HOLLYWOOD – Who is that mysterious shadow in the windows on the set of Deal or No Deal? Who makes the call to tell a contestant how much they can earn by just walking away? Who is the stranger that gloats when a sucker walks away with $5 instead of a million smackers?
Why it’s me!
I’m the banker. And I’ll be the banker until I have to return to my job as the guy who hands out MacArthur Genius Grants (that’s the reason I haven’t been given one).
People think it’s easy being the Banker on that show. All I have to do make a couple calls to Howie and read off preset figures. That’s only half my job. My other duty involves shaving Howie’s back between shows. It’s an ugly job, but I just love showbiz too much to give up on it.
The sad part is that my work is coming home with me. During my brother’s birthday, I offered him $20 to leave Aunt Mary’s card sealed and walk away from the cake. I offered a hooker at the Point $60 to leave her teeth in. I’m probably heading to the Monte Hall Rehab Center for People Who Just Can’t Stop Making a Deal.
KELLY LEAK IS BACK, BITCHES!
Is it’ f’n true? Did the big buzz of the Toronto Film Festival involve Jackie Earle Haley’s performance in Little Children? Is he really being fast tracked for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar? At least one good thing is going right in the universe.
After years of declaring Jackie Earle Haley the greatest troubled teen actor of his generation, he’s finally getting his due. The man who brought Kelly Leak to life in the Bad News Bears films, has grown up and still has the chops.
I have to pester my Oscar voting pals to make sure that Jackie is on their ballots. And if you have any, you better put Harvey Weinstein pressure on them. It’s all about Jackie this year. Forget Marty 2007 (although from the early word on The Departed, he might bag the trophy if Jack Nicholson and Brad Pitt can work the Hollywood voters and make them forget Marty as that little New Yawker who makes violent films), it’s all about Jackie Earle Haley.
I can already see Jackie’s name get called out, he rides up the steps on his motorbike, swigs down a beer, lights up a cigarette, clutches the trophy, points to heaven and say, “I got an Academy Award. Does that turn you on? Academy Award?”
How could Richard Linklater remake The Bad News Bears without begging for Jackie Earle Haley to be in the film? He should have played the owner of Hooters or a strip club. Linklater learned the power of Jackie Earle Haley since his version will not be beloved except by the same knuckleheads that think the new Rollerball is better than the James Caan version.
The Party Favors is rooting big time for Jackie Earle Haley and we promise to see Little Children when it opens in October – even if it doesn’t play at the Starlite Drive-In.
NOT GAY CLAY
The sad truth is that even if Clay Aiken was gay, he would only be the second most famous gay singer to emerge from Raleigh, North Carolina. Do you know who the most famous gay singer from this town is? Why it’s the Cowboy from the Village People. Yup. Randy Jones wasn’t from Texas. Although he went to the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, the home of Texas Pete hot sauce!
Clay really needs to do an entire record of Bob Mould songs. Enough with the showtunes that his menopausing Claymates already know. Let these women hum “Heartbreak a Stranger” and “Could You Be the One?”
SNOREBIZ SHOW
Why has Comedy Central signed up for another 13 episodes of David Spade’s Showbiz Show. He looked so bored in the last few episodes I caught while waiting for the tequila to wear off and The Daily Show to kick in. How can the folks at that channel want to endure more of Spade’s sleepwalking through his old jokes? And because of the nature of the show, there’s no real rerun action nor DVDs. What’s the point of making a cable show that can’t do those simple things? Think of how much action and cash Comedy Central has made off Chappelle Show. Although I’ve noticed that in the past few weeks the shelves are covered with the overpriced Lost Episodes. Expect to see it discounted for Thanksgiving – maybe even as freebie if you buy the other two boxsets?
They should have made a run at Joel McHale and the creative team behind The Soup on E!
Speaking of E!, isn’t it time for more rumors that Howard Stern wants to return his 30 minute show to the channel? Word is that Howard’s lack of profile outside of the pay radio and limited pay per view venues for his show has diminished his ability to sell the show. And by giving America a 30 minute sanitized version of the show, he’ll be able to attract people willing to pay to see the bisexual strippers without the bars blocking all the fun. It only makes business sense.
TURN THE PAGE
Why does Mary Harron take the most exciting of topics and sucks them dry of panache? First she does a film about Andy Warhol. And it’s about the woman who shot Andy. And it’s just hard to watch the nutty woman. Then she gets her hands on American Psycho. While I enjoy moments in that film (especially Christian Bale’s music reviews), it also lack that certain flare that elevates it to Trainspotting heights. And after 20 years of talking about it, she gets to bring Bettie Page’s story to the screen in The Notorious Bettie Page. And it just lacks the fun sleaze that this story deserves.
It’s so clinical and academic that it comes off as a Canadian production. Which oddly enough, Harron is. The film doesn’t breathe. It seems like a biopic that’s more concerned with connecting the dots than the journey of the line.
