The Week in Stuff: July 6, 2010 – Traipse Through Jungles With Either Arnold or Stephen

There are a lot of things out there you can buy. We try to give you the information you need to make an educated purchasing decision. Because we have no lives. If you find the info here to be of use, do us a favor and purchase stuff from Amazon through us. Especially if you were going to buy the stuff anyway. That gives us kickbacks, which help pay for things. Like the server. And coffee. And therapy. Thanks.

[ad#longpost]Well, with Predators now out, it makes sense that we get a new Blu-Ray release of the original, this time with features. What a concept. Anyway, if you haven’t seen the original badass version of The Even More Dangerous Game Thanks to a Badass Alien With Dreads, then please fix that. Moving on. Fox has kept the director’s commentary, text commentary, making-of featurette, plus all the additional featurettes and behind the scenes bits. There’s also deleted scenes and outtakes. As far as new material goes there’s a Predators sneak peek and a retrospective bit with Robert Rodriguez and Nimród Antal (director of the new movie). Now I’ve poked about online and read differing opinions of the new transfer. Here’s my problem: I don’t have the original Blu-Ray to compare it to, plus as I’ve stated repeatedly, I don’t have an excellent eye for picking up that this grain level is different or this color level has gone into the drink. For me, the main thing is that if you’re a fan of the original, you probably had previously picked up the two-disc DVD special edition and then the Blu-Ray after it. I would say rent this to check it out if you feel like it might be potentially an upgrade, but otherwise you’re probably fine with those original releases. It’s a little less than $25 as I write this, so it’s worth checking it out before double-dipping just for a transfer. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Last Chance to See was…well, is…a book from Douglas Adams written with Mark Cawardine. In it, Adams traveled the world looking for species that were on the brink of going extinct. Hence the title. As we discussed on a recent podcast, it sounds like it would be depressing as hell. But not so fast. This is Douglas N. Adams, after all. It’s funny and informative and thought-provoking all at once. (If you can find the long out-of-print audiobook, grab it. It’s Adams reading it and it’s brilliant.) Anyway, now we have an updated adventure with Cawardine and Stephen Fry filling in for the late Adams. All six episodes are here and anyone who loves nature programs, Stephen Fry, or Douglas Adams is going to want to give this a shot. I’m hoping to receive the Blu-Ray (which appears to street later in the month) so I can compare the two, because we know I’m a hi-def junkie when it comes to nature shows. I will say regardless that this will be worth a rental and should be seen. If I get the Blu-Ray in, we’ll speak of this again. (Click here to buy it on Amazon.)

Brooklyn’s Finest is the latest from Antoine Fuqua, director of Training Day. It’s out on Blu-Ray from Anchor Bay. What you’ve got is a tale of three cops that makes for a single tale of crime and corruption. The three cops are Richard Gere, Don Cheadle and Ethan Hawke. Wesley Snipes also stars. I was on board with seeing that cast, but I know there are some people who truly enjoy the genre who will want to check this out as well. I would say check it out as a rental before purchasing, since the Blu-Ray is a solid $10 more than the regular DVD, so it’s up to you as to how much def you want with your crime drama. It’s not a bare bones release, which does ease the wallet bite somewhat, with a Fuqua commentary, and multiple featurettes covering the director, the writer, the locations and more. There’s also deleted scenes. Check for replay value before you commit, but it’s worth checking. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

That’s right: it’s Eyeborgs. Out on DVD and Blu-Ray from Image Entertainment, it stars Adrian Paul and with Danny Trejo in a small role as the bad guy is Big Government and their surveillance robots, the Eyeborgs. It’s just fun to say (or in this case) type: Eyeborgs. Anyway, the government wants robots to watch us 24/7 and the government never has anything but our best interests at heart, right? Wild guess. It’s a low budget sci-fi robot flick, so fans of the genre (or perhaps Paul, you Highlander types) will want to check it out at least as a rental. I would say wait to purchase, because the DVD is $21.99 as I write this and the Blu-Ray is only $2 more. That’s pricey (with the Blu-Ray being the obvious choice if you have the capability) IMO and it all depends on whether or not you find it repeat-worthy. Bonus features include a decent-sized behind-the-scenes featurette plus deleted scenes. (Click here to buy the DVD from Amazon; click here for the Blu-Ray.)

The third volume of the hilarious but wrong Squidbillies is out from Adult Swim and Warner Brothers, giving you all ten episodes from the fourth season. It’s not bare bones, which is good: you get development art from the series, the Q&A from last year’s DragonCon, commercial and bumps and most impressively, a collection of Early’s hats. If you’re not familiar with what sort of hat we’re speaking of–if you’ve ever been to a truck stop and seen some amazing wisdom on baseball caps…well, these are even wiser. Let’s just leave it at that. These episodes aren’t currently airing anywhere (that I can tell, anyway)–as they’re busy with the fifth season. So if you want them, this is the way to get to them. It’s $14.49 as I write this, so $1.50 an episode is not bad, all things considered. The fan will want to snag it. (Click here to buy it from Amazon.)

Bakugan Battle Brawlers hits with its Chapter 2 release from Cartoon Network and Warner Brothers. It’s a two disc set finishing up the first series’ last thirteen episodes. Yes, it looks like the followup series, “New Vestroia,” is what’s currently airing on Cartoon Network. So this is the way to get the episodes if you want to have at them. There’s no bonus features, but at $14.99 for the set, it’s close to a dollar an episode, so the fan will want to probably snag it. (Click here to get it from Amazon.)

Hitting DVD from Paramount is the second half of Season 4 of Have Gun Will Travel, starring Richard Boone as Paladin. It’s nineteen episodes across three discs. It has no bonus bits, which is a shame: the television series kicked off a radio series (a lot of times it was the opposite) so it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal (it seems to me, anyway) to include one as a sample. Assuming there aren’t any rights issues, which there usually are. Regardless, I looked around and it doesn’t appear to be airing anywhere, so this DVD is your only way to snag it. However, the good news is the price is right, even without bonus bits: less than $1.50 an episode. A fan of the show is going to want to grab it, and if the only thing you know the show from is the fact they sang the theme song in Stand By Me, then sample it. You’ll be pleased. (Click here to get it from Amazon.)

ER: The Complete 13th Season hits DVD from Warner Brothers, with all twenty-three episodes across six discs. Opening with the aftermath of the cliffhanger ending to the previous season and continuing until the introduction of Stanley Tucci and setup for the next season. These boxed sets aren’t famous for their bonus bits (apart from the first one, as I remember), but you do get unaired scenes with this one. The show does not appear to be airing anywhere at present–although it’s admittedly hard to make sure…have you ever tried to search for “er”? So this is your way to get the episodes. And the fan will need to decide for themselves if they want to add this to their shelf. The $34.99 price tag might seem a little steep, but it is for twenty-three episodes, which is around $1.50 each. (Click here to get it from Amazon.)

The Game‘s third season hits from Paramount, with twenty-one episodes across three discs. The show, a spinoff of Girlfriends and a dramedy about the wives of pro athletes (in this case football, which thanks to the World Cup I know is the one they play with a soccer ball) and the pro athletes themselves. It’s airing on BET at present, but that appears to the be the first season only. This makes sense as a new series has been setup by BET for the first part of next year. That being said, the episodes will probably air in the lead-up to the fourth season’s unveiling. That being said, the price point here isn’t bad–around $1.30 an episode. A fan of the show will have to decide for themselves if they want to snag it permanently. (Click here to get it from Amazon.)