How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
August 26, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
For people who want to watch a Tim Burton movie not starring Johnny Depp: Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (Collector's Edition)
Fifteen years ago, Tim Burton brought animated brilliance to the big screen in The Nightmare Before Christmas, a film often credited in helping renew interest in stop-motion animation. Now here we are a decade and a half later, celebrating the film's 15th anniversary with a special two-disc collector's edition of the movie. And people are particularly well-versed in its story, as it made about $50 million in its initial theater run and then was reissued in theaters twice in the past few years. But for those still not in the know (shame on you!) Chris Sarandon plays Jack Skellington, the leader of a world that goes by the name Halloween Town. After stumbling upon the world of Christmas Town, the man, who finds himself bored of the Halloween lifestyle, comes up with the idea of combining the two holidays into one.
Disc includes: What's This? Jack's Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour featurette, uncut version of Frankenweenie, Vincent short film, original poem by Tim Burton, audio commentary, Making of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas featurette, The Worlds of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas featurette, deleted scenes, storyboard-to-film comparison, theatrical trailers and posters.
For a look at everything NBC depends on right now (besides The Office and 30 Rock): Heroes: Season 2
After exploding onto the television scene in its first season and quickly becoming one of NBC's lone bright spots on an otherwise underperforming programming lineup, the hit drama faced its share of growing pains during season two. Heroes chugged along at a slower pace, and there was a certain lack of focus in comparison to the rapid-fire first season. Ratings declined a bit, too (which I experienced firsthand, as I removed this one from my DVR after only a few episodes). But then creator Tim Kring struck a bit of a balance, gaining momentum with an intriguing Shanti virus storyline that brought viewers back into the fold.
Season two is set four months after the season one finale, in which the main Heroes cast tries to return to a more ordinary lifestyle, even though they carry extraordinary abilities. While main villain Sylar attempts to regain his superpowers, the rest of the cast comes together to stop the release of a deadly virus, which one character observes as having the potential of beginning a global pandemic. Season three begins Sept. 22.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, deleted scenes, A New Beginning featurette, Takezo Kensei: Sword Saint featurette, The Drucker Files featurette, Genetics of a Scene featurette, Tim Sale Gallery of Screen Art, NBC.com featurettes, alternate ending, Inside the Alternate Ending of Generations featurette, Untold Stories featurette, Season 3 sneak peek.
For people who think Morgan Spurlock should stick to food: Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
Documentarian Morgan Spurlock earned a heck ton of praise for Super Size Me, a 2004 film that placed a critical eye on one fast food chain's infamously fatty menu. The man struck again earlier this year with Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, a docu even more comedic than Spurlock's debut, but one that still provides light, yet interesting commentary about Al-Qaeda, Islamic fundamentalism and various U.S. viewpoints in today's post-9/11 world. In it, Spurlock merely interviews individuals around the world with the following simple question: "Where is Osama bin Laden?" The action is juxtaposed with imagery of his wife giving birth to Spurlock's future son, who is expected to be born upon his return from afar.
Disc includes: Alternate ending, interview with Israeli President Shimon Peres, interview with former IRA leader Martin McGuinness, interview with Egypt's democracy activist Saad Ibrahim, On Being a Woman in Saudi Arabia featurette, Secret Meeting at the Watergate Motel featurette.
For Chuck Norris fans: Redbelt
Gazing over a representative sample of Tim Allen's cinematic resume -- Wild Hogs, The Santa Claus trilogy, Joe Somebody, Galaxy Quest and For Richer or Poorer -- Redbelt surely sticks out like a sore thumb. Basically, what in the world is a man who has made a living in comedy, including TV's Home Improvement, doing in an action-drama starring a Brazilian self-defense instructor who finds himself a swindle victim? Certainly, Redbelt doesn't match up with The Tool Man's comedy career, but even so, putting himself under the creative control of writer-director David Mamet (Wag the Dog, Ronin) probably wasn't a bad place to break the trend.
In Redbelt, Chiwetel Ejiofor (American Gangster) stars as Mike Terry, a Jiu-Jitsu master who teaches his students how to survive on the street, rather than succeed in sports combat. Upon meeting up with movie hero Chet Frank (Allen) and other Hollywood celebs, Mike finds himself both financially unstable and the victim of a con, which presses him to enter the fighting ring to relieve him of his problems. The $7 million-budgeted flick also stars Rodrigo Santoro, Emily Mortimer and Alice Braga.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, Behind-the-Scenes of Redbelt featurette, Inside Mixed Martial Arts featurette, Q&A with David Mamet featurette, An Interview with Dana White featurette, fighter profiles, The Magic of Cyril Takayama featurette.