But I can’t completely trash the flick. Gretchen Moll finally lives up to her “next hot actress” hype from eight years ago. She wears those black bangs with authority. And does a great job recreating Page’s legendary poses. She looks stunning in the black and white view of Manhattan and vintage color scenes of Miami Beach. The film suffers when she’s not on the screen. Plus she looks good stripped down.
I’m happy I didn’t pay full price to see this at the cinema. It’s worth watching as a Netflix selection. This is a story that should have been a Cinemax After Dark experience. Damn shame Gregory Dark didn’t get to make it.
PBS PORN
I’m calling the FCC to complain about PBS’s recent Andy Warhol: A Documentary. While the images were rather conservative, I was exposed to way too much academic masturbation from critics. Each one had to spew a load of their genius jiz on the screen as they tried to explain Warhol’s work. This was worse then Janet Jackson’s nipple being shown during the D-Day landing in Saving Private Ryan. Filmmaker Ric Burns should be ashamed for letting these goofs jack off for so long. The sad part is that most of them were unloading blanks.
Maybe next time Ric can focus on the cinema of Peter North. At least he knows how to goo up the screen with a purpose.
HO HO WHORES
I’d like to remind retailers that you can not start advertising for Christmas until you have taken down your Halloween displays. Although you can sell egg nog while the Monster Cereals are still on the shelf. Nothing is better than a bowl of Frankenberry floating in egg nog. Mmmmmmmm.
AFFLECK CURSE CONTINUES
Ben Affleck is refusing to destroy the cursed baseball. He better do something this winter or the only present he’s giving Redsox Nation is another 80 plus years of waiting.
Fall has come, and that means another volume of The Complete Peanuts (Fantagraphics, $28.95 SRP). The sixth collection contains strips from the years 1961 to 1962, and is the first volume that I can fully state that Charles Schulz’s comic universe had fully matured into a form – both in writing and art – easily recognizable as modern Peanuts. This was a span that found Lucy entrenched in her psychiatrist booth, Charlie Brown as the world’s most maligned baseball manager, Sally finally coming of age, Charlie making a habit of writing to his pen pal, Snoopy at home on top of his doghouse, and the return of the Great Pumpkin. If you haven’t been picking up these collections, catch up while it’s still manageable – there’s a reason why Peanuts became a classic so quickly.
I’ve been a fan of Scrooge McDuck’s adventures ever since I began reading comic books as a kid, many of whose stories were crafted by the legendary Carl Barks (who created Scrooge in 1947). It was natural that, as soon as it premiered, I became an instant fan of Disney’s animated DuckTales, which adapted many of Barks’ stories. With that in mind, I recommended to the good folks at Gemstone that they collected those Barks tales that were adapted and release them as such. Well, they took my idea, giving us two volumes of Carl Barks’ Greatest DuckTales Stories (Gemstone, $10.95 SRP), featuring a dozen classics from The Duck Man.
Without The Chris Rock Show (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) to pave the way, I doubt we would have seen Chappelle’s Show. Rock took edgy, matter-of-fact – and deeply funny – social observations about culture and race and built a show around talking frankly. Through sketches, guests, and musical performances, Rock was able to present a show were anything went, opening the door for Dave Chappelle to truly blow the rest of the walls down on basic cable. When watching the episodes found in this 3-disc set collecting seasons 1 & 2, it’s interesting to see just how much slower the pace was compared to what Chappelle would later do, but there’s no denying that the material is still strong and quite funny. The set also features commentaries from Rock.
During the 80’s, running across and watching an episode of Mama’s Family (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) was like comfort food – no matter when I switched it on or ho much of the episode had already gone by, I couldn’t help but watch it. Spun off from The Carol Burnett Show and featuring Vicki Lawrence’s caustic-but-loving Mama character, the show always featured that old-school sitcom writing – always dependable for a solid belly-laugh. The 2-disc first season features all 13 episodes, but sadly no bonus features. Where’s our Mama commentary?
The more I watched of Comedy Central’s Stella (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$26.99 SRP) – starring Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, and David Wain – it gradually dawned on me exactly what the show was… it’s a postmodern version of the Monkees TV show. The trio room together in a Manhattan apartment and engages in various absurd, often wacky, adventures in the face heavily-caricatured authority figures. They are the Monkees, and I love it. The 2-disc set features all 10 first season episodes, plus audio commentaries, Comedy Central Presents: Stella, deleted scenes, a history of Stella, and a blooper reel.
If Rushmore‘s Max Fischer had been more inclined towards becoming a stand-up rather than a filmmaker, then he probably would have an act and delivery like Demetri Martin’s. As dry as Steven Wright and as skewed as Mitch Hedberg, his comedy is definitely a grower, but once you get swept up in the absurd observations and view of reality, it’s definitely worth the ride. See if you agree by picking up Demetri Martin: These Are Jokes (Comedy Central Records, $15.98 SRP), containing not only his CD, but also a DVD of his Comedy Central stand-up special and various bonus features including animations and rare footage.
