How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
August 5, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who detested the first Starship Troopers sequel: Starship Troopers 3: Marauder
Since the original Starship Troopers' tepid box office performance in 1997 – roughly $120 million worldwide against a similar budget figure – Sony smartened up a bit and decided to release any future sequels straight-to-DVD. Four years ago, it was Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, which banked enough Benjamins to justify today's release of Starship Troopers 3: Marauder. More of a true sequel to the original film than the 2004 release ever was – Troopers 2 didn't feature any original characters and strayed far from the novel that the first movie was based – Troopers 3 picks up eight years after Starship Troopers, focusing on the adventures of original character Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien), who is defending a base on a bug-infested planet that is soon overrun by a pesky nest of spiders. Also back this time around is original screenwriter Edward Neumeier, who both wrote and directed the latest release.
Disc includes: The Bugs of Starship Troopers 3: Marauder featurette, Enlist: Marauder Mobile Infantry featurette, It's a Good Day to Die music video, audio commentary.
For people who speak German: The Counterfeiters
Stefan Ruzowitsky's award-winning film, The Counterfeiters, enters the DVD market today. The movie, which struck gold at the most recent Oscars ceremony by earning the award for Best Foreign Language Film, focuses on a Jewish counterfeiter who is forced into assisting the Nazis in carrying out Operation Bernhard, which was a secret plan during World War II that aimed to knock the U.K. off its rocker by inserting loads of forged currency into its economy. The Counterfeiters marked Austria's first-ever win for Best Foreign Language Film, and was just the country's second nomination in the Oscars category to date (1986's 38 precedes it).
Disc includes: Audio commentary, The Making of The Counterfeiters featurette, Adolf Burger's Artifacts featurette, deleted scenes, interviews, Q&A, trailer.
For people who, at age 12, merely faced the unimportant challenges of middle school while Abigail Breslin was making movies with Jodie Foster: Nim's Island
Abigail Breslin: the new Dakota Fanning, mayhaps? Though the tween got her start six years ago in the last M. Night Shyamalan release that didn't suck (Signs) Abigail is probably best known for her star turn as Olive Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine, which even landed the girl, just ten-years-old at the time, a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Of course, starring in Nim's Island won't earn you more praise, but appearing alongside Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler ain't ever shabby, no?
The adventure film, which eventually surpassed its $37 million budget at the domestic box office, stars Abigail as Nim, a girl who lives on a South Pacific island with just her father (Butler) and various animals. Following her father's disappearance at sea, Nim tries saving her father with the help of the author (Foster) of her favorite book series. Problem is the young girl lives on an island in the middle of nowhere, while the author resides in San Francisco.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, Nim's Friends featurette, Abigail's Journey featurette, Working on Water featurette, deleted scenes, public service announcements, trailer.
For people who can't tell a donkey from an elephant: Biography: Barack Obama (Updated Edition) / Biography: John McCain (Updated Edition)
Be honest, you know election day falls on November 4th – wait, you really knew that, right? – yet you may still be harboring undecided feelings as to whom you'll ultimately vote for. Seriously, if all you know about the (presumptive) candidates is that Barack is the media's homeboy and that McCain has squat arms and is quite old, then maybe you could use a little brushing up on your political skills. Enter original programming from A&E, which aired 50-minute biographies on the presidential hopefuls before they even entered their names in the candidate hat. Trust me, you need this. And the country does, too.
Barack Obama disc includes: Bare bones.
John McCain disc includes: Bare bones.
For Yankees fans in need of some World Series lovin': New York Yankees: Heart of the Order
Remember when the New York Yankees were actually winning championships? Not to say the team isn't winning anymore – the team has made it into the playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons and could make it 14 by the end of the year – but New York hasn't celebrated for reals since 2000. Yes, 2000! (Even with the organization's ridiculous amount of spending money to snatch up the league's best players).
Well, for the real down-and-out fans, you may just find solace in Heart of the Order, a disc that chronicles the lives – both on the field and off – of (arguably) the four greatest Yankees of all time: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle. Watching the boys teach the opposing teams a thing or two about how to play ball will wipe away the current team's woes real good.
Disc includes: Bare bones.
