Galactica: Season 4.5 (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features the final clutch of episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, video blogs, featurettes, and more.
There are a lot of catalogue titles making their way into the Blu-Ray roster, but it’s always nice when the films of a personal favorite filmmaker get a spin – such as Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP). Even though he didn’t write the film, his signature style is all over the production, and it most definitely fits into what I define as “Gilliam-esque”. The Blu-Ray ports over the audio commentary, featurettes, and Hamster Factor documentary from the original DVD release.
I guess the best way to describe Miss March (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is as a tepid, watchable, raunchy road trip comedy about a pair of friends who embark on a cross-country road trip to the Playboy mansion in order to find the girlfriend who has become a centerfold. You know how that goes. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes. A Blu-Ray edition ($39.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
Before Polanski went mainstream with Rosemary’s Baby, he was spending the 1960’s making chilling cinema like Repulsion (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), his follow-up to Knife In The Water. It’s also just gotten a scrubbed and spiffy high-def transfer featuring an audio commentary, a documentary on the making of the film, a rare 1964 French TV special on the film, and trailers.
Of all the direct-to-DVD DC animated adventures to come down the pike thus far, Green Lantern: First Flight (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$24.98 SRP) is the first one I’ve actually enjoyed. It’s essentially an origin story, explaining how test pilot Hal Jordan came to possess the power ring that would make him a Green Lantern, one of an army of peacekeepers under the leadership of the Guardians Of The Universe. It also sets up the fall of Green Lantern Sinestro, who’s secretly plotting the overthrow of the Guardians. Lot of stuff there. The 2-disc set features featurettes, bonus cartoons presented by Bruce Timm, the episode of Duck Dodgers featuring the Green Lanterns, and more. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.99 SRP) is available with identical bonus materials.
It went out with a bit of a whimper, but fans at least can now pick up the wrap-up with Prison Break: The Final Break (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). Bonus features are limited to deleted scenes. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.99 SRP) is also available, with the same single bonus feature.
Besides featuring an early TV performance from a young Ian McKellen, Armchair Thriller (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.99 SRP) was pretty typical of the mystery/suspense tales being cranked out in the UK during the 70’s, many of which found their way to PBS’s Mystery!. This inaugural set collects a quartet of stories (including the aforementioned one featuring McKellen).
I never cared for The Fast & The Furious, but even I could see diminishing returns in its sequels. So, too, did the studio, who decided to go back to basics – cast and all – with the cleverly named Fast & Furious (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), which has more cars. Fast cars. And Vin Diesel. Doing whatever the hell he does. Bonus features include featurettes and a short film from Diesel.
When Jon & Kate Plus Eight: Season 4 (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) decided that the theme of the season was “The Big Move”, little did they know just how accurate the term would become to that rolling clusterf*** of a marriage.
Oh, relaunched Knight Rider. You were so very hopeful that your self-important, lackluster new take on the 80’s hit would actually have a future, you didn’t even bother to call your DVD release The Complete Series even though you’ve been cancelled. So now people can buy Knight Rider: Season 1 (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The 4-disc set features all 17 episodes plus the TV movie, as well as commentary on the pilot and featurettes.
The film is one of those cult faves, and Lalo Schifrin’s score to Sky Riders (Aleph Records, $14.98 SRP) is one of those fun, overlooked little gems that has thankfully gotten a release. Get it.
Gary Hobkins and his rather unique ability to foresee and hopefully avert the future – literally, he’s delivered the next day’s edition of the newspaper – returns with the complete second season of Early Edition (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$45.98 SRP). The 5-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus original promos.
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…
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 remastered editions of Star Trek: The Original Series (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.99 SRP) – the ones with new special effects and restored prints – got a shot at a high definition release a few years back. Sadly, Paramount was backing the HD-DVD horse at the time, and they only got as far as releasing a hybrid DVD/HD-DVD of the first season. Well, now Blu-Ray is on the scene, so we’re getting a pure Blu-Ray high definition release featuring not only the remastered version of the show, but the original as well. Bonus features are largely ported over from that original release, including rare home movies, featurettes, trivia, and more. Regardless, the series looks beautiful in high-def, and here’s hoping for the speedy release of seasons 2 & 3.
If you want a graphics tablet just for the occasional use and don’t want to drop a ton of money on a deluxe one, the SuperPen Graphics Tablet ($49.99) is for you. It’s a nice introductory piece of equipment that incorporates both the pen and a mouse, and will certainly help you get the hang of a tablet’s drawing and writing versatility.
