How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
September 14, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who bust a gut at Sue Sylvester: Glee: The Complete First Season
What to say, what to say about a television show that seems to have just as many fans as it does enemies.
For a good while, I was a closet Gleek. I watched the show regularly but didn’t deem it necessary to talk about it with many people. I liked it enough, but didn’t feel like there was much substance in the problem of the week. And then the familiarity of problem, quick remedy, disaster, absurd solution set in and I realized the show seemed to never make any progress.
Schuester’s wife becomes a school nurse to check in on her husband at his day job, and then by the end of the episode she finds herself in the same position she started in. Kristin Chenoweth guests as a troubled, former star of the glee club who gets recruited by Schuester, but then moves on to a new dream after receiving the standing ovation she always wanted. Glee’s writers were so quick to hit the reset button.
But Glee wouldn’t have a season two if it weren’t popular. And I don’t know that popular is a strong enough word. Glee is a cultural phenomenon that has taken to touring, dominating the iTunes charts and selling like hotcakes on home media. It’s a show that extends beyond traditional consumption channels. And, hey! It shows performing arts in a positive light, so that’s fine by me.
Disc includes: Behind the Pilot: A Visual Commentary featurette, Sing Along Karaoke and Music Jukebox, The Power of Madonna featurette, Full-Length Audition Pieces featurette, Staying in Step with Glee featurette, Dress Like Your Favorite Gleek featurette, Making of a Showstopper featurette, Meet Jane Lynch featurette
For people who think E.T. is a little too mainstream: Mac and Me (New Packaging)
A newly packaged Mac and Me gets placement here on How to Spend $20 this week and I’ll tell you why: This is a movie of my youth that I managed to watch countless times. I have no idea why I liked it so much. It’s an absolutely stupid movie that is packed with scenes like this. ‘Cept this one’s got adult aliens who communicate with one another by whistling while holding their hands above their heads. (When not, you know, boogying down at McDonald’s).
But, when you’re a child everything just seems so great. Kinda like Saved by the Bell reruns. Watch ‘em today and you’ll wonder what made an episode devoted to caffeine pills so believable.
Anyway, the point is Mac and Me is a real treat. It even blatantly promised a sequel at the end, but disappointing box office numbers squelched that plan.
I’m so glad my mother picked up this movie that one day at the grocery store.
Disc includes: N/A
For people who find lobotomies a little disturbing: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Ultimate Collector's Edition)
I actually haven’t seen One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, but have read the book. Actually, I devoted an entire senior English paper to the story and wrote about, you guessed it, how Randle Patrick McMurphy emulates a Christ figure. I certainly wasn’t the only one who analyzed the book that way.
Anyway, the adaptation seems to be about as successful, critically and culturally, as its literary predecessor. The film, released 13 years after the book’s 1962 publication, won Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars – the big five! Only done two other times! – and was nominated for four more. On the book side, TIME named the novel one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to 2005. I’m sure the book is accounted for on other best-of lists, too.
Disc includes: Completely Cuckoo: 87-Minute Retrospective featurette, Interview with Michael Douglas featurette, 52-page commemorative hardbound book, reproduction of the original press book, 52-card deck of cast-inspired playing cards, Four mini reproductions of original worldwide theatrical posters, cast/character photo cards
For people who have no idea what a private investigator does: Bored to Death: The Complete First Season
One of the driest shows I think I’ve ever seen, Bored to Death is a comedy show that follows a Brooklyn-based writer named Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) – the same name as Bored to Death’s creator – who starts up an unlicensed private detective service. He’s got a friend in Zach Galifianakis and a stoner boss in Ted Danson. He’s also still got feelings for his ex-gf (played by Olivia Thirlby – Juno’s friend in Juno).
Bored to Death is a delight, and I’m pleased to see it’ll be back for at least another season on HBO. Following the well-publicized Seinfeld reunion episode on Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bored to Death reached a series high 1.1 million viewers, a figure that made Bored to Death believers out of the HBO suits who decide on what shows stay and which go off the air.
The series mostly flew under the radar in its first season, and I wonder whether more people will be paying attention to it when its second year debuts in a couple weeks.
Disc includes: Making of Bored to Death featurette, Jonathan Ames’s Brooklyn featurette, deleted scenes audio commentaries
September 14, 2010
Blu-ray
Alice Cooper: Good To See You Again
All Men Are Brothers
America's National Treasures Collection
America: The Story of Us Book
The Amityville Horror
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season
Bloodsport / Timecop
Boogie Woogie
Bored to Death: The Complete First Season
Breathless (Criterion Collection)
Carrie
Charade (Criterion Collection)
Cinderella Story / Another Cinderella Story
Delicatessen
Feast
Fringe: The Complete Second Season
Ghost Hound Complete Collection
Glee: The Complete First Season
The Golden Compass
Inkheart
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 5
Jacob's Ladder
Janeane Garofalo: If You Will, Live in Seattle
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Just Wright
The League: The Complete Season One
Leonard Cohen: Songs From The Road
Letters to Juliet
The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
Mandingo
March Of The Wooden Soldiers
Mercury Rising
Monster House
The Neverending Story
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Ultimate Collector's Edition)
Orchid Island
The Order
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The Proposition
Raging Phoenix
The Return Of The Living Dead
Seven
Shiloh / Saving Shiloh
Shorts
The Silence Of The Lambs
Species
Spirit of the Forest
Starcrash
Taroko National Park
The Third Man
Twilight Zone: Season 1
Unleashed
Wild Asia: At The Edge
DVD
ALF: Season 4
Alf: Season One
Alice Cooper: Good To See You Again
All Men Are Brothers
The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Third Season
Bill Maher: But I'm Not Wrong
The Black Cauldron (25th Anniversary Edition)
Boogie Woogie
Bored to Death: The Complete First Season
Bound by a Secret (Family Edition)
Breathless (Criterion Collection)
Bring It On: Cheertastic 3 Movie Pack (Set)
Call of the Wild: The Complete Series (Set)
Carrie Collection (Triple Feature)
Charade (Criterion Collection)
The Commish: Complete Second Season
Feast (Unrated)
Fringe: The Complete Second Season
Glee: Season 1, Volume 2 Road to Regionals
Glee: The Complete First Season
The Golden Compass (Widescreen)
The Good Wife: The First Season
Grey's Anatomy: Complete Sixth Season
The Hannibal Lecter Collection (Triple Feature)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (Includes DVD)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season 5
Jacob's Ladder
Janeane Garofalo: If You Will, Live in Seattle
Jimi Hendrix: The Guitar Hero
Just Wright
The League: The Complete Season One
Leave it to Beaver: Season 4
Letters to Juliet (Widescreen)
Mac And Me (New Packaging)
Monster House (3-D)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Ultimate Collector's Edition)
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Private Practice: The Complete Third Season
The Proposition (Includes DVD)
Raging Phoenix
The Return Of The Living Dead (Includes DVD)
Robin Hood: The Complete Series
Rules of Engagement: The Complete Third Season
Shorts (Includes Movie Cash)
Spirit of the Forest
Starcrash
Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job: Season 4
Twilight Zone: Season 1