August 5, 2008
24: Season Five
The 6th Day (Widescreen)
AC/DC: DVD Collector's Box Authorized
The Addams Family: Volume 1
The Addams Family: Volume 2
Aerosmith: Videobiography
American Dad: Volume One
Arrested Development: Season One
Arrested Development: Season Three
Arrested Development: Season Two
Baby Blues
Batman Animated Series: Legend Begins / Tales of (Double Feature)
BBC High Definition Natural History Collection
Beastmaster: Complete Collection (Set)
Ben 10: The Complete Season 4
Black Ribbon (Widescreen)
Black Water
Blood Vision
Bob Dylan: Phenomenon (Widescreen)
The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Second Season
Bobby Jones Comedy All Stars Volume 2 (Full Screen)
Bram Stoker's Dracula's Guest (Widescreen)
The Brothers O'Toole
Buds for Life
Camp Out (Full Screen)
Checkpoint
Choking Man
Clash of the Cavemen
Code Monkeys: Season 1
Cry Blood, Apache
Curious George (Handlebox)
Dali Dimension: Decoding the Mind of a Genius
Daughters of Afghanistan
Days That Shook The World: Season 1 & Pilot
Dead Fury (Widescreen)
Elvis: #1 Hit Performances Volume 2
The Executioner's Song (Director's Cut)
Experience Hendrix
Family Guy: Volume 1 - Seasons 1 & 2
Family Guy: Volume 2 - Season 3
Family Guy: Volume 3
Family Guy: Volume Four
Family Ties: Seasons 1-4 (Set)
Family Ties: The Fourth Season
A Farewell To Arms
Ferocious (Widescreen)
Finn's Girl (Widescreen)
The First Olympics: Athens 1896
Fortress
Foyle's War: Set 5 (Gift Set)
Garfield's Fun Fest (Double Feature)
Gattaca (Widescreen Special Edition)
Get Smart: Season 1
Godannar: The Complete Collection (Set)
Green Day: Music In Review (Widescreen)
Growing Up Safari
Heart: Live (Widescreen)
Heavy Metal (Widescreen)
Heroes & Heroines
High Times Presents: 20th Cannabis Cup
Hill Street Blues: Season Two
Hill Street Blues: The Complete First Season
The Hive (Widescreen)
Hotel Babylon: Season 2
Hours & Times
I Got the Feelin': James Brown in the '60s
Inspector Lewis 1
Jamaican Gold
Johnny Cash: Music In Review (Widescreen)
Johnny Sunshine (Widescreen)
Johnny Watson: Live In Concert
Joy House (Widescreen)
Jupiter Love: Road Rage Romance (Widescreen)
Justice League: Secret Origins / Paradise Lose (Back-To-Back)
The Killing of John Lennon (Widescreen)
Kodocha: Season 2 (Boxed Set)
Krull (Widescreen)
Life In Cold Blood (Widescreen)
Little Moon And Jud McGraw
Living Goddess (Widescreen)
A Lobster Tale
Lonesome Dove (Collector's Edition)
Major Inconvenience (Widescreen)
The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete 1st Season
The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete 3rd Season
The Mary Tyler Moore Show: The Complete 4th Season
Masters of Science Fiction: The Complete Series
Miss Conception
Missing: Presumed Dead
Mountain: Live In Paris 1985 (Widescreen)
Murder One: The Complete Second Season
My Brother Is an Only Child
My Mummy
National Geographic: Hooked - Monster Fish (Widescreen)
New Yorker (Subtitled)
November's Doom: Novella Vosselaar Live
Oh Happy Day
Pee Wee & Jackie: Pee Wee Reese & Jackie Robinson
Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (Miriam Collection)
Phish: Walnut Creek
Pride FC: Bushido Volume 13
Public Enemy / No Blood No Tears / Guns & Talks (Triple Feature)
Queen Sized
Queen: We Thank You All
Quest For Sunken Warships
Racing With The Moon (I Love the '80s)
Reckless Indifference
Remington Steele: Season Three
Remington Steele: Season Two
REO Speedwagon: Live (Widescreen)
Rihanna: Barbadian Superstardom Unauthorized
Robin Hood: Season One
Robin Hood: Season Two (Widescreen)
Rogue (Widescreen)
Route 66: The Complete Collection
Save The Endangered Species
Sensitive Skin: Complete Seasons One & Two
Signs Out of Time: The Story of Archaeologist (Full Screen)
Slippery Slope (Widescreen)
Star Trek The Original Series: Season Two (Remastered)
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers 1-3 (Set)
Starship Troopers 2: Hero Of The Federation (Widescreen)
Still We Ride
Strictly Background
Terminal City: The Complete Series
That '70s Show: Season Five
That '70s Show: Season Four
That '70s Show: Season One
That '70s Show: Season Three
Ultraviolet (Widescreen)
Wasted
Webs
Welcome to Amish America: The Series
When I Find The Ocean
The White Shadow: The Complete First Season
The White Shadow: The Complete Second Season