When people ask me why I tend to prefer British comedies to their US counterparts, I have only to point to a show like Pulling (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) to prove my case. In a nutshell, it revolves around a trio of twenty-something single women keen on sex, drink, and maybe even love. Trust me – it’s great, and definitely worth a spin. Bonus features include a pair of audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
It is with no small irony that Kate Winslet won an Oscar for her role in The Reader (Genius, Rated R, DVD-$29.95 SRP) so soon after sending up herself in Extras, revealing what actors have to do to score the gold. The film itself is quite an engrossing tale of a love, frustration, and lies in post-war Germany. The DVD contains featurettes, deleted scenes, and the theatrical trailer. A Blu-Ray edition ($34.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
There’s simply too many television shows in the studio libraries for even the most diligent company to release in a timely fashion. Stepping in to help get that TV product out is the fine folks at Shout! Factory, who have built a reputation in licensing and releasing top-notch TV-on-DVD releases that have until now fallen through the cracks. The series getting complete first season sets from Shout! are Rhoda, My Two Dads, Room 222, Malcolm & Eddie (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP each), California Dreams, and The Paper Chase (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$44.99 SRP each). All of the sets save for Malcolm & Eddie & The Paper Chase contain newly-produced retrospective featurettes with the show’s casts.
One new TV-to-DVD set that special kudos must go to Shout! Factory for is the release of the complete first & second seasons of Mr. Belvedere (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$44.99 SRP). “Back in the day”, as the kids say, I rarely missed an episode of Mr. Belvedere, a sitcom that seemed a cut above the rest of its family-based contemporaries (I place it alongside |Family Ties). The 5-disc set contains all 29 1st & 2nd season episodes, plus a newly-produced retrospective featurette with the cast.
The actually decent animated adventures of ol’ webhead continue in The Spectacular Spider-Man: Volume Four (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$19.94 SRP), which collects another 4 episodes from the series, including appearances from The Black Cat, Venom, and The Sandman.
It’s the second of the cobbled-together attempts by Warner Bros. to utilize their extensive animation back catalog, and while the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie featured new interstitial animation directed by Chuck Jones, The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$14.98 SRP) was directed by another classic Warner legend, Friz Freleng. As a bonus, they’ve also put the new-to-DVD late 80’s short Box Office Bunny, as well as From Hare To Eternity & Pullet Surprise.
It’s pretty much your standard, cliched girl vs. girl comedy, but at least Bride Wars (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) features nice performances from Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson as a pair of best friends who find their respective weddings accidentally booked on the same day at New York’s Plaza Hotel. Mild hilarity ensues. The Blu-Ray edition also sports a standard DVD, and bonus features include deleted scenes, featurettes, and interviews.
I periodically try, but I still don’t enjoy Seth MacFarlane’s American Dad (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). Just can’t get into it. I know many can, and those are the people that will be picking up the 4th volume, whose 3 discs feature 14 episodes plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a trio of featurettes.
I know there were fans of it, but I never really could get into the 90’s animated adventures o Marvel’s mutants, The X-Men. For those that did, though, you can now pick up X-Men: Volume 1 and X-Men: Volume 2 (Buena Vista, Not Rated, DVD-$23.99 SRP each), featuring the first 33 episodes of the series and its sometimes baffling mish-mash of continuity.
Universal jumps into their library and comes up with a batch of pre-code films (much like Warners and Fox) for their first Pre-Code Hollywood Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The set features 6 films from that wild & wooly era – The Cheat, Merrily We Go To Hell, Hot Saturday, Torch Singer, Murder At The Vanities, and Search For Beauty.
Universal also dips into the archives to release a restored 75th anniversary edition of Cecil B. Demille’s Cleopatra (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Bonus features include an audio commentary, featurettes on Demille and star Claudette Colbert, and a look at the pre-Production Code era.
It’s still flawed and not terribly good, but Punisher: War Zone (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$34.98 SRP) comes a hell of a lot closer to capturing the comic book character than the last big screen attempt. Bonus features include an audio commentary and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
We’re up to the sixth season of Mission: Impossible (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP), and would you believe that Jim Phelps gets a message EVERY EPISODE that launches the team into globe-spanning action? Would you believe that? Because it happens ALL THE TIME. The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes.
I never thought we’d reach the end, but another TV show’s DVD journey is over with the release of the 9th and final season of The Waltons (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), as the family enters the post-war peace of the late 40’s. The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes.
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…
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…
It’s a bit depressing, but The Three Stooges Collection – Volume Five: 1946-1948 (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$24.96 SRP) marks the final batch of shorts featuring Curly Howard, as it was during production of Half-Wits Holiday that he suffered a debilitating stroke that made production impossible. He was replaced by another Howard brother, who actually preceded Curly as a Stooge – Shemp. The second half of this set features the long-haired Stooge. So long, Curly.
