How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
March 16, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who want an education in hardcore drugs: Breaking Bad: Second Season
After a truncated first season, AMC's Breaking Bad stormed back with a meticulously polished 13-episode second season that left me feeling oh-so-thankful for giving the show a fighting chance after harboring ho-hum feelings about the seven episodes that preceded it. Not that Breaking Bad's freshman year was bad; in fact, the opposite is closer to the truth. It's just that it mostly goes the way you'd expect it to and I felt other dramas like Mad Men or Sons of Anarchy were more deserving of my face time. Also, having lost nearly half of its debut season to that pesky writers' strike, giving up before Vince Gilligan et al. had the opportunity to tell more of their story wouldn't have felt right.
Though season one was certainly no cakewalk, the stakes were arguably raised big time in season two for Walter White, who still figures his best chance at providing for his family after he's dead and buried is to cook and sell meth with his former chem student, Jesse Pinkman. Besides the dealers and other shady characters he encounters in his ruthless effort to make a profit, his pregnant wife, Skyler, knows something's up; she just hasn't figured it out yet. His brother-in-law, who is employed by the DEA, is hot on his trail, too. And this time around, he may have come across hard evidence that could bring Walt down for good.
Bob Odenkirk's Breaking Bad debut as criminal lawyer Saul Goodman is a pleasant surprise. His funny, albeit sleazy character (who appears in just a few episodes) provides the proper comic relief to the show's harsh tone. And Bryan Cranston is perfect as the show's lead character. He can keep on winning those Emmys for Lead Actor in a Drama; I have absolutely no problem with it.
Disc includes: Audio commentaries, deleted scenes, Inside Breaking Bad featurette, season 1 recap, "Negro y Azul" music video, Better Call Saul commercial, 11 behind-the-scenes featurette, Cop Talk with Dean Norris featurette, gag reel, Watt's Warning featurette, 6 Breaking Bad Webisodes, season 3 sneak peek, Vince Gilligan's photo gallery
For people who like watching werewolves and vampires do battle: The Twilight Saga: New Moon (available March 20th)
Ladies, hold your panties. In a few short days, The Twilight Saga's second chapter, New Moon, can be yours. This is because unlike most DVDs, New Moon bypasses the traditional Tuesday release date for a March 20th midnight release party. Even though there are probably solid marketing reasons behind the move, I'll go ahead and assume that Summit Entertainment wanted to do everything in its power to ensure that Team Jacob members devoted their weekends to one thing: fast-forwards and rewinds to the parts where Taylor Lautner shows off his magnificent abs.
Having said that, you're probably expecting me to be yet another BOP contributor who has little to nothing pleasant to say about The Twilight Saga. This isn't true. Instead, I've read the entire book series and even saw the first adaptation in theaters. I skipped New Moon, however, because it happens to be my least favorite of the series.
No, Stephenie Meyer isn't Shakespeare. Or Russo or King or – eek! – Picoult. In fact, her writing is incredibly primitive and just plain awful. Unlike other readers, who without hesitation paste selections of Meyer's books as their Facebook statuses and consider her to be as wise as English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, I responded to Meyer's story and not much else. That, I feel, she can craft decently, and is the reason I made it through the books.
For people living under a rock, New Moon takes place almost entirely in Edward's absence. That's because he flees to Europe after his brother, Jasper, attempts to kill Bella Swan when she cuts herself in a house full of vampires. Alone in Forks, Bella mostly spends her days crying and being pursued by Jacob, a part-time family friend, part-time werewolf.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, six-part documentary, rehearsal footage with Muse, three music videos (Death Cab for Cutie, Anya Marina, Mute Math)
For people who want to know what New Orleans looks like through Disney goggles: The Princess and the Frog
One of the few December releases I didn't get around to seeing is The Princess and the Frog, an animated release that marked the Mouse House's return to its Disney Princess formula, traditional 2D animation and, most importantly, the musical. Having grown up on movies like Aladdin and The Lion King, it was refreshing to come across a new release that could have been sandwiched between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The movie, inspired by the Grimm brothers' fairy tale, The Frog Prince, was somewhat of a financial disappointment, earning about what it cost to make (a reported $105 million) here in the States. Though earning back its budget on domestic receipts alone is a good thing, I'd like to think that the Disney suits were expecting to see the green tallied by a typical Pixar release.
Disc includes: Deleted scenes, The Making Of featurette, Conjuring the Villain featurette, The Return to Hand-Drawn Animation featurette, The Disney Legacy featurette, Disney's Newest Princess featurette, Bringing Life to Animation featurette, art galleries, music video by Ne-Yo, The Princess Portraits Game
For people who don't know how well Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant can play "hick": Did You Hear About the Morgans?
No, I did not hear about the Morgans, and neither did a majority of Americans. (God bless each and every one of you! Even when you fail* me). The $58 million budgeted "comedy" failed to earn even $30 million in the States. However, it wouldn't surprise me if Did You Hear About the Morgans? did solid business in the home media market. Names like Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant will help offset what Sony spent on marketing.
Reminiscent of a movie like For Richer or Poorer, Did You Hear About the Morgans? is about a Manhattan couple whose marriage has seen better days. After witnessing a murder, Jessica and Hugh take to small-town Wyoming to hide from the killers.
*Paul Blart, to be specific.
Disc includes: Deleted scenes and outtakes, audio commentary, Cowboys and Cosmopolitans: The Stars of Did You Hear About the Morgans? featurette, Park Avenue Meets the Prairie: The Fashions of Did You Hear About the Morgans? feautrette, MovieIQ
March 16, 2010
Blu-ray
Armored
Astro Boy
Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season
Breaking Bad: The Complete Second Season
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Broken Embraces
Clash of the Gods: Season 1
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Fallen Angels
The Fourth Kind
Gunslinger Girl: Season 1
Gunslinger Girl: Season 2
Ninja Assassin
Paris
The Princess and the Frog
South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season
Under Great White Northern Lights
Unrivaled
The Wizard Of Oz (Anniversary Edition)
Wonderful World
Yanni Live: The Concert Event
DVD
Armored
Astro Boy
Bandslam
Breaking Bad: The Complete First Season
Breaking Bad: The Complete Second Season
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Broken Embraces
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
Dillinger Is Dead (Criterion Collection)
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Complete Season Two
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: Season Three
The Fourth Kind
Hawaii Five-O: The Eighth Season
Monk: Season 8
Ninja Assassin (Widescreen)
The Princess and the Frog
South Park: The Complete Thirteenth Season
Tom And Jerry: The Movie
Unrivaled
Vengeance Trilogy (Trilogy Collector's Edition)
The Wizard Of Oz (Anniversary Edition)
Wonderful World