If you think the muck-racking, sensationalistic, celeb-fueled, vindictive journalism of people like Drudge is a recent invention, then you’ve never heard of the titular subject of Winchell (HBO, Rated R, DVD-$14.98 SRP). Stanley Tucci plays Walter Winchell with the verve and vigor of a man possessed by a desperate need for the attention his control of the airwaves in the 1930’s gave him – and the power it brought over both his friends and enemies, including stars and politicians. If history is cyclical, than Winchell’s legacy is still very much with us today.
One of the BBC’s best literary adaptations – Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice – gets a deluxe 10th anniversary box set (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP), featuring not only the full 5-hour miniseries, but also a newly produced retrospective documentary with the cast and crew, and the new Jane Austen episode of Biography. If that weren’t enough, the gold-embossed cloth slipcase also includes a 120-page companion book packed with photos and behind-the-scenes information.
Dave Smith’s The Official Encyclopedia of Disney (Disney Editions, $40.00 SRP) is one of those tomes that find a welcome slot in the library of any nerdy fan, packed with trivia and information about every scrap of minutiae you can imagine ever wanting to know about all things Disney – from the films to the theme parks. Heck, it even has an entry for Honker Muddlefoot. That, my friends, is one comprehensive book.
First off, let me say that the soundtrack album for Running With Scissors (EMI, $18.98 SRP) is one of those wonderful mix tapes we’ve come to expect from an indie flick – including tracks like Manfred Mann’s “Blinded By The Light,” Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets,” Phoebe Snow’s “Poetry Man,” the Vince Guaraldi Trio’s version of “O Tannenbaum,” Crosby Stills Nash’s “Teach Your Children,” and more. That being said, the film’s poster image (found on the cover) is the most disturbing use of an anthropomorphized hand since the poster for M*A*S*H.
You want a new way to plan a weekend’s cinema experience? This past June, Docurama released a batch of amazing documentaries to DVD that had only been seen at select festivals around the country, inaugurating a DVD-based “Docurama Film Festival”, giving many of these films a shot at the spotlight and audiences. Encouraged by the success of the first go-round, they’re doing it again, and I’m going to take a moment to recommend the first trio of flicks I’ve seen from this go round, starting with Paul Devlin’s Power Trip (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP), which chronicles American power company AES’s attempts to transform the dilapidated electrical infrastructure of Tbilisi (the capitol of the former Soviet Republic of Georgia), in the face of a political, economic, and social instability. It’s a quite touching portrait of the formerly Communist populace – who never had to pay for power under the old system – and the company’s attempts to get the people back on their feet in the face of open mutiny at the concept of paying for power. The disc features deleted scenes, Georgian PSAs, and more.
The Education of Shelby Knox (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP) focuses on one young girl’s attempt to bring sex education courses to her oppressively conservative Texas town, which is filled with religious fervor and raging hormones, plus the usual social ills and stigmas facing kids in any town, but which are amplified by the fanatical blindness of community leaders, parents, and even some of Shelby’s fellow teenagers.
Finally, there’s Parallel Lines (Docurama, Not Rated, DVD-$26.95 SRP). On September 11, 2001, filmmaker Nina Davenport was in California. Her apartment was thousands of miles away in New York, overlooking the World Trade Center. Unable to book a flight back home, she was forced to rent a car and drive cross country – during which she decided to get out her camera and document her trip across America, and the people and opinions and hopes and dreams she encountered along the way. As the media went maudlin with their 9/11 anniversary coverage and Washington tried to use it as a political tool, Davenport’s film is a much-needed reminder that America isn’t about symbols – it’s about people. The disc also features an interview with Davenport.
While most people might only know of The Byrds for “Mr. Tambourine Man” or “Turn Turn Turn,” listening to the 4-disc The Byrds: There Is A Season box set (Sony Legacy, $54.98 SRP) firmly establishes their place in music history, including soaring harmonies, folk transitioning to country-rock sound, and members who went on to seed other 60’s super-groups (including David Crosby). In addition to all of their album tracks, the set also features rarities, demos, and live cuts, plus a bonus DVD of rare TV appearances. Oh, and let’s not forget the nearly 100-page photo-filled booklet. Great, great stuff.
I love peeks behind-the-scenes of the often absurd, unexpected realities behind-the-scenes of the entertainment industry, which is probably why I got a kick out of I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America’s Top Comics (Crown, $23.95 SRP). As you can guess from the title, it’s a collection of anecdotes and experiences culled from stand-ups including Chris Rock, Brett Butler, Larry David, Drew Carey, Tom Arnold, Ron White, Jay Leno, Mike Myers, and more, all about their time criss-crossing the country from club to club.
I will say this – regardless of how kiddie-friendly the story itself may be, I found the character design and animation in Curious George (Universal, Rated G, DVD-$29.98 SRP) to be absolutely stunning. I mean, this is some of the most appealing design work I’ve seen from any studio in years, and that includes the biggies at Disney and even Pixar. Like I said, the story is slight and mainly for the youngsters, but adults can get quite a few visual oohs and ahs of their own. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and a sing-along Jack Johnson music video.