Thinkgeek is a wonderful source for things that, at first glance, just seem like a cool knick knack with no practical purpose, but actually hide a nicely practical application. If you caught the recent Comic Relief fundraising event I co-hosted at www.rednosenet.com, you’ll know that I closed the 24-hour marathon by switching on and depressing the button on a nifty USB Doomsday Device Hub ($49.99). Not only does this have a 3-step process (two toggles and a key turn) that allows the red button activation of your doomsday device (in reality, a nice explosion sound), but the practical side is fulfilled by it also being a 4-port USB hub. How cool is that?
Growing up in Quantico, Virginia, many a school trip was taken to the Smithsonian’s massive and uber-cool Air & Space Museum, which is given the spotlight in the documentary America’s Hangar (Smithsonian Networks, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). Not only do you get to see all of the nifty stuff on public display, but all of the stuff that goes on behind-the-scenes (including the seemingly endless amount of material there’s no room to display).
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s a shame that Gordon Ramsay is mostly known for the over-produced Hell’s Kitchen and US Kitchen Nightmares when his UK output is so wonderfully engaging. Case in point – and well worth checking out – is the second series of his celebration of food, The F Word (BFS, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which finds Ramsay tackling a different menu item each week in his F Word restaurant, which also includes a celebrity component and trips into the field. Also, as a way of showing the viewers and his kids where the food on the dinner table comes from and give them more of an appreciation, a different animal each season is raised by the Gordon clan, and then served at the end of the run. This season found them raising pigs. The 3-disc set features 8 episodes, but sadly no bonus features, but ridiculously omits the entirety of episode 2 for clearance issues. What the hell?
There are no fava beans, but the Blu-Ray edition of The Silence Of The Lambs (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is just as creepy in high definition, and wipes away the memory of the unfortunate sequels. Bonus features ported over from the DVD special edition include retrospective featurettes, deleted scenes, TV spots, outtakes, trailers, and more.
After a bit of a release gap (a few years), the officers of the 12th Precinct return in Barney Miller: The Complete Third Season (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Any season that features guest stars like Billy Barty, James Cromwell, and Doric Roberts deserves a spin. The 3-disc set contains all 22 episodes.
The next two volumes – two and three, to be specific – of the new animated adventures of ol’ webhead himself, The Spectacular Spider-Man (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$19.94 SRP), arrive on DVD. While featureless, each disc contains a trio of episodes featuring – you know – villains.
The story is clunky and the acting is broad, but there’s no denying that Quo Vadis (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP) was made during the golden age of the spectacle picture, which is the main reason for taking in every nook and cranny in fully restored high definition. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a new featurette, and the theatrical trailers.
Slowly but surely, we’re winding our way towards the end, and the release of the tenth and penultimate season of Married With Children (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) brings us right up to the brink of the Bundy clan’s exploits. The 3-disc set features all 26 episodes, but nary a bonus feature.
I can’t really speak personally on how fun puppet bunnies are, but my nephews really enjoyed Bunnytown: Hello Bunnies! (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), the show’s first DVD release. The disc contains 4 episodes, plus a bunny dance featurette.
Wake your dogs up with a dose of Fran Drescher in the complete third season of The Nanny (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). The 3-disc set contains all 26 episodes, plus the animated holiday special “Oy To The World”.
Let’s wrap things up this week with a really cool collectible that has no practical purpose other than to be cool. What is it, exactly? Well, it’s a replica of the winged helmet worn by The Mighty Thor – Thunder God, Asgardian, and Marvel Comics hero. The Thor Helmet Replica ($369.99) is constructed of steel and plated in chrome, with hand-painted fiberglass wings and an adjustable leather liner. The edition is limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide, so be sure to pick yours up as soon as possible – or you’ll regret it.
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…
Welcome to our weekly round-up of featured giveaways here at Quick Stop. Every Wednesday, we’ll present a new clutch of DVDs, books, and other cool stuff you can take a shot at winning. All you have to do is click on the graphics below to be taken to their respective contest pages. And good luck!
