Got any last minute shopping to do? We’ve got
suggestions. This column covers two weeks worth of
releases; details below.
This week is a bit different. Given that most of us
probably won’t be
spending a lot of time on our computers around the
holidays, I’ve
decided to post the picks for Dec. 21 and Dec. 28 in
the same column,
each with their own breakdowns. (There are also very
few titles
released on December 28.) December 21 releases come
first.
First, the genre releases:
- The
4400 –
Complete First Season: With a title like that,
you know they’re
not even pretending it was meant to be a
miniseries. - King
Arthur: This, the unrated director’s cut,
contains a few more
minutes than the theatrical release did. - Shaun
of the
Dead: Because nothing says “Christmas” like
slaughtering
zombies. - Star
Trek:
Voyager – Complete Seventh Season: Finish the
series in time for
Christmas. If you actually want to, that is. - Thunderbirds:
Does this still work with people in place of
marionettes?
Now, the non-genre releases:
- AMC
– John
Wayne 5 Pack: It has five DVDs, but ten movies.
It’s a pretty
good deal. Disturbingly good, actually; if it
weren’t for the quality
of Universal’s Abbott and Costello sets, I’d doubt
this could be
worthwhile. - De-Lovely:
A decent if unimaginative movie that reveals the life
of a composer
whose primary appeal is to a demographic that may not
be comfortable with
what they find here. Not bad, but not terribly
impressive. I do
remember that I enjoyed it more than I expected to,
though. - Napoleon
Dynamite: An independent film that was well
reviewed. - The
Simpsons –
Season Five: Back when it was still in its
prime. - Surviving
Christmas: From theaters to video in almost two
months. (The
theatrical release was October 22 of this year.) I
know the
turnaround times from theaters to video are getting
faster, but
getting it out this fast during the holiday crunch on
DVD production
can only mean that the studio knew how quickly it
would tank and
started the video release process before it hit the
big screens. - Villain
Still
Pursued Her: I haven’t seen it, or even heard of
it, but it’s got
Buster Keaton, so it can’t be too bad. - What’s
Up,
Doc?: A screwball comedy in the tradition of
Bringing Up
Baby. It’s actually pretty good.
Finally, the pick of the week for the December 21
releases. I’m
sorely tempted to pick Shaun of the Dead
based on reputation
alone, but I haven’t seen it, so I’ll have to go with
the remake of The
Manchurian
Candidate (2004). I haven’t seen the original,
so I don’t know
which was better, but this one is certainly
worthwhile.
If you want to shop for someone and have it arrive
before Christmas,
the items listed below won’t work.
Now, the genre picks for the week of December 28.
- Battlestar
Galactica (2003 miniseries): This is the new set,
that is rumoured
to be launching a new series. - Battlestar
Galactica – The Complete Epic Series: This is the
original series
starring Lorne Greene. - The
Fantastic
Films of Ray Harryhausen: Here’s another
Harryhausen
collection. - Ghost
in the
Shell 2 – Innocence: Rumoured to be better than
the original. Not
that I really cared for the original… - The
Twilight
Zone – Season 1 (1985-1986): This was the first
season of the
1980s incarnation of the series. - Village
of the
Damned (1995): Every movie Christopher Reeve ever
made is finding
its way to DVD. Somewhat sad commentary on our
society in some ways.
This title was a decent one, though.
The non-genre picks for December 28 are
- Un
Chien
Andalou: This originally showed up a couple of
weeks ago, but
didn’t ship in time. It’s odd, but strange. Not for
everyone (or
even very many) but I enjoy it more each
viewing.
I told you this was a light week. The pick of the
week for December
28 is The
Twilight
Zone – Season 1 (The Definitive Edition). This is
the first season
of the first series, from 1959. It’s a pretty
significant piece of TV
history.
Rumoured?
It has launched a new series – the Brits get to see it before us North Americans due to SkyOne ponying up a large sum of cash. Space is supposed to start running it in January up here in Canada (I’m not sure when SciFi is going to start airing it, mostly because they aren’t legally in Canada), but it remains to be seen if they’ll show it in the 16×9 aspect ratio like SkyOne or in the butchered full screen that SciFi is rumoured to be airing it in for some unknown reason.
Also, do you remember how good the miniseries was? Well, let’s just say you’re in for a treat (I’d say we, but I got impatient…)
Holidaze
That would only be if, unlike me, you have a real life. I tend to spend more time on the computer around the holidays (that and the scifi channel).
By the way, I would like to use this opportunity to say just how much burea42.com is growing on me. I really like this site and want to thank all of you for the hard work you put into it.
Shawn of the Dead
It was pretty good, actually. I guess I was one of the few who saw it in the theater. It had some really funny moments, and it pretty much follows DoTD’s general storyline.
I do recommend it if you liked the original. It can be graphic at times.
Hell, it even uses The Gonk in the closing credits.
Re: Shawn of the Dead
“You’ve got red on you”
I saw it in the theatre, about three weeks ago – the place was so dead that the guy who sold me my ticket asked my friend and I to buy something at the concession so he could go turn on the projector. I’m totally picking this up once tuition is paid.
Ghost in the Shell 2
The original GITS was OK, but the animation was what made it stand out head and shoulders above the rest. There’s also a GITS series on Adult Swim now that’s pretty good from a hacker standpoint, and it differs from teh typical screaming anime like that damn Inuyasha.
GITS2 is watchable as a standalone movie, though there’s one bit that only makes sense if you’ve seen the first one. Again, the animation, a mix of computer-generated and regular animation techniques, stands out as way above par. The story is good, and they leave some things to your imagination rather than spell it all out for you.
I’ll be ordering a copy of it soon.
Am I the only one going to see these things in the theaters?