How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
June 10, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
PICK OF THE WEEK
For people who are ready to see a new face in the White House: John Adams
I love it when Paul Giamatti lays the sass on thick, and that's exactly what HBO viewers got to see earlier this year in his portrayal of honorary founding father and second President of the United States, John Adams. From his involvement in the aftermath of the Boston Massacre, to his election to the First Continental Congress, to his four-year term as President of this fine country, Adams was a total bad ass, and Giamatti brought that to the table and more in this 501-minute, seven-part television miniseries. Also starring the likes of Laura Linney, Tom Wilkinson and David Morse, this one is sure to land a number of Emmy nominations when they're officially announced July 17th.
Disc includes: Documentaries, featurettes, production notes.
For people who want to see Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman get tattoos: The Bucket List
Let's call a spade a spade. Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman are two old men. So it seems only natural that they'd star in a film (their first together, by the way) that chronicles their amazing adventures with one another before they die. In this one, they star as two terminally ill men with a few aspirations to fulfill before kicking the bucket. Hence, they create a bucket list, which details what they'd like to accomplish until their battle with cancer finally ends. The film performed well in the States, grossing more than $90 million against a $45 million budget. And given that a chunk of its target audience - adults over 50 or so - may not have seen this one in theaters, the film's DVD sales add even more gravy for Warner Bros.
Disc includes: Writing the Bucket List featurette, music video "Say" by John Mayer.
For people who need a little more power in their lives: Home Improvement: The Complete Eighth Season
Oh the '90s. Prior to Tim Allen's somewhat failure as a movie actor - save for stuff like The Santa Clause and Wild Hogs - the comedian was kind of a big deal on network television, starring in a show about life at work on a tool show and at home with a wife and three kids. And it was damned funny, surviving for eight seasons on ABC and consistently pulling down ratings that kept the comedy in television's top ten. Here, in the series' final season, Tim and friends go on a memorable rafting tour, young Randy departs the family for a study program in Costa Rica and Al gets hitched (finally).
Disc includes: Tim Allen Presents: The User's Guide to Home Improvement, blooper reel.
For people who are in need of eye candy: The Other Boleyn Girl
Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman as a cinematic tag team? Dude. But then news came that their film was not only a period piece (boring...), but co-starred Eric Bana as well. (Unfortunately, that 2003 Hulk adaptation still leaves a bad taste in my mouth). Anyway, more a romanticized soap than the factual retelling of 16th-century aristocratic life, the Justin Chadwick-directed drama focuses on Mary Boleyn (Johannson), sister of Anne Boleyn (Portman) and one-time mistress of England's King Henry VIII (Bana). The film itself is just okay, and many critics would agree. According to RottenTomatoes, just 40% had positive things to say about it.
Disc includes: Director's commentary, deleted/extended scenes, character bios, To Be a Lady featurette, Translating History to Screen featurette, camera tests.
For people who didn't realize Lifetime created original programming: Army Wives: The Complete First Season
Starring Kim Delaney and Catherine Bell, Army Wives, which premiered on Lifetime last summer, drew record numbers for the cable network when it generated the most total viewers - 3.5 million - ever for a series premiere in Lifetime's 23-year history. The show, about a band of women who form a friendship while their spouses serve in the Army, is all the network really has going for it at the moment, since past successes like The Division, 1-800-Missing and Strong Medicine were all cancelled. Like Army Wives, these shows premiered to big numbers, only to see their audiences slowly drop off with each passing year. And who knows, perhaps Army Wives will share a similar fate. Only time will tell, though, as its second season just kicked off Sunday.
Disc includes: bloopers/outtakes, deleted scenes, Hump for the Lump: deleted storyline, Have at It with the Army Wives: A Q&A session with the cast of Army Wives, Have at It with the Executive Producers, Wives on the Home Front: Real Army wives and their own personal stories, episode commentary.
For people who love mindless entertainment: Jumper (Special Edition)
20th Century Fox sure tacked on a bunch of extra features to its special edition Jumper DVD. Perhaps it's to make up for the lousy product, itself an adaptation of a 1992 science fiction novel of the same name by Steven Gould. In Jumper, which earned $200 million and change at the box office worldwide, Star Wars guy Hayden Christensen stars here as David Rice, a man capable of teleporting to any location while being chased by a secret group that wants him dead. Smartly, the film ends with a door shoved wide open for a sequel, and given the film's respectable box office returns, plans are already in the works to see its literary follow-up, Reflex, adapted for theaters by 2011. I'm absolutely enthralled, how about you?
Disc includes: Feature commentary, Jumpstart: David's Story Animated Graphic Novel, Doug Liman's Jumper: Uncensored, Jumping Around the World featurette, Making an Actor Jump featurette, Jumping From Novel to Film featurette, deleted scenes, Previz: Future Concepts.
June 10, 2008
7th Heaven: The Sixth Season
American Gangster: The Complete Second Season
Black Wine
Bob Dylan: 1978-1989: Both Ends of the Rainbow
Boondocks: The Complete Second Season
The Bridge On The River Kwai (Collector's Edition)
Broken Trail
Cheaper by the Dozen Set (Double Feature)
Comedy Central's Home Grown
Curse Of The Devil
Deceitful Storm
The Extraordinary Voyages of Jules Verne
Fantastic Four World's Greatest Heroes: Season 1
Final Fantasy: The Complete Collection (Set)
The Fugitive: Season 2, Volume 1
The Gigi Collection
Harlot's Progress
Hawaii Five-O: The Fourth Season
Human Lanterns
Icons of Adventure
Immortalized: Earache Records 1986-2000
Into Alaska with Jeff Corwin
Iron Maiden & New Wave of British Heavy Metal
Jay Cutler: From Jay To Z
My Boys: The Complete First Season
Natural Born Killers
Never Forget
Nirvana: DVD Collector's Box Unauthorized (Set)
Notorious B.I.G.: Business Instead of Game
The Odd Couple: The Fouth Season
Onyx: 15 Years Of Videos History & Violence
Our Spirits Don't Speak English
Player 5150
The Professionals
Rock the Paint
Sidekick
The Signal
The Smiths: The Queen Is Dead Classic Album
Soap: The Complete Series (Set)
Tekwar: The Series
Thomas: 10 Years Of Thomas
Till The Clouds Roll By
The TV Set
Two Rivers
Waiting For God: Season 3
Werewolf's Shadow
What's Happening! The Complete Series
When the Moors Ruled in Europe
Witless Protection
You Belong To Me