For Uwe Boll fans (I kid, I kid): Postal
Crude comedy Postal marks Uwe Boll's thankful break from the horror genre (though sequels to Bloodrayne and Alone in the Dark are shamefully in the works). Based on the 1997 shoot ‘em up videogame of the same name and aiming to push the envelope on political, moral and social correctness (think South Park), Postal stars Zack Ward as Dude, an unemployed lowlife who is one day inspired to get his life back on track. So, he gets involved in a criminal scheme with his uncle Dave (Dave Foley), which calls for stealing and reselling OKrotch-y Dolls, a must-have kids toy. (Think Tickle Me Elmo in 1996 and Furby in 1998).
Outside of Foley and Verne Troyer, who cameos as himself, Postal's cast is a graveyard of unknowns. This doesn't mean, however, that audiences will be unfamiliar with some of the lead characters, including comedic portrayals of Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush. Other characters include Azeem, Cooter and, yes, Retarded Taliban.
Disc includes: Raging Boll: Director Boxes His Critics featurette, audio commentary, Verne Troyer as Indiana Jones featurette, complete Postal 2 PC game.
August 26, 2008
The Adventures Of Robin Hood
AKA Tommy Chong
Alfresco
Amadeus (2 Disc Collector's Edition)
Arthur: King & Country
Artifacts (Widescreen)
August
Battle 360: The Complete Season One
Be Like a Pop Star with Demi Lovato (Includes Music CD)
Beauty in a Jar
The Best of Comedy Central Presents II
Best of the Crow
Black House
Blind Lead
The Bodyguard 2 (Widescreen)
Border Wars
Brotherhood Of The Wolf (Director's Cut)
Call of the Wild: Foxfire
Chicago 10
Cimarron
Cloak & Dagger / The Wizard (Double Feature)
Conway Twitty: A Documentary
Coons: Night Of The Bandits Of The Night
Corruption
Crossroads: Volume 2
Crusade: A March Through Time
Curious George: Sails With the Pirates
Dali in New York
Dante's Inferno
Death Note Volume 6
Dog The Bounty Hunter: Best of Season 4
Elvis Presley: A Documentary
End Of Days
Entourage: The Complete Fourth Season
Everybody Hates Chris: Seasons 1-3 (Set)
Everybody Hates Chris: The Third Season
Fat Albert's Halloween Special (Full Screen)
From The Top: 2nd Season
The Great Trans-American Train Ride
Held For Ransom
Hellfighters (Full Screen)
High Voltage
Hillbilly: The Real Story
Hitler's Lost Plan
Home Sick
The Honeymooners: Color Collection 4 (Set)
IMAX: Ocean Oasis
In & Out Of Love
Killer's Delight
King Corn
The Land Before Time: Magical Discoveries
The Last Eve
The Legend Of The Lone Ranger (Widescreen)
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (Widescreen)
Lords of the Street
Love For Sale
Lum & Abner Collection
Lynch
Magnum Moose
Many Rivers To Cross
Me & Will
Miami Vice
Midlothia
The Mysteries of Devil's Triangles
Narnia & Beyond: The Chronicles of C.S. Lewis
NCIS: Seasons 1-5 (Set)
NCIS: The Fifth Season
Never Say Macbeth
One Tree Hill: The Complete Fifth Season (Widescreen)
Phantasm: Oblivion
Pirate Camp
The Pirates of Penzance
Pope Dreams (Widescreen)
The Presidents Collection
Puppy
The Real McCain (Full Screen)
Resurrection Mary
Richard the Lionheart
Riders to the Sea
Roger Miller: A Documentary
Saddle The Wind
Second Chance
The Secret
The Shield: Season 6
Shipwrecked
Shockwave: Complete Season 1
The Stalking Moon
Steve-O: Tour
Suicide Notes
Team Picture
Tearful Sword: TV Series
Troy: For Love and War
Uncounted: New Math of American Elections
Under The Pavement Lies The Strand
Underground President
The Untouchables: Season 2, Volume 2
Vampire Diary (Widescreen)
Veggie Tales: Where's God When I'm S-Scared? (Full Screen)
A Victorian Christmas
Virgin Territory
Waiting for Nesara
Walker Payne
Werner Herzog: In Conversation with Karen Beckman
Where The Wild Things Are
Who's Next? (Full Screen)