Everybody Knows Your Name Cheers, Bobby Darin, Charmed, Harryhausen, Ray, and more.

February 04, 2005 - You ever have one of those weeks where you’re just phenomenally, outrageously, mind-numbingly busy, yet paradoxically unmotivated to do anything? The kind where you’re actually doing a whole ton of stuff, but feel oddly disconnected from the whole process? And then you find yourself babbling on existentially in the introduction of a mostly innocuous trifle of a shopping guide, where you expound on the divine worth of Cheers? Don’t you just hate weeks like that?

Anyway, back on target, I spent nearly the entirety of this protracted writing session listening to one of the best box sets I’ve heard in a long time - As Long As I’m Singing: The Bobby Darin Collection (Rhino, $59.98 SRP). The 4-dsc set spans the entirety of Darin’s career, from his 50’s rock roots through his pop phase and finally his country/folk period. It’s only when you begin adding up the classic hits - like "Splish Splash," "Beyond the Sea," "Dream Lover," "Mack the Knife" - that you realize what a tremendous run he had in his relatively brief life. It’s the perfect companion to the Spacey-interpreted Darin hits on the Beyond the Sea soundtrack.

No serious animation fan should be without a copy of Animation on DVD: The Ultimate Guide (Stone Bridge Press, $24.95 SRP) on their shelf. From Disney, Warners, and anime to the most obscure titles you can imagine, author Andy Mangels has produced an indispensable reference guide featuring capsule reviews and details of features (including easter eggs). Heck, it even makes great recreational reading. I can only hope it will be periodically updated.

They can fire out entire runs of the Star Trek franchise in the span of a single year, but Paramount’s release schedule for Cheers and Frasier has been painfully slow... Or maybe it just feels that way because they’re such classics, and watching the episodes of a given season just makes me wish I could keep watching after the last disc is done. Either way, things are progressing along with the release of the complete fourth seasons of both shows (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP each). The fourth season of Cheers welcomed Woody Boyd to the bar (filling the dim-yet-wise shoes of the late Coach), the increased role of Frasier Crane (who would become a regular the following year), and even the introduction of Dr. Lillith Sternin (who would also return with a vengeance the following year). Meanwhile, Frasier’s fourth season is really about the ins and outs of Niles’ broken marriage to Maris, and his escalating chase of Daphne. Martin finds a bit of love as well, Eddie heads to a pet psychiatrist, and Frasier manages a date trifecta. Sadly, both releases are completely featureless... Which I don’t mind so much as long as they increase the speed of these releases.

There are DVD releases that you might pick up, there are DVD releases that you should pick up, and then there are things that get released on DVD that you absolutely must pick up. The Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection (Sparkhill, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) is such a title. Featuring his earliest work, including the Mother Goose Stories, Little Red Riding Hood, and the 50 years in the making Tortoise and the Hare. Not only does the 2-disc set feature these fully restored and remastered pieces with introductions by Harryhausen, commentaries, and featurettes, but the second disc contains a remarkable reunion and conversation between Harryhausen, Ray Bradbury, and Forrest J. Ackerman, a featurette on Harryhausen’s Walk of Fame dedication, interviews, an appreciation from the scores of filmmakers inspired by his work, and much more. You must get this, no two ways about it.

I’ve said it before, but I continue to sing the praises of the fine folks at Spacecraft Films, who have been a truly amazing job preserving and presenting - mission by mission - the historical, and largely unseen, material from the NASA archives. Just 21 months after the tragic launchpad fire that claimed the lives of the Apollo 1 crew, Apollo 7 was the first of the Apollo missions that would lay the groundwork for man’s journey to the moon. The 2-disc Apollo 7: Shakedown Cruise (Spacecraft Films, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP) chronicles that mission, featuring the complete in-flight TV transmissions, the complete onboard film, multi-angle launch footage, crew prep footage, and rare pre- and post-flight commentary from the crew and NASA officials. If you haven’t started picking these sets up yet, I urge you to do so.

When The Ring blew down the doors on Asian horror remakes, I feared that we would soon be deluged with substandard, lackluster imitations of mostly enjoyable, often-creepy-in-an-alien-culture-kind-of-way scarefests. Well, The Grudge (Columbia/Tristar, Rated R, DVD-$28.95 SRP) manages to avoid most of those pitfalls, even if it does abandon the original film’s ending in favor of... well... that would be telling. And it’s nice to see Sarah Michelle Gellar trying desperately to distance herself from the Buffy stereotype... Even if it’s something she should embrace and be done with it. By the by - anyone notice how a lot of Japanese horror deals with curses of some form? Funny. The DVD features an audio commentary (with Gellar, producer Sam Raimi, brother/co-star Ted Raimi, and more), a 5-part making-of documentary, and a medical featurette on the fear response featured in the film.

