How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes
September 23, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who are given offers they can't refuse: The Godfather Collection (Special Edition)
A boatload of special features arrives in this new Godfather gift set. (Seriously, what follows has to be the longest laundry list of features I've had to type up since I started writing for this column). We're all rather familiar with The Godfather, so going into all that seems rather redundant at this point. What's not redundant? It's The Godfather. On Blu-ray. And it's fully restored, no less. So go out and treat yourself to perhaps America's greatest film trilogy. (Now settle down, LOTR nuts!)
Disc includes: Making of the Godfather featurette, additional scenes, filming locations, the Corleone family tree, the music of The Godfather, The Godfather historical timeline, Profiles on the Filmmakers featurette, photo galleries, storyboards, Godfather World featurette, The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't featurette, ...When the Shooting Stopped featurette, Emulsional Rescue Revealing The Godfather featurette, The Godfather on the Red Carpet featurette, The Godfather vs. The Godfather: Part II short film, Cannoli short film, Riffing on the Riffing short film, Clemenza short film.
For people who hated The Women: Sex and the City - The Movie (Special Edition)
As you may recall, an exorbitant number of women (and their hubbies) came out of the woodwork early in the summer season to reconnect with their favorite New York City foursome: Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. Of course Sex and the City was no Dark Knight, though it did shatter a fair amount of box office records on its $57 million-plus opening weekend, including biggest opening ever for an R-rated comedy, romantic comedy and film starring a woman.
Set four years after the events of the HBO series finale (which is just as long as the show has been off TV), Sex and the City picks up on Carrie and her Mr. Big, who finally decide to get married. And her three best friends, while dealing with personal issues of their own, could not be happier for Carrie. Well, until Miranda finds out her boy toy cheated on her, which causes the girl to confront Mr. Big about how crazy he is in deciding to marry Carrie. Ugliness ensues.
Critics were mixed on the movie, but that didn't stop the more than $400 million this one racked up worldwide (including upwards of $150 million in the States). A sequel is rumored to be in the works.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, a conversation with Sarah Jessica Parker and director Michael Patrick King, The Fabulous Fashion of Sex and the City featurette, Fergie in the Studio featurette, additional scenes.
For people who don't think Simon Pegg is all that fat: Run, Fat Boy, Run
More eyeballs warmed up to Brit Simon Pegg's earlier hits, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Yet Run, Fat Boy, Run, which grossed an unimpressive $5.9 million stateside, is worth a look. The comedy stars Pegg as Dennis Doyle, a slightly chunky individual who makes the mistake of his life when he decides to run away from his pregnant fiancée (Thandie Newton) on their wedding day. Jump ahead five years, and Dennis still finds he hasn't gotten over Libby. So the man makes it his goal to finish his first marathon to both win back Libby's heart and make her realize that her new boo (Hank Azaria) is the wrong guy.
The face of VH1's uber popular television series, I Love The...(fill in the blank), Michael Ian Black, penned Fat Boy's screenplay. And Friends' David Schwimmer directed.
Disc includes: None.
For people who forget things: Samantha Who? The Complete First Season
After a nearly ten-year absence, Christina Applegate returned to the small screen in ABC's Samantha Who?, the 36-year-old's first TV series since 1998's Jesse, which lasted for two seasons in its cushy post-Friends timeslot over at NBC. In the series' 15-episode freshman season, Christina plays title character Samantha Newly, a 30-something real estate company vice president who develops full retrograde amnesia after becoming the victim of a hit-and-run accident. Despite the fact that she does not like the person she once was, Samantha must relearn her former life and relationships.
For the first half of its premiere season, the comedy was the highest-rated new sitcom of the year and ended with an average of 11.8 million viewers an episode following the May 12 season finale. Christina even picked up a nom for Outstanding Actress for this year's Emmys. (Jean Smart, who plays Christina's mom on the show, won the Best Supporting Actress Emmy on Sunday). Season two starts up on October 13th.
Disc includes: Deleted scenes, bloopers.
For people whose favorite football team didn't get off to the best of starts this season: Leatherheads
America didn't get quite as chummy with Leatherheads as Universal probably would have liked. Against a steep budget reported to be anywhere from $58 million to $77 million, the light comedy set in the world of 1920s football was only able to muster $31.2 million domestically (and an additional $9.4 million overseas). Star power certainly wasn't the issue here - George Clooney, Renee Zellweger and John Krasinski claimed lead roles. I think it was a matter of its subdued pace and tame humor, which I at least had trouble sitting through.
Disc includes: Deleted scenes, Football's Beginnings: The Making of Leatherheads featurette, No Pads No Fear: Creating the Rowdy Football Scenes featurette, George Clooney: A Leatherheaded Prankster featurette, Visual Effects Sequences featurette, audio commentary.
September 23, 2008
Agatha Christie's Poirot: Definitive Collection
Animalia
Arctic Son
Ax Men: The Complete Season One
Books of John
Boston Legal: Season 4 (Widescreen)
Breathing Room
A Bridge Too Far (Collector's Edition)
Broken Fences
A Broken Life
Brothers & Sisters: The Complete Second Season
Bryan Loves You
Cashmere Mafia: The Complete Series
Cirque Du Soleil: Corteo
Critical Condition
CSI New York: Seasons 1-4 (Set)
CSI: New York - The Fourth Season
Deception
Exxeso
Fall From Grace
Family Name
Far North
Five Across the Eyes
The Foot Fist Way
For Heaven's Sake
Friday The 13th, The Series: The 1st Season
Gantz: The Complete Series (Set)
The Garment Jungle (Martini Movies)
The Girl Next Door (Widescreen Unrated)
The Godfather (Special Edition)
The Godfather Part II (Special Edition)
The Godfather Part III (Special Edition)
Grandma's Boy (Widescreen)
Grease (Letterman's Sweater Edition)
Harry the Dirty Dog
High School Musical 2 (Deluxe Edition)
Horatio Hornblower (Collector's Edition)
Illusion Infinity
L.A. Confidential (Special Edition)
Last Flight Home
A Lion in the House
Midnight Eagle
Most Evil: The Serial Killer Matrix
Mother of Tears (Widescreen)
Naked Fear
The Neighbor
Office Space (Widescreen Special Edition)
Passing Poston
Pathology
Peanuts Classic Holiday Collection (Deluxe Edition)
Re-Cycle (Widescreen)
Red Ridge
Reno 911!: Miami (Uncut)
Road House (Decades Collection)
Rob & Big: The Complete Uncensored Third Season
Schoolhouse Rock: Election Collection (Limited Edition)
Seoul Raiders
The Singing Detective
Speed & Angels
The Suicide Song
This American Life: The First Season
The True Story of Che Guevara
Two and a Half Men: The Complete Fourth Season
Unemployed (Widescreen)
The Unforeseen
Unsigned
The Vanguard
Vipers (Full Screen)