In conjunction with Warner Bros. Home Video, we’re giving away four (4) copies of THE SMURFS: TRUE BLUE FRIENDS on DVD.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I continue to follow Game Of Thrones and a I stuck through an increasingly-baffling Westworld, but the real joy of the HBO year is the one-two return of 
Over the course of 25 volumes released over the past 13 years, Fantagraphics has done a truly incredible job presenting the complete 50-year run of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts. It was no small amount of surprise and delight that they tacked on a 26th volume of 
When Thinkgeek designs products in-house, it’s a fair bet that the final result will be something you didn’t even know you wanted until you saw it, and then you must absolutely have it. Case in point are a pair of cookery items sure to make the kid – or adult – enamored with all things Pokemon absolutely giddy. Have a party coming up? Use the 
Generational nostalgia is a linear beast, which means everything will eventually get its moment, which brings us to the release of the complete first and second season of Nickelodeon’s beloved 
The plate may now be empty, but there was once a glorious confection of a British import that you can savor again with the release of 
I’m a sucker for ephemera books – you know, the kind that feature reproductions of rare historical materials – and in their eternal quest for new revenue streams, we get 
Sure, there’s a fair bit of 
While I’m not particularly enthusiastic about Pixar’s vehicular franchise, I very much adore the Art Of books that the company does with the fine folks at Chronicle, the latest of which is 
In an age where facts are being assailed and history denied, now more than ever we need the objective, quality programming being produced by PBS. You can do that by catching up on the scores of excellent documentary and news programs they’re releasing on home video. For the politically and socially minded, there’s 
Sketch comedy is hard to do, and when you set the bar as high as Amy Schumer had with the first three seasons of 
The 1957 police drama 
The nicest thing I can say about Vin Diesel’s pet resurrection of a franchise, 
There’s a lot of tension to be found in the drama of a diamond-dealing family dragged into the underworld in 
There’s a lot of fun to be found in Warners new franchise push – 
With not the least bit of hyperbole, Criterion’s new high definition remaster of the Beatles’ legendary feature debut, 
Fans knew it was only a matter of time before we could finally buy our own toy version of 
A few years back, it seemed a pretty unlikely notion that Paramount would invest the money necessary to completely remaster 
They were the first to commit to the idea, and Warner Bros. remains at the forefront of getting their deep catalogue titles out to the diehard fans of various properties via their Warner Archive, which has just dropped a slew of brand new discs. First and foremost, their Blu-Ray program has released the long-awaited John Milius masterpiece 
But it’s not just feature films in the offing, as the Warner Archive wraps up a classic series with the release of 
I’m still not entirely sure if I like 
Few series stand up terribly well decades after they first aired, but one that most certainly does is 
It doesn’t quite succeed in what it’s trying to do, but 
Shout Factory has become the last great hope for many TV series whose DVD releases were cut off short of completion, as they turn their benevolence towards Sipowicz and his new partner Danny Sorenson (Ricky Schroder) for the complete sixth season of 
When you watch 
Fans of Dora and her monkey sidekick will want to explore her latest DVD release, 
When it comes to kitchen sink filmmaking, the grandmaster of them all is Stanley Kramer’s larger than life comedy 
You could never do a show like 
After years in the wilderness, it’s nice to see Woody Allen continue his latter-day winning streak with his latest, 
I’m still not entirely sure if I like 
If you’re looking for a pair of fascinating documentaries this weekend, the Smithsonian Channel is serving up the unsung heroes of the space program with 
The fine folks at Mill Creek have a mighty batch of economy-priced TV collections for anyone hoping to dive in to some classic series on a budget, including 
Shout Factory has become the last great hope for many TV series whose DVD releases were cut off short of completion, as they turn their benevolence towards Sipowicz and Simone for the complete fifth season of 
Join Grover, Abby, and Elmo as they learns the ins and outs of sportsmanship in 
Disillusioned by the direction he sees professional wrestling headed, Steve Scarborough decides to take matters into his own hands and founds the Platinum Championship League, whose origins and development are chronicled in the documentary 
The second volume of the second season of History Channel’s 
The latest in the line of quickie joke-a-second pop culture lampoons has come down the pike in the form of 
I’m a comic fan. Despite what I think of the emaciated, dying industry as it exists today, I’ll forever hold fond memories of my comic book reading childhood.