I’ve always been interested in the story of Bettie Page – the legendary 1950’s pin-up model whose erotic photos in that straightlaced era led to a Senate investigation. In particular, what motivated her to become an icon of sensuality in an age of repressed sexuality, and even more than that, what happened to her? The Notorious Bettie Page (HBO, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) attempts to answer many of those questions, and features an amazing performance by Gretchen Mol as Page. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a featurette on the “Pin-Up Queen Universe,” “Presenting Bettie Page,” and the theatrical trailer.
The Art of Winnie The Pooh (Disney Editions, $35.00 SRP) is a collection of dozens of pieces featuring the denizens of the Hundred-Acre Wood done by Disney artists. While that may seem pretty straightforward, what’s surprising about the artwork is just how diverse the styles are – no one was restricted to a house style or thematic, but were instead allowed to interpret Pooh and friends in their own style, making for a page-turning range with plenty of surprises.
To his day, I can think of no crueler – and honestly, no sadistically funnier – joke than to make an aspiring actor of 20 years believe that he has finally landed the lead in an epic movie. That the victim is a completely clueless, incredibly deluded man who could never land such a role – with good reason – is only half the joke, with the remainder made up by his unbelievable faith that the elaborate fantasy around him is actually deserved. Windy City Heat (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) deserves its place as a cult classic, and watching Perry – the victim – actually develop a star complex over the course of “filming” is truly priceless. The DVD features an extended cut of the film, footage from when Perry found out about the joke, audio/video commentary from Perry, deleted scenes, and more.
I’ve said it before, but it’s absolutely true that practically every season of Everybody Loves Raymond (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) is virtually interchangeable, and that goes for the show’s 7th season, as well. The antics of the Barone family were pretty consistent across its run, making for the perfect escapist sitcom – like a latter day Honeymooners, with clearly defined characters and conflicts. And I mean that in the best possible way. It’s like the Law & Order of sitcoms. The 5-disc set features all 25 episodes, plus a quartet of audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a blooper reel.
A Slight Case of Murder (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is wonderfully comic noir-throwback, starring William H. Macy as on-air film critic Terry Thorpe, a man in the wrong place at the wrong time who’s seen one-too-many crime movies. With a supporting cast that includes Adam Arkin, James Cromwell, and Felicity Huffman, you know it’s got to be at least worth checking out.
I always sit down with one of the University of Mississippi Press’s “Conversations With Filmmakers” books with the intention of reading just an interview or two before going off to do something else, but I always find myself engrossed by the in-depth discussions – and before I know it, I’m done. The latest volumes are Woody Allen: Interviews and Howard Hawks: Interviews (University of Mississippi Press, $20.00 SRP each).
If you were to cross The A-Team with Magnum PI, their bastard child would have been the 80’s series Riptide (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP). It was everything an 80’s action-medy should, featuring two pals, a detective agency in LA, and a nebbish 3rd wheel solving mysterious cases. The 30-disc set features all 13 first season episodes, but not a single bonus feature.
In what can only be described as a Stephen King fest, you can blow some of your hard-earned cash picking up special editions of both The Dead Zone and Pet Sematary (Paramount, Rated R, DVD-$14.99 SRP each) – both featuring audio commentaries and newly-produced featurettes – as well as King and director Mick Garris’s adaptation of Desperation (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$26.98 SRP), featuring commentary and King’s “Postcards from Bangor, ME.”
On the bubble after it was announced that UPN and The WB would be merging to form The CW, fans of One Tree Hill can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their show will be back, and can relive senior year via the new 3rd season box-set (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP). The 6-disc set features unaired scenes, a gag reel, and both commentary and a behind-the-scenes featurette for the episode “With Tired Eyes, Tired Minds, Tired Souls, We Slept.”
If you’ve been collecting the DVDs of Cosgrove Hall’s beautiful stop-motion Wind in the Willows series, you’ll want to make sure you add the 2-disc Wind in the Willows: Feature Film Collection (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP), containing the original features that started it all, including the adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s original tales, plus A Tale of Two Toads. Bonus features include an interview with Brian Cosgrove, an episode from season 3, and a photo gallery.
If the full season box sets are a little too financially intimidating – or you’re completely unfamiliar with their work – than The Best of The Kids In The Hall: Volume 1 (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP) is probably your best bet. The first volume contains the 4 best-of shows created for the first two seasons, and also features the audio commentaries with the Kids from the full box sets.
While the movie is pretty run-of-the-mill, I found myself being carried forward by Down In The Valley (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$27.98 SRP) almost entirely by its cast – Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, and David Morse. Faced with troubled teen (Wood), a suburban cowboy (Norton) falls head over boots in love despite a dark secret and a father (Morse) intent on keeping the two apart. Bonus features include a filmmaker Q&A and deleted scenes.