The year before last, Warner Bros. began a brilliant little fan campaign, asking DVD aficionados to pick - from a list - the catalogue titles which they would like to see released. After a massive round of voting, the top 5 picks got their release. Realizing that it was a good idea worth continuing, another batch of fan picks are getting their release this year - King Solomon’s Mines, Ivanhoe, The Letter, Ice Station Zebra, and Random Harvest (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP each). As far as bonus features go, King Solomon’s Mines gets a theatrical trailer, Ice Station Zebra features a vintage making-of featurette and a trailer gallery, The Letter contains a recently discovered alternate ending and a pair of radio features, Random Harvest has 2 vintage shorts, a trailer gallery, and a radio feature, and Ivanhoe checks in with the classic Tom & Jerry cartoon "Two Mouseketeers" and a gallery of swashbuckling trailers. The films have never looked better... See, this is what DVD was supposed to be all about - classics flicks dug out of the vaults and presented in the most spiffy manner possible.

I was really, really, really looking forward to the biopic of the Ray Charles - entitled Ray (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$44.95 SRP), appropriately enough. Sadly, it didn’t quite meet my rather lofty expectations, which owes more to the rather unfocused script than to Jamie Foxx’s revelatory lead performance, which is simply stunning. In fact, you may find yourself wondering if the production didn’t use a time machine to snatch the real Ray out of the appropriate period. Although there are two versions of the film on DVD, you really should go with the 2-disc Limited Edition, which gives you an extended cut of the film, deleted scenes, uncut music performances, an audio commentary with director Taylor Hackford, a remembrance of Charles, a featurette on Foxx’s transformation, (all of which are available on the single-disc edition), plus additional extended musical scenes, "The Women of Ray" featurette; "The Filmmakers’ Journey" featurette, and "Ray: An American Story" documentary.

When I was a kid, I was absolutely enamored with Abbott & Costello’s "Who’s On First Routine." I’ve always been keen on wordplay-based humor touched with a bit of the logical illogic, and "Who’s on First" is the absolute pinnacle of that for me. It’s no surprise then that I’m a fan of the duo in general, which means I’m recommending you pick up The Best of the Abbott & Costello Show (Goodtimes, Not Rated, DVD-$15.95 SRP), a 2-disc set which collects episodes from their stint hosting the Colgate Comedy Hour in the 50’s. HEY ABBOTT!!!!

There’s nothing like the rare joy of discovering a funny stand-up comic (which, sadly, is quite a rarity), and one of the funniest stand-ups performing today is Lewis Black - who many of you should be familiar with from his rants during The Daily Show. Go pick up his latest CD, Luther Burbank Performing Arts Center Blues (Comedy Central Records, $12.98 SRP).

No matter how hard I try, I can’t get past seeing Charmed as little more than a pale Buffy rip-off, but I know there’s a large fanbase for the trio of witchy sisters who have been waiting years for the release of the show on DVD. Well, the wait is over, as The Complete First Season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP) hits shelves. The 6-disc set features absolutely zero bonus features, but hey - just be happy you finally got it.

Of all the networks, Fox seems to be the network most willing to greenlight quirkier fare, and also the quickest to axe it with very little warning. Oh, and then they rush the series (usually with a full complement of unaired episodes) onto DVD in order to take advantage of the fanbase that supposedly wasn’t there. One of the more recent examples is Todd Holland and Bryan Fuller’s Wonderfalls (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) - an oddball little show about a Niagara Falls shop clerk who begins to hear voices from inanimate objects directing her to perform good deeds. Like I said - quirky. The 2-disc DVD set features all 13 episodes (9 of which never aired), plus audio commentaries on select episodes, a behind-the-scenes documentary, a visual effects featurette, and a music video.

The seasonal I Love Lucy sets continue to be a prime example of giving fans everything they could possibly hope for, plus a smidgen more. As with the previous sets, The Complete Third Season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$54.99 SRP) features all 31 episodes beautifully restored and remastered, plus scored of bonus materials including bloopers, lost scenes, featurettes, script excerpts, the original openings, and restored music.

The series definitely stuck to the cinematic law of diminishing returns, but you gotta admit - for children of the 80’s, the original Karate Kid was an iconic flick. Who didn’t make some kind of joke involving "wax on, wax off" ? Be honest with yourself... You probably even tried Daniel’s big finale crane stance at least once. Well, relive the entire 4 film saga (including the sad Hilary Swank finish) with the Karate Kid Collection set (Columbia/Tristar, Rated PG, DVD-$36.95 SRP). Bonus features for the original film include an audio commentary (with director John Avildsen, writer Robert Kamen, Ralph Macchio, and Pat Moriata) and featurettes.

