There’s a lot of stuff that materializes in the world. Some of it is your friend. Some of it is cool. But how much of it is worth buying? And for whom? We attempt to help you unravel the mysteries. And anything you purchase through our Amazon links here give us kickbacks, so we thank you advance.
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So East Meets Watts was the first of the two live shows that Cinematic Titanic performed here in Atlanta. And my understanding is that they hit us early in their run, so they had plenty of time to polish it before recording their life performance for this DVD. And even better than the Titanic team going after the film, it does a good job of capturing the live performance: whereas on the “normal” Titanic DVDs you get the silhouettes, here you get to see facial expressions and reactions. So it really is the next best thing to actually being there. While we highly recommend you go catch them live, this will do in a pinch. Go snag it from their official store.
[ad#longpost]I love Spike Jones and can’t get enough of his stuff. I’ve stated before how a Spike Jones musical number is a lot like being inside my head. It’s true. And now that Infinity Entertainment has put out this three-disc set the door is opened to experience even more of this anarchy. And it truly is. You get a lot of classic bits plus a bonus disc with two never-aired pilots. From what I can gather, this is the first time this has seen DVD release. So you want it. You really, really do. This will have to do until somebody starts releasing full season sets. Click here to snag it from Amazon.
The fourth season of Robot Chicken has hit from Warner Brothers and Adult Swim and does so in fine style. You have twenty episodes across two discs plus a relative scad of bonus bits: commentary on every episode, video commentary bits, Comic-Con panels, a “Day in the Life” of the behind the scenes workings of the show, miscellaneous video bits including some recording sessions, alternate audio bits, deleted scenes and animatics and more. The answer to the question of purchasing lies with how big a fan you are. Episodes are frequently shown on Adult Swim, but the extras on here are fairly extensive. And this is probably the best DVD set you’re going to see…unless they put out more content on a Blu-Ray edition. So I’d say if you’re squarely in this DVD’s target market, then it’s probably for you. Click here to buy to snag it. from Amazon.
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While Avatar appears to be blowing minds visually, the widely considered as more impressive outing this year in the sci-fi arena was made for a lot less money: District 9. The story of aliens stranded on earth who get relegated to their own camps–and what happens between humans and aliens when things begin to get…complicated. The Blu-Ray gives a good presentation of hi-def for this region-free release. It also comes with a respectable array of features: a director’s commentary, a three-part docu, other featurettes (covering makeup, design, acting and more), deleted scenes, an interactive map that’s exclusive to the Blu-Ray edition and more. As to whether or not you should buy it, it’s just about £6 more to get the Blu-Ray over the DVD…so for the hi-def bump alone, if you have that capability and want to buy, I think it’s worth it. Click here to snag it from Amazon UK.
Is it weird to go from Cobra Commander to the romantic lead in something like (500) Days of Summer? I suppose not. Here the former supreme serpent Joseph Gordon-Levitt appears opposite Zooey Deschanel as he deconstructs their 500 day-long relationship in which he’s hooked and she’s…less than hooked. The Blu-Ray disc comes with the obligatory hi-def audio and video, commentary, deleted and extended scenes, audition footage with commentary, making-of featurette, storyboard sequences, and a digital copy on a second disc. Now we’re talking the Blu-Ray, and the difference between the DVD and Blu-Ray is about $10 as I type this. So how important is the $10? Well, this isn’t what I would consider a hi-def necessary movie personally. But remember I’m half blind and half deaf. You do have a plethora of additional special features, though. The DVD only comes with the commentary and deleted/extended scenes. All the featurettes, convos, and such extra are only on the Blu-Ray. So seriously, it’s up to you: if you just want to own the film, grab the DVD. If you have the hi-def capability and you dig on the extras (and amazingly, some people don’t give a damn about them in general), then get the Blu-Ray. However, if you don’t wish to own, then Netflix the version of your choice. Click here to buy the Blu-Ray from Amazon; or here to buy the DVD (from the same place).
Extract is the latest from Mike Judge, starring Jason Bateman as a guy who’s about to sell his company only to have a series of problems besiege him and make hijinks ensue. Along with Ben Affleck, you’ve got Mila Kunis and the ever excellent J.K. Simmons. The DVD is out from Miramax and has a little less than the Blu-Ray in the way of special features–there’s only a featurette here–and goes for $20 as I write this. I would say if you’re a Mike Judge completist or enjoyed the film enough to stick it on your shelf, then go for it. I have a sneaking suspicion there’s not going to be a better version any time soon. Most folks could get away with a Netflixation of this. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
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Now we come to a series of music boxed sets from Sony Legacy. The trouble with boxed sets–and indeed, reissues of any kind–is that they serve one of two purposes: they either need to be a badass boxed set that would basically hook somebody up with a formidable collection, or they need to bring a lot of unreleased/remastered stuff to the fore. Beyond that they’re just a reissue without a purpose.
First up, with Dolly, you’ve got a helluva set, I must admit. It’s got over a hundred tracks across four discs. A few of those are previously unreleased, but I think you’ve got sheer volume going for you here. It’s priced at $39.49 as I write this, so that’s $10 per disc or roughly forty cents per song. So if you wanted to get a crapload of Dolly for a good price, then this is a good way to do it. If you already have an extensive collection, I’m not sure what this would add to the party. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
Next we’ve got Do What You Want, Be What You Are: The Music of Daryl Hall and John Oates. This isn’t a bad set either. Seventy-four tracks with sixteen previously unreleased ones, which are, for the most part, live tracks. Also of interest are two tracks by The Temptones (Daryl Hall’s previous band) and one from The Masters (John Oates’ previous band). Also Hall and Oates provide a written commentary on each track in a sixty-page book that is pretty packed. So for the Hall and Oates completist, this has something to offer and at $40.99 as I write this, it’s not unreasonable. What makes this even better is that let’s say you’ve got a complete-so-far library of Hall and Oates…the missing unreleased tracks from this set are available to purchase as MP3s from Amazon. Now that’s the way you release a set like this. Well done. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
Elvis 75, released to commemorate his 75th birthday, is pretty damn sweet as well. From what I can tell–and I’m not what I would consider an Elvisologist–there’s not a lot of unreleased stuff on here (because there have been Elvis compilations out the wazoo), but the hundred tracks on here are all remastered and an array of obvious hits as well as deeper cuts, so it’s not a bad selection. Again, it’s $39.99 as I write this, and just like with the set above, if you’re missing any tracks, Amazon MP3 can help you fill in the gaps. Click here to buy it from Amazon.