Knowing there were some structural pitfalls, I paid extra-close attention during The Lake House (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$28.98 SRP) – which finds Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock as two would-be lovers who trade letters while living in the same house by the lake… The catch being they’re two years apart and the mailbox is magic. Or something. I don’t know. No matter how hard I paid attention, I never really understood the whole concept of the thing. Don’t get me wrong – it’s not a bad film at all, it’s just… Well, come on… Magic Mailbox. Bonus features include additional scenes, outtakes, and the theatrical trailer.
Relatively brief, the latest Danger Mouse collection (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) sports the show’s final 4 seasons – 21 episodes in total – across its 3 discs. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also a bonus episode of Count Duckula (“Town Hall Terrors”), alternative theme song options, and a theme song karaoke.
If you want proof of close-mindedness, look no further than the case of NBC’s *extremely* short-lived The Book Of Daniel (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Once religious extremists in this country heard that the show featured a priest (Aidan Quinn) who actually had the temerity to question the church hierarchy and – you know – actually live in the world with his family, the sirens went a-wailing (sight unseen, mind you) and NBC buckled by canceling the show almost immediately. Some people might want to look up the word “tolerance,” while those looking for a thought-provoking show yanked before its time should check out this DVD set, featuring all 5 episodes, plus deleted scenes.
Okay, who can possibly resist a Thunder In Paradise Collection (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP)? I mean, it’s 3-discs full of Hulk Hogan and speedboats. Hulk Hogan and speedboats!!! I am so there.
For the life of me, I can’t understand what anyone sees in the Fast and the Furious franchise. To me, it’s hyperactive crap in fast cars – which I guess, when I think about it, must be the appeal. For those who get off on it, there’s the third installment – Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Bonus features include deleted scenes, commentary, a location featurette, and a look at the car customization.
Cyber-troubadour Jonathan Coulton is an evil, evil man who must be destroyed.
QS: So what would be the biggest turnaround in your feelings on a song? If you were to choose one that completely went a 180 on you?
QS: So what was the longest, most disturbing Googling session you’ve ever done…
QS: Are you going to continue to archive the “Thing a Week” songs as free downloads, or are you going to take them down as the CDs go up?
QS: Even better. Because I honestly wasn’t listening to you.
Check out the preview to the Image comic Jeff writes…
Check out the preview to…
I admit that the pre-launch marketing blitz that preceded the premiere of My Name Is Earl turned me off to the show, so much so that I actually let my screener of the pilot sit on my desk, unwatched, for over two months. When I finally did get around to watching it, I realized that I had made a mistake in believing that something must be rotten in Denmark, and Earl was, in fact, a quirky little comedy worth watching – much to my surprise, considering NBC’s recent track record of ignoring its own comedy gems in favor of some real stinkers. If you want to see what I was so impressed by, pick up a copy of the first season set (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). Bonus features include commentaries on select episodes, deleted scenes with optional commentary, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a blooper reel, and a bizarro “what if” feature that presents an alternate universe version of the show called “Bad Karma.”
One of the more appealing aspects of My Name Is Earl is its use of music – a trait found amongst many of the more memorable shows of years past. Even better, it’s an eclectic mix of everything from Harry Nilsson’s “Joy” to Uncle Kracker covering The Band’s “The Weight” – with stops featuring Sammy Davis, Jr., Jerry Reed, and Matthew Sweet along the way. All of those tunes and more are features on My Name Is Earl: The Album (Shout! Factory, $18.98 SRP). A volume 2 would be nice, too.
Formerly bare-bones, the complete fourth season of The Bob Newhart Show (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) actually manages some decent bonus features in addition to the season’s 24 episodes. Those bonus materials include commentaries on 4 episodes, “A Second family” featurette, and a gag reel.
If that’s not enough Newhart for you, then you’ll also want to pick up his return to the stand-up stage he left in the 60’s in Bob Newhart: Button-Down Concert (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). What’s great is that even after all these years, he’s still great on stage, and the delivery is every bit as sharp as the material.
It’s always a dicey proposition when an artist returns to a past success and decides to sequalize it. Sometimes it’s a success, and sometimes it’s an abysmal failure – it seems there’s very little in-between to be had. Luckily for fans of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s legendary Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy, their thirty-years-on sequel The Captain and The Kid (Interscope, $13.98 SRP) is a successful return to a once-powerful well, exploring the lives of its creators in the period since their autobiographical epic. What’s more, Elton has retained the less-schmaltzy tunes and production methods of his last few albums, returning to the edgy, memorable sound of his hit-making past – which is perfectly complemented by some of Taupin’s strongest lyrics in years. Together, they produce a worthy successor and a solid listen.
Everyone knows of the various attempts that Salvador Dali and Walt Disney made over the years to work on a project, but did you know that there was also a shelved collaboration between Disney and Roald Dahl? Written by Dahl long before his classics, the wartime story The Gremlins (Dark Horse, $12.95 SRP) was optioned by Disney with the intention to turn it into a full-length feature. That film never came to be, but the Disney artists did wind up lavishly illustrating a hardcover edition of the story in 1943 – an edition that has been unavailable for the past 60 years. Dark Horse has lovingly restored every piece of artwork and is re-releasing that original hardcover (with a brand-new introduction from Leonard Maltin), and any fan of Dahl or Disney absolutely will kick themselves if they don’t snap up a copy of their own.