Ever since listening to my father’s 45 of "Spanish Flea," I’ve had a soft spot for Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass... Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I love any song with horns in it. Alpert’s back-catalogue is getting a deluxe refurbishment, with the initial trio of albums being South of the Border, The Lonely Bull, and the rarities collection Lost Treasures (Shout! Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$18.98 SRP each). Now just try and get the image of Homer singing "Spanish Flea" out of your mind...

While in every other way a pretty rote comedy, Mr. 3000 (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.95 SRP) shines by virtue of the presence of star Bernie Mac, who manages to wring every laugh from the story of a retired baseball star who believes his 10 year-old record is his ticket to the Hall of Fame, but must instead head back onto the field to reclaim his record when 3 of his hits are disqualified. The DVD features an audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and outtakes.

I love a glorious, unabashed cinematic disaster - the kind that makes you cringe and question the sanity, taste, and literacy of all those involved. There’s something so ingratiating about really being able to hate - with a mighty passion - a big ’ol trainwreck of a film. Like Catwoman (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$27.95 SRP). What were they thinking? Halle, did someone bludgeon you with that Oscar? I mean, come on. The DVD features alternate endings (none of which match the sheer joy of the film just coming to an end), a making-of documentary, and the HBO First Look special.

They may be body doubles, but there’s really only one reason we watch Brooke Shields and that guy in The Blue Lagoon, which is currently available in a 2-pack (Columbia/Tristar, Rated R/PG-13, DVD-$19.95 SRP) with its vastly inferior (and body double free) sequel, Return to the Blue Lagoon. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Yes, you do. The original film features an audio commentary with Shields (plus the writer and director), a second commentary with the director and the guy in the flick (Christopher Atkins, whose acting is completely carb free), the original featurette, and Shields’ personal photo album.

I think Paul McCartney is incapable of putting on a bad show. I really do. Check out the performance captured from his 1990 world tour on Paul McCartney’s Get Back (Lions Gate, Not rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) and you’ll see what I mean. The man’s amazing - and I’d say that even if he didn’t write "Uncle Albert."

Although there’s nothing inherently wrong with the first season of Taxi, the second season (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP) will always be infinitely better if only for the addition of Christopher Lloyd’s brilliantly spaced Reverend Jim to the cast. His botched attempt to take his driver’s test is still a classic bit (found in this set), and the dynamic as a whole finally seemed to click. Not only that, but this season also gave us a significant other for Andy Kaufman’s Latka in the form of Carol Kane’s Simka. Sadly, the 4-disc box set still contains zippo in the way of bonus features.

Any collection that contains the shoulda-been-a-hit song "The Inquisition" from Mel Brooks’ misunderstood History of the World Part 1 deserves a place in your CD rack. Which CD contains this - and other - comedy gems? Now That Sounds Kosher! (Shout! Factory, $13.98 SRP), which contains the cover note "Such Fidelity!"

Shot between 1968 and 1969, Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music (Sanctuary, Not Rated, DVD-$22.97 SRP) is a beautiful documentary that catches cash at the height of his powers, alongside his wife, June Carter Cash, Carl Perkins, and Bob Dylan. It’s a nice behind-the-scenes, day in the life look at the Man in Black, and makes me miss his talent even more.

Reese Witherspoon scares me. I’m sorry, but she does. Something about those harshly angular features on that tiny body, it just... brrr. Anyway, Vanity Fair (Universal, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP) - it’s got Reese playing the social-climbing heroine Becky Sharpe in a fine adaptation. But she’s still frightening. The DVD features an audio commentary with director Mira Nair, deleted scenes, a featurette on the women of Vanity Fair, and a making-of featurette.

Okay, so the film really doesn’t have much going for it and is slightly annoying, but who will ever get pre-loopy Whitney’s cover of Dolly Parton’s "I Will Always Love You" out of their heads? Yeah, that’s all The Bodyguard (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$19.95 SRP) has. Just that really long note. And Kevin Costner, pre-Waterworld, back when he could still fool people into thinking he was sane. The new special edition DVD features the film in widescreen for the first time, a making-of documentary, and Whitney’s music video.

I can’t say much about the Flash-animated feature Lil’ Pimp (Lions Gate, Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP), about a boy who finds his place amongst the inner-city pimps and hos as they face down the machinations of the corrupt mayor, except to say the mayor is played by William Shatner. That’s good for something.

If you ever wished that, after dealing with nasty Deadites, Ash would go kick the collective asses of your Star Wars figures, than the new Army of Darkness figures (Palisades, $15.99 SRP each) are right up your alley. Seriously. They even come in 2-packs, for your ass-kicking convenience. Go send a Deadite Skeleton after that pansy Anakin Skywalker.

So there you have it... my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. Be sure to check back next week for a whole new list of cash-sapping trinkets too cool to ignore...

 Ken P. is somewhere beyond the sea...