I’m not a fan of the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and less so of Tobey Maguire’s DOA-delivery as the titular hero (and those godawaful organic webshooters). The only thing they did get right was the costume, which was just about perfect. With the rebooted 
Because you can never have enough flexibility in your mobile charging options, the fine folks at Thinkgeek have released an ultra low profile 
It’s been a long wait, but we’ve finally got the 3rd volume of 
I was worried going in to 
Formerly available as just a retailer exclusive, John Hughes still-brilliant 
While its had holiday episodes in the past, 
It may not be considered the best animation to come down the pike, but there’s no denying that the kids shows produced by Filmation – from Fat Albert and Star Trek to Superman and He-Man – left their mark on a few generations. The story of the studio is told by its founder in 
It’s not their usual stop-motion fare, but Aardman Animation’s festive holiday CG feature 
A new Disney film has come down the pike, which also means a new, beautiful, must-have Art Of book from the fine folks at Chronicle – and that’s just what 
Tick another classic film off the list, as an absolutely beautifully restored 
It doesn’t hold a candle to the classic films, but 
So what have we got for this week’s soundtracks? We’ve got a brand new score from the mighty John Williams for Steven Spielberg’s 
How about a pair of catalogue releases from the folks at Buena Vista? New to high definition are the Bette Midler tearjerker 
Though there are some that dismiss him, I will stand by my long-held love for the comedy of Louie Anderson, still going strong in 
Nothing like the getting a film you’ve desperately wanted on Blu-Ray from a given director dropping alongside a misfire from said director to really set up the cognitive dissonance. I’m ecstatic to finally have Tim Burton’s 
You know me. You know I love multi-tool gadgets, just for their design awesomeness in secreting away a bunch of tools in a simple, straightforward, often practical form. Such is the case with the 23 tools found in the 
I admit, I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of the return of Pee Wee Herman. I wanted it to happen, but feared that after all this time and an awful lot of water under the bridge, the charm that made the show so iconic could not be recaptured. Well, my fears vanished when watching 
It walks a fine line of quirkiness, but Richard Ayoade’s 
With the release of both the deluxe 
And while you’re watching the animated versions cavort, why not see how the real live felines act and interact with the Disneynature documentary 
If you’re a fan of the era and creators that truly solidified Marvel as the premier comic book company, pick up a copy of Pierre Comtois’ excellent overview 
For the past few years, when I’ve wanted to show off the incredible quality of Blu-Ray – and my massive TV – I’ve popped in the BBC’s landmark nature documentary 
The show’s overcome a rough start and solidified into a quirky delight, but the main reason I’ve stuck with 
What’s the easiest way to tell a series has caught on? The obligatory special edition re-release of an already existing release, this time being the new edition of the first season of 
While it’s not as abysmal as Back In Action, 
It’s not exactly high brow cinema, but I have a fondness for the farce 
It doesn’t hold a candle to actually seeing him live, but you can get a pretty good, and pretty enjoyable sense, of the tour-de-force fun with 
I’m not sure I fully appreciate the material generated for and presented on Hit Record’s 
The story behind 
When I was a kid, during visits to her house on Long Island, my aunt used to occasionally play us her favorite song – Bette Midler singing “The Rose”. Since then, and because of seeing Better be pretty damn funny during appearances on Johnny’s Tonight Show, I have an affection for The Divine Miss M, so much so that I actually got a kick out of her bombastic, camp, yet joyously showbizzy return to the stage in 
I don’t particularly think anyone was clamoring for a new installment in the Scream franchise, but 
Besides the obvious double entendre in the title, 
I know I had misgivings at the time, but it’s not until all these years later, revisiting it for its high definition release, that I realize just how cloyingly caramel apple sweet 
How do you know a new season of Beavis And Butt-Head is on the horizon? You get the release of 
Gabriel Byrne returns as therapist Dr. Paul Weston in the 3rd season of 
For all its desperation to make itself a loving homage to Spielberg, Super 8 is a crass wannabe next to Nick Frost & Simon Pegg’s alien road trip 
Adding to the mystery presented to viewers all those years ago, the introduction of River Song in the episode “Silence In The Library” found the enigmatic Dr. Song in possession of her very own Sonic Screwdriver, given to her by The Doctor in the future and an advanced version, no less. Now you can own your very own 
If you tend to think of Mickey Mouse as nothing more than a bland corporate spokesman, prepare to be both fascinated and delighted by the incredible comic strip adventures of the 30’s by Floyd Gottfredson, collected for the first time in 
Oh, they’re coming fast & furious now. What, you ask? More classic Doctor Who adventures – this time the Tom Baker story 
Let’s all forget about the American abomination and just re-watch the from-front-to-back enjoyable 16th season of the original UK 
Although only one of them was made as a period piece, enough time has passed that both 