The sixth and final season of The Flintstones (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) may be best remembered for giving pop culture the gift of that interstellar imp, The Great Gazoo. This season also featured a take-off on Bewitched (with guest stars Elizabeth Montgomery & Dick York), movie spoofs, and the return of “Stoney Curtis.” The bonus materials this go wrong are awfully mediocre – do we really need a featurette with Stephen Baldwin? Still, at least we’ve now got the entire run of this classic primetime cartoon.
It can be quite embarrassing to admit a deep, dark secret. Especially one that is so incredibly embarrassing as to make you an instant object of ridicule as soon as the hidden shame is uttered aloud – but to hell with it, I’ll admit it… I actually enjoy watching America’s Funniest Home Videos. Like cocoa on a cold winter night or lemonade in summer, it’s a reliable, comfortable thing to spend an evening with. That, and I still find balls to the crotch, wedding guests tumbling on a dance floor, mugging babies, and piano playing cats quite funny. For those who share my guilty pleasure, there are 6 brand-new themed AFV releases to keep you company as the days grow shorter this Fall – AFV: Sports Spectacular, AFV: Nincompoops & Boneheads, AFV: Love & Marriage, AFV: Battle of the Best, AFV: Looks At Kids & Animals, and AFV: Home For The Holidays (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP each).
While the quality of the work itself varies – and much of the enjoyment stems largely from how you feel about a given artist – there’s no denying that Palm’s series collecting the work of various directors is a must-have investment for any aspiring filmmaker. Collecting their music videos, short films, animations, promos, TV spots, and much more – along with interviews, commentaries, and a deluxe illustrated book – the latest batch of discs to pick up are The Work Of Director Stephane Sednaoui, The Work Of Director Anton Corbijn, The Work Of Director Jonathan Glazer, and The Work Of Director Mark Romanek (Palm, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP each). Trust me – you want these discs.
I admit to really loving the deluxe, hardcover, archival editions that Dark Horse has been releasing of titles I never thought would get that kind of treatment. In the past, it was Doctor Solar and Magnus: Robot Fighter. Now, it’s the entire run – spanning four volumes – of Mike Baron & Steve Rude’s Nexus (Dark Horse, $49.95 SRP), all lovingly restored and presented, and ready for a place of honor on your shelf.
The more I watch of Avatar (Paramount, Not Rated DVD-$64.99 SRP) – whose entire 20-episode first season (“Book 1: Water”) has been released via a 6-disc, feature-laden box set – I can’t help but think that it feels more like a Cartoon Network series than its actual home network, Nickelodeon. Maybe that’s because it’s layered, action-adventure-mysticism-based mythology seems more like the pre-teen boy fare you’d find on CN. Regardless of where it’s berthed, it’s a beautifully designed, engaging show worth checking out, regardless of your age. Bonus features include a behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast & crew, commentary on the pilot, and two making-of featurettes focusing on the sound and the Korean animation studios.
It will probably come as a surprise to many children of the 80’s that Bill Cosby had a sitcom long before he played the head of the Huxtable clan. In 1969’s The Bill Cosby Show (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), Cosby played gym teacher Chet Kincaid. It features many of Cosby’s indelible idiosyncrasies and comedic nuances, but is a wholly different experience from his later hit series. This first season set features all 26 episodes, plus a new interview with Cosby.
Battlestar Galactica fans salivating over the impending third season can catch up with the 11 episodes of what is being billed as Season 2.5 (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features an extended version of the “Pegasus” cliffhanger, as well as deleted scenes, podcasts, and producer David Eick’s video logs.
Every time I dig into another set of Dick Cavett Show episodes, I’m left wanting more of his in-depth interviews with the icons of years past. The latest set is The Dick Cavett Show: Hollywood Greats (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), featuring 12 uncut episodes from Cavett’s show, with guests including Orson Welles, Mel Brooks, Kirk Douglas, Groucho Marx, John Huston, Marlon Brando, Frank Capra, Alfred Hitchcock, Peter Bogdanovich, Bette Davis, Robert Mitchum, Debbie Reynolds, Fred Astaire, Katharine Hepburn, and Robert Altman. Quite a list, no? The 4-disc set also features brand new introductions and an interview with Cavett.
The 70’s was an era of profoundly unhip people hosting talk shows that booked some incredibly hip guests, often providing a forum that many mainstream shows wouldn’t allow decidedly “unique” personalities. These “unhipsters” included Cavett, Mike Douglas, and Tom Snyder. It’s Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow program that has gotten the latest themed release with The Tomorrow Show: Tom Snyder’s Electric Kool-Aid Talk Show (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which collects interviews with Dr. Timothy Leary, The Grateful Dead, Ken Kesey, and Tom Wolfe. Pick up the disc and pay careful attention to Snyder’s often bewildered – yet somehow delighted – face.
