How to Spend $20
By Eric Hughes and Jason Lee
October 20, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Pick of the Week
For people who don't think an episode of Saturday Night Live is ever complete without some Caitlin and Rick: SNL: The Best of Amy Poehler
One of the funniest women to graduate from Saturday Night Live in the show's 35-year history, Amy Poehler is finally bestowed the best-of treatment as her top SNL sketches and moments are available today in one convenient package. From Dakota Fanning to Caitlin (Rick! Rick!) to co-anchoring Weekend Update with Tina Fey and then Seth Meyers after Fey moved on to 30 Rock, Poehler covered a lot of ground during her eight seasons with the show. Even her take on Hillary Clinton was more than just an impression. She spun what was funny about her – Hillary's aggressiveness, for instance – and made it her own.
Poehler's long tenure on the late-night staple puts her in fourth place on the all-time list (second to only Maya Rudolph when listing exclusively women). Her popularity with the show's cast, crew and fans was evident in her tearful goodbye at the Weekend Update desk last season – only to be interrupted, of course, by Fred Armisen's spot-on David Paterson impression.
Earlier this fall, Poehler was seen back behind the news desk with Meyers during two of the show's Thursday night specials that preceded Poehler's new comedy project, Parks and Recreation. Here's hoping her two guest spots won't be the final time Poehler is on the infamous SNL stage. In my mind, I'm starting the petitions now to get the funny lady to host later this season. In case you missed it, SNL's official Twitter asked its followers over the summer who they would like to see host the show. Hopefully enough of you were sane enough at the time to put her name into the hat!
The best-of special originally aired during SNL's usual 11:30 p.m. timeslot on April 18th. Though that program ran for 90 minutes (with commercials), this best-of disc has a runtime of 105 minutes.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, Weekend Update outtakes, photo gallery, two unaired dress rehearsals
For people who may or may not love-hate Stefan as much as they love-hate Simon Cowell: Top Chef New York: The Complete Season 5
Top Chef: New York is somewhat of an anomaly in the series. After four seasons of riveting drama, almost everything that took place in the Big Apple felt just a little tired, just slightly stale, ever the tiniest bit exhausted. It's kind of like the middle child in a family of over-achieving scholars who wants to open his own auto repair shop, or (to use a more appropriate food metaphor) a loaf of day-old bread from a faux-Parisian bakery in the middle of Nebraska. The interpersonal drama was a little more irritating, the creativity of the challenges were a little less compelling and the talent level of the cheftestants was simply not up to par.
Not that it didn't have its share of great "oh-my-gosh-grab-the-TiVo-remote-and-rewind-that" moments. Episode seven, "The Focus Group," in which the cheftestants were split into two groups, served their dishes family style, and watched from a hidden camera as the other team and judges critiqued their food, was reality television at its very best. The Super Bowl showdown in episode nine, where the cheftestants faced off against past Top Chef contestants, was amazing. You also had some truly great cast members. There was a pompous Swedish chef that you loved to hate (Stefan). There was an evil temptress with the IQ of a sponge that you also loved to hate (Leah). There was a bald-headed, cardboard-for-personality winner with lower talent level than any previous Top Chef champion or runner-up (Hosea). Oh well, two out of three ain't bad.
And I guess that sums up this season of Top Chef: New York. Good but not great. Memorable but not significantly so. And you know what? That type of performance on Top Chef typically leads to an invitation for you to pack your knives and go.
Disc includes: Exclusive cookbook, unaired stew room footage, extended interviews, cooking demos, PC game demo
For people who went to see Transformers this summer solely to keep tabs on what Megan Fox was up to: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Special Edition)
When that clip was released on Yahoo! revealing that the blockbuster sequel to 2007's Transformers would include what looked to be a sad knockoff of Star Wars' Jar Jar Binks, I and a number of other Prophets were what I'd like to call "turned off." I missed the original movie two summers ago, and decided that the pesky presence of Wheelie all but dashed any hope that I'd tune in for the 2009 follow-up.
And then, as planned, I didn't buy a ticket to Transformers 2. Boy did that decision feel good when practically everyone who came out of the thing said it was kinda sucky. Like Saw sequel sucky. (I'm comparing overall audience reaction here. Not actual content, of course).
Anyhoo, Michael Bay surely made a nickel or two with the second Transformers outing. (As did co-star Megan Fox, who since landed the lead in Diablo Cody's Jennifer's Body and hosted the season premiere of Saturday Night Live in late September). Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen surpassed $400 million in domestic box office (and well over $800 million worldwide). You can expect yet another Transformers – sans Wheelie? – in summer 2011.
Disc includes: Audio commentary, The Human Factor: Exacting Revenge of the Fallen documentary, Deconstructing Visual Bayhem: Multi-angle Sequences featurette, NEST: Transformer Data Hub featurette, 25 Years of Transformers featurette
For people who didn't know a hysterical Thanksgiving comedy could be had without a dysfunctional family crowded around the dining room table: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Those Aren't Pillows Edition)
One of my favorite comedies ever – and, I think, John Hughes' finest film (yes, I'm including Ferris Bueller) – combines together a reserved Steve Martin and a loudmouthed John Candy as two unlikely strangers who do whatever they can to ensure that Neal Page (Martin) makes it home in time for his Thanksgiving turkey.
So many classic '80s comedy scenes are packed in this movie alone, including Martin's F-bomb tirade with the rental car saleswoman, Candy's uncanny ability to score some pocket cash using, of all things, shower curtain rings and Martin and Candy's awkward "morning after" after spending the night in the same hotel bed. (For those of you who haven't seen Planes yet, this would be where the playful edition name comes from).
Disc includes: Getting There is Half the Fun: The Story of Planes, Trains and Automobiles; John Hughes for Adults featurette; A Tribute to John Candy featurette; deleted scenes
October 20, 2009
Blu-ray
Blood: The Last Vampire
The Crew
Love N' Dancing
The Music of Ray Charles
The Secret of the Nutcracker
Toto: Falling In Between Live
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Special Edition)
UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir
Wrong Turn 3-Pack
Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead
DVD
Blood: The Last Vampire
Champions Forever: The Definitive Edition
The Crew
George Harrison: Beautiful Stranger Unauthorized
Hawaii Five-O: The Seventh Season
Hi-5: Season 3 (Boxed Set)
It's Garry Shandling's Show: The Complete Series (Set)
The Judy Garland Show: Holiday Special
The L Word: Final Season
The L Word: The Complete Series (Set)
Mott the Hoople: The Whole Story
The Music of Ray Charles
Numb3rs: Seasons 1-5 (Set)
Numb3rs: The Fifth Season
Peanuts 1970's Collection: Volume 1 (Set)
Pink: Funhouse Tour Edition (Edited)
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Those Aren't Pillows Edition)
Queen: Complete Review
Sherlock Holmes: Archive Collection
SNL: The Best of Amy Poehler
Top Chef New York: The Complete Season 5
Toto: Falling In Between Live
Transformers Two-Movie Mega Collection
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Special Edition)
UFC 100: Lesnar vs. Mir
Vega$: The First Season, Volume 1
Wrong Turn 3-Pack (Set)
Wrong Turn 3: Left for Dead (Unrated)
WWE: Batista Unleashed
ZZ Top: Double Down Live