If you’re a big fan of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett’s post-MST3K endeavor Rifftrax, you owe it to yourself to partake of the heightened energy of a pair of recent live show releases that were originally beamed to theaters around the country – 
With the recent resurgence in popularity of Nickelodeon’s 90’s line-up – or, at least Nickelodeon’s acknowledgement that there is a fanbase out there – it should come as no surprise that those fans will now be able to pick up the complete first season of 
I’ve made no secret of my intense hatred – borne of even more intense disappointment – in 
If Pineapple Express was a stoner action flick, than the rather obviously named 
While Pixar and Dreamworks get most of the attention, let’s not overlook the equally enjoyable films from other studios that don’t get the attention, like Blu Sky Studios fun, funny tale of a domesticated macaw intent on returning to his roots in South America in 
I admit, there’s a fondness in my heart for 
Get your fix of manly-man movies in high definition with the release of both 
I’m a big fan of Berkely Breathed’s children’s book 
During that period when Hanna-Barbera was just crankin’ out feature-length specials of just about all of their characters, George & Jane Jetson’s eldest daughter got her own, featuring a witch, a teen idol, aliens, and even Elroy. And the folks at the Warner Archive Collection have made 
Oh, the 80’s was just packed full of mediocre animated series that inspired dedicated fans who’ve grown up to have disposable cash and a desire to relive their rose-tinted memories – Which is why we have 
It’s still not The Hudsucker Proxy, but I’m still happy about the high definition arrival of 
Get your literary drama on with a pair of releases from A&E sure to delight the higher-brows amongst you. The first is the 
Curious how timing works out such that the 5th season of 
See Brits survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland and make the journey to a distant planet to make a new start in 
My nephews will be delighted to see another volume of the Frosty Freezy Freeze fans and crime-fighting duo back for another batch of episodes in 
Some are fascinating, but I’m not one for re-living that horrible day, but from a historical perspective the documentaries collected in the 
If I were to choose the giant robot cartoon that left the biggest mark on my childhood psyche (after Transformers), it would have to be Voltron. Watching the 7 remastered episodes contained in 
Shout Factory has settled into a pleasantly clockwork schedule of releasing new sets, but I still greet 
When I was a kid, I always wanted the 5 transformable lions that would join to form the mighty battle robot Voltron. Sadly, I never did wind up getting it back then. As an adult, however, I have gotten the 
Relive the great legacy of Sesame Street back in the days before the show went down the tubes with the DVD release of 1989’s 
If you’re keen for a massive tome that takes a backstage look at the genius behind the concepts, designs, and implementations of their theme parks, look no further than 
Tide yourself over for the next season release with 
You’ve probably purchased them in the past, so what’s the incentive in buying the new editions of 
It’s hard not to be enthralled by the images on display in 
If you’re curious what Reality Bites would look like at middle age, look no further than 
Warners continues to mine their deep library of noir films with the 5th volume of the 
Post-MASH, Robert Altman decided to cash most of the goodwill audiences had in with the bizarre, daft 
In the early days of Nick at Nite, one of the shows I watched night after night was My Three Sons, and I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s because of star Fred MacMurray, as single parent Steve Douglas (sadly, sans Flubber). Or maybe it was just the lovably crotchety presence of William Frawley. Either way, both the 
Paramount continues to undercut the public domain cheapie market with the welcome release of the complete second season of 
I was never a fan of 
Since you can’t introduce your kids to the superheroes you loved as a kid via comic books anymore (dark, violent aberrations that they’ve become), pick up 
I admit, I went into JJ Abrams’ reboot of 
Another in the long line of comedy gems cancelled way too soon, Shout has given a nice, comprehensive special edition collection to 
Including JJ Abrams reboot, I still stand by my assessment that 
Though he’s been painted with a “grim” and “dense” brush, you’ll realize within a few pages of the 
For the 10th anniversary of Sandman – waaaaay back in 1999 – Neil Gaiman teamed with P. Craig Russell and Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano for a unique, beautiful tale featuring the King of All Night’s Dreaming, and the result was 
The high-def brigade has struck again, delivering a trio of Kevin Smith flicks into the single, aptly-titled 
It’s not the animated Batman, but I’ve been enjoying the animated adventures of ol’ webhead, the latest collection of which is now available as 
Though some might consider the 22 shorts contained in 
It’s not as polished or memorable as his early 70’s work, but the seeds were clearly planted in the eponymous debut album 
I thought it was a pretty good gimmick flick when it first came out, but I don’t find Fincher’s 
I’d like to say that Sacha Baron Cohen does it again with 
Based on the history of the show, you know that 