Though often dismissed as a lesser follow-up to Rocky Horror Picture Show, it’s a little bit disconcerting just how prescient Richard O’Brien’s Shock Treatment (Fox, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98 SRP) has turned out to be, with its meta-concept of a small Texas town as reality show… Imagine The Truman Show with Rocky Horror‘s brad & Janet all set to music. The new 25th anniversary edition includes a pair of retrospective featurettes, as well as the film’s theatrical trailers.
Before Oscars and the mountain life found him, Heath Ledger starred in the short-lived sword & sorcery series Roar (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), all 13 episodes of which have made their inevitable way to DVD. Surprisingly enough, it’s actually an enjoyable show that might have grown into another Hercules or Xena if given the chance.
If it wasn’t for the presence of Dennis Haysbert, I probably wouldn’t watch The Unit (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), about an autonomous special forces unit of the U.S. military operating both Stateside an abroad. I could watch Haysbert read the phone book… And the fact that Robert Patrick is there to read it with him in this series – well, I’m sold. The complete first season set features all 13 episodes, plus commentary on the episode “SERE” and an “Inside Delta Force” featurette.
It’s hard to remember a time when the brand of “National Lampoon” upon a film actually meant a mark of quality (as opposed to a direct-to-video, groan-worthy cheapie), but during the 70’s, Lampoon was a synonym for the highest, and most subversive, comedy to be found. One of the key architects of the Lampoon style was Doug Kenney, a brilliant comic writer and thinker whose far-too-brief life is chronicled in A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever (Chicago Review Press, $24.95 SRP).
In an age of the US “spreading democracy,” then Our Brand Is Crisis (Koch, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) should be required viewing. The documentary follows a team of political consultants – including James Carville – as they head to Bolivia to manage the campaign for Bolivian presidential candidate Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada, including everything from ads to speeches to smear campaigns. It’s a sobering view of just what kind of influence we’re bringing to the world stage.
If I’m going to be completely honest with you, I never watched Hart to Hart (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) for the jet-setting adventures of Jonathan & Jennifer Hart (Robert Wagner & Stafanie Powers). No, I used to watch the show strictly for the lovably gravely-voiced retainer of the Harts, Max (played by the great Lionel Stander). Crikey, I miss him. Every show needs a Max. The 5-disc seasoned season set features all 20 episodes, but bonus features are nowhere to be found.
Honestly, any flick that stars Robert Culp has got a leg up in my book. That Eric Fleming’s 
Known largely for his hit “Secret Agent Man,” is takes the 2-disc Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology (Shout! Factory, $24.98 SRP) to fully present just how many memorable tunes we owe to Rivers rocking delivery, including “Midnight Special,” “Poor Side of Town,” and more. Give it a spin and find out for yourself…
They’d done the deed, and the fourth season of Moonlighting (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is when you could feel the cracks beginning to form, as Bruce Willis’s film career heated up and Cybil Shepherd’s ego began to expand exponentially. At least we got more Curtis Armstrong. The 3-disc set features all 14 episodes, plus commentaries select episodes.
Before he was a superstar with the power to bankrupt studios with his asking fee, Jim Carrey was the star of high-concept, low-budget comedies that struck a chord with audiences, propelling him to the fiscal superstardom he enjoys today. A pair of those early flicks comprise the Ace Ventura box set (Warner Bros., Rated PG, DVD-$19.98 SRP), featuring newly remastered (and widescreen) versions of Pet Detective and When Nature Calls. Pet Detective contains an audio commentary with director Tom Shadyac, TV spots, and the trailer, while When Nature Calls is limited to that flicks’ trailer. The set does, however, contains a 3rd disc with 3 episodes from the Ace Ventura animated series. Aaaaaaallllrighty then.
Packed with trivia, artwork, rarities, and more information about the man of Steel than you can shake a forest full of sticks at, The Krypton Companion (Twomorrows, $24.95 SRP) more than lives up to its name as a veritable cornucopia of Superman trivia and minutiae. As always, Twomorrows has released a tome that will excite and interest fans both hardcore and casual, celebrating comics as entertainment first and foremost.
If you’ve been fretting over exactly how you can pull off the perfect schlock horror filmfest this Halloween, rest your weary brow and snag the first three volumes of Elvira’s Movie Macabre double features (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). Hosted by the Mistress of the Dark, this 1981 series featured our ghoulishly beautiful host introducing the worst of the worst – films like Count Dracula’s Great Love, The Werewolf Of Washington, The Devil’s Wedding Night, The Doomsday Machine, Legacy of Blood, and Frankenstein’s Castle of Freaks.
Although I’m sure the added bonus features – including a sing-along, deleted scenes, interviews with Travolta & Newton-John, footage from the DVD launch party, and more – the real stand-out of the “Rockin’ Rydell Edition” of Grease (Paramount, Rated PG, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is the miniature leather jacket that adorns the DVD case. It’s a truly nifty, very frightening collectible.