Not given the love of stablemates like The Sopranos and Deadwood when it aired, 
A perfect companion piece to Wizard Of Oz‘s recent beautifully remastered anniversary release is Warner’s other gem of 1939, 
I was about to try defending Devlin/Emmerich’s 
I tried numerous times to get into Farscape, but could never get past its overly artificial, manufactured sci-fi feel, but I know it has a massive, rabid fanbase who are probably counting their pennies for the immense, comprehensive 
While it was a step up from the bewilderingly awful seventh season, the eighth season of 
With Prohibition on the way out, the final 12 episodes featured in 
It’s trickling out, but another volume of 
Yes, 
I never sparked to 
Those fans that have only experience the butchered editions of weird and wonderful The Mighty Boosh that have been running on Adult Swim need to run – not walk – to their favorite DVD emporium and snag copies of the new-to-the-US unexpurgated editions of The Mighty Boosh seasons 1-3 that have now been collected into the massive 
During my mother’s recent cancer battle, she spent her final week at home. While at home, I set up a pair of 
After 10 years spent off the air, wandering the wilderness of feature film development, the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf return for a brand new adventure in 
The most brilliant parodies always come from a place of deep understanding – and often affection – for the particular thing being parodied. Such is clearly the case with Peter Kay’s brilliant send-up of reality talent competitions whose full title – deep breath – is 
The Warner Bros. Archive Collection does it again, this time releasing 
Really, the nifty on-demand catalogue service The Warner Archive Collection is the only way we’ll get the short-lived and rather mediocre but fascinating sci-fi series 
I was one of the Disney fans who marveled at the clarity that the restored Platinum Edition of Snow White revealed, making the film look like it was made in the last 10 years – not 70 years ago. Well, the new high definition Diamond Edition of 
You can have your fancy, expensive, often bizarre, more faithful, Tim Burton-directed version of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, but I will always, always love and prefer 
I’ve gotta say – I really & truly love the amazing, unique, and altogether nifty pop art books that Abrams Comicarts have been putting out – their entire selection of which is worth a look see. Case in point is the new 
Oh, and also from Abrams, have a look-see at 
Originally created for IMAX theaters, 
After a lapse in copyright that allowed it to move from Warner Bros. to Paramount, 
Slowly but surely, we’re catching up on the releases of Gordon Ramsay’s excellent cooking show, 
You know, I’m not entirely sure it hasn’t been forever since the last season release of the still-classic, still-hilarious 
I have nothing against the Shannon Doherty years of the low-rent “reality” candid camera frightfest 
Even though I find the show the dramatic equivalent of beige paint drying, I still find Patricia Arquette watchable in 
Reflect on an incredible body of work by a much-missed actor with the new 
It’s quite rare when I actually enjoy a romantic comedy, only because the plot developments are as obvious as a truck on the side of your ear, so it really comes down to a decent enough script and a good clutch of actors to pull the whole thing off. With 
Does anyone actually enjoy 
As you might expect, the soundtrack to Drew Barrymore’s roller derby flick 
I really have no other ammunition with which to recommend the CG-animated special 
At the end, the show was a shadow of its heyday high, but the cast of 
Sam Raimi decided to abandon the tepid Spider-Man movies and return to form with the schlock-happy horror of 
Will Ferrell’s big screen take on the schlocky Sid & Marty Krofft Saturday morning classic 
I can’t tell you just how much I really, really don’t like the live action 
I think the final product has been a mixed bag, with none shining too terribly brightly, but if you’re keen on buying the recent animated direct-to-video movies starring your favorite Marvel Comics superheroes, you can now get the whole lot in the 
It’s frustrating that 
I’ve never been a fan of Oliver Stone’s violent social commentary 
Before you gawp at the live action flick, take in the classic animated version of Maurice Sendak’s 
Do people still watch 
If you’re not able to drop the cash for the more expensive Spotlight collections, or just want a nice sampler, then you’ll want to check out 
I tried desperately to avoid obvious swimming metaphors to talk about this title, but in the end, I lacked enough willpower to refrain from saying you should dive right in to the 
Sensing it had been far too long since a new release and that brand awareness might be slipping, MTV has dug through the hall closet to scrape up enough material to fill 
I certainly tried, but I could never find enough of a toe-hold to get interested in 
After what has seemed like an endless series of delays, the mother of all mockumentaries has finally made its way to high-def with the release of 
As someone who prefers quiet walks at night when traffic isn’t quite as busy, it’s nice to have a practical hat like the 
If you’re only exposure to 
The episodes have been released in single-disc releases thus far, but now you can get 
It’s the beginning of the end as the first of showrunner Russell T. Davies’ four telemovie swan songs comes to DVD in the form of 
Oh, Torchwood– you are such a flawed little spin-off. So desperate to be adult and differentiate yourself from parent Doctor Who, you’re just a mess of poorly realized characters, awkward writing, and unrealized potential. Still, fans can pick up 
It’s my second favorite Irwin Allen disaster flick (after the wondrous Poseidon Adventure, but 
Ever since being informed of its existence by the great Graham Linehan, I’ve been dying to see 
Joss Whedon lost my trust during the abysmal final season of Buffy. I never got into Firefly, and every time I tried to watch his latest, 
Weaving seldom-seen interviews, footage, and interviews with those who knew him, 
Though many will get their stuff in a bunch, I thought the finale of Battlestar Galactica was a big, awkward disappointment that jumped from “Huh?” to “What?” moments with reckless abandon. Still, fans are sure to snap up the final set, 
There are a lot of catalogue titles making their way into the Blu-Ray roster, but it’s always nice when the films of a personal favorite filmmaker get a spin – such as Terry Gilliam’s 
Quirky and fun, 
I guess the best way to describe 
Before Polanski went mainstream with Rosemary’s Baby, he was spending the 1960’s making chilling cinema like 
Of all the direct-to-DVD DC animated adventures to come down the pike thus far, 
It went out with a bit of a whimper, but fans at least can now pick up the wrap-up with 
Besides featuring an early TV performance from a young Ian McKellen, 
I never cared for The Fast & The Furious, but even I could see diminishing returns in its sequels. So, too, did the studio, who decided to go back to basics – cast and all – with the cleverly named 
When 
Oh, relaunched Knight Rider. You were so very hopeful that your self-important, lackluster new take on the 80’s hit would actually have a future, you didn’t even bother to call your DVD release The Complete Series even though you’ve been cancelled. So now people can buy 
The film is one of those cult faves, and Lalo Schifrin’s score to 
Gary Hobkins and his rather unique ability to foresee and hopefully avert the future – literally, he’s delivered the next day’s edition of the newspaper – returns with the complete second season of 
The remastered editions of 
If you want a graphics tablet just for the occasional use and don’t want to drop a ton of money on a deluxe one, the 
When people ask me why I tend to prefer British comedies to their US counterparts, I have only to point to a show like 
It is with no small irony that Kate Winslet won an Oscar for her role in 
There’s simply too many television shows in the studio libraries for even the most diligent company to release in a timely fashion. Stepping in to help get that TV product out is the fine folks at Shout! Factory, who have built a reputation in licensing and releasing top-notch TV-on-DVD releases that have until now fallen through the cracks. The series getting complete first season sets from Shout! are 
One new TV-to-DVD set that special kudos must go to Shout! Factory for is the release of the complete first & second seasons of 
The actually decent animated adventures of ol’ webhead continue in 
It’s the second of the cobbled-together attempts by Warner Bros. to utilize their extensive animation back catalog, and while the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie featured new interstitial animation directed by Chuck Jones, 
It’s pretty much your standard, cliched girl vs. girl comedy, but at least 
I periodically try, but I still don’t enjoy Seth MacFarlane’s 
I know there were fans of it, but I never really could get into the 90’s animated adventures o Marvel’s mutants, The X-Men. For those that did, though, you can now pick up 
Universal jumps into their library and comes up with a batch of pre-code films (much like Warners and Fox) for their first 
Universal also dips into the archives to release a restored 75th anniversary edition of Cecil B. Demille’s 
It’s still flawed and not terribly good, but 
It’s pretty paint by numbers, but kudos must go to 
We’re up to the sixth season of 
I never thought we’d reach the end, but another TV show’s DVD journey is over with the release of the 9th and final season of 
It’s a bit depressing, but 
Thinkgeek is a wonderful source for things that, at first glance, just seem like a cool knick knack with no practical purpose, but actually hide a nicely practical application. If you caught the recent Comic Relief fundraising event I co-hosted at www.rednosenet.com, you’ll know that I closed the 24-hour marathon by switching on and depressing the button on a nifty 
Growing up in Quantico, Virginia, many a school trip was taken to the Smithsonian’s massive and uber-cool Air & Space Museum, which is given the spotlight in the documentary 
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – it’s a shame that Gordon Ramsay is mostly known for the over-produced Hell’s Kitchen and US Kitchen Nightmares when his UK output is so wonderfully engaging. Case in point – and well worth checking out – is the second series of his celebration of food, 
There are no fava beans, but the Blu-Ray edition of 
After a bit of a release gap (a few years), the officers of the 12th Precinct return in 
The next two volumes – 
The story is clunky and the acting is broad, but there’s no denying that 
Slowly but surely, we’re winding our way towards the end, and the release of the tenth and penultimate season of 
I can’t really speak personally on how fun puppet bunnies are, but my nephews really enjoyed 
Wake your dogs up with a dose of Fran Drescher in the complete third season of 