The Live at Montreux series of concert releases rolls along with a 1986 Eric Clapton performance and a 1973 set from Canned Heat (Eagle Vision, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each).
It was only a matter of time before a book was written that catalogues and celebrated that most popcorn of movie genres – the disaster flick. Disaster Movies (Chicago Review Press, $18.95 SRP) contains write-ups on everything from The Poseidon Adventure to The Hindenburg – no cinematic disaster is too obscure.
I wouldn’t call them classics, but no self-respecting horror fan will want to pass up the five films featured in the 3-disc Boris Karloff Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) – Night Key, Tower of London, The Climax, The Strange Door, and The Black Castle. And with Halloween coming up, it’s time to start lining up flicks for those ghoulish fests.
I have never been a fan or Ron Howard as a director – as a Taylor and a Cunningham, sure, but as a director, not so much. One of his more palatable flicks, for me, was Backdraft (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP). Honestly, I’m not sure why. Maybe it was Kurt Russell. Either way, it’s now got a 2-disc anniversary edition, with an intro from Howard, documentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
Like an old workhorse, the 6th season of King of Queens (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.95 SRP) is simply a sitcom that knows its characters and its parameters, and is dependable week-in and week-out. No big surprises, just a reliable chuckle-fest that doesn’t feel the need to aim any higher than what’s proven successful.
Adhering closer to the source material than the feature films it spun out of, the animated Return To The Planet Of The Apes (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) had a trio of astronauts arriving on the simian planet, which now featured a civilization of cars and planes, in addition to Cornelius, Zira, and General Urko. Lasting only 13 episodes, the complete run is now available separate from last year’s mega-box set.
There’s nothing like viewing a low-rent 80’s cheesefest like Hunk (BCI, Rated PG, DVD-$9.98 SRP) to bring back find memories of a simpler time in American cinema, where a pitch like “Faust reimagined as the Devil offering a dweeb the ability to become a hunk in exchange for his soul” gets – not only made, but made with James Coco as the Devil. Oh, the 80’s…
With the 2nd volume of its second season, the complete run of He-Man and The Masters of the Universe (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP) has now been immortalized on those shiny, data-packed discs for fanboys the world over to place upon their shelves. The 6-disc set features those final 32 episodes – but like previous sets, it’s positively packed to the rafters with bonus materials, including a trio of episode commentaries, a pair of episode storyboards, and 2 brand-new behind-the-scenes documentaries (as well as the two artist postcards). Never in a million years did I think that He-Man – He-Man! – would get this kind of deluxe treatment, but it just goes to show what an amazing company BCI is when it comes to their releases (Disney could learn a thing or three from them).
And speaking of series I never thought I’d see on DVD, add BCI’s complete series release of both Blackstar and Space Sentinels/Freedom Force (BCI, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). Not only do we get all 3 series, but both sets also contain commentaries, documentaries, interviews, galleries, and more. Do you hear that, Disney? That’s the sound of another company doing animated series releases *right*. My one gripe, though, was BCI’s use of double-sided discs, which I detest… So kudos on the bonus materials and releasing the series, but nega-kudos for the choice of medium.
Final Resting places of horror luminaries, haunted houses, eerie locales, and more are detailed in Creepy Crawls (Santa Monica Press, $16.95 SRP), author Leon Marcelo’s handy guide to taking a fiendish road trip of your own, following in the footsteps of all things macabre.
When every franchise under the sun is getting its own box set (hello, Leprechaun!), you knew that the killer doll with the overalls wasn’t far behind – which is to say yes, there is a Child’s Play collection featuring all 4 sequels (the first flick is not included), titled Chucky: The Killer DVD Collection (Universal, Rated R, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Containing Child’s Play 2, Child’s Play 3, Bride of Chucky, and Seed of Chucky, the set also features audio commentaries on Bride and Seed, plus featurettes.
Will video games ever translate to the big screen? Since at least Tron in 1982, or more recently Super Mario Bros. in 1993, filmmakers have been trying to capture or recreate, I don’t know which, something about the video game experience. The need has become even more urgent in recent years as video game playing has come to exceed movie going as the youth leisure activity of choice. But then, filmmakers have also been trying to adapt comic books to the screen, too, without much success, be it 1936 or 2006. Though whereas the comic book hero offers the allure of ready made heroic characters and stories, the attraction of the video game to a filmmaker must be something akin to the magic of immersion into a different world, the “fish out of water” theme that was the linchpin of 1980s cinema.
Despite the fact that occasionally a filmmaker, such as Robert Montgomery in Lady In the Lake in 1947 or Brian De Palma in the recent The Black Dahlia, embraces the same impulse as one that drives many of the video games available (“you are there” POV cameras, for example), there is still a terrible gap between “movie,” as such, which instills a level of physical passivity in the viewer, and “game,” in which participation is the whole point. But these days even narrative, the bedrock of commercial cinema, is stronger in video games than in most of the movies made, and it appears that when our youth go to spin their stories they do so at Sega rather than Sony Columbia.
Check out the preview to the Image comic Jeff writes…
