Welcome back for another DVD Diggers, this week we’re running right on time.
Every once in a while I run a small movie marathon for myself and a few friends. Typically the evening has some sort of theme for the movies, which are typically B flicks or just all-in-all bad films, as well as lots of alcohol (Note: CB does not endorse or condone the use of alcohol by minors - this means you Teenagerlobotomy). Here was my most recent lineup, with a back to basic bad movies theme:
Shaun of the Dead (zombies!)
Dead Alive (more zombies - and early Peter Jackson)
Cabin Fever (endorsed by Peter Jackson)
Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (just something wacky to end with)
Ever watch bad movies on purpose? Email me and tell me what bad movies float your boat.
Speaking of Bad Movies
So, what genius out there decided to make a spin off sequel to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation? Admittedly, Randy Quaid has been the highlight of three out of the four theatrical National Lampoon’s Vacation movies, but is his moronic Cousin Eddie strong enough of a character to hold his own film? Somebody out there obviously thought so, and so fourteen years after Christmas Vacation hit theaters we’re getting, Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie’s Island Adventure, and we’re getting it in the beginning of October. That makes me think that while someone at Warner Brothers was stupid enough to green light this, they were smart enough to acknowledge it isn’t going to do very well in the holiday season.
Putting that idea into perspective, however, is the DVD release of (I kid you not) “The Chicago Bears: The Super Bowl Shuffle”. To me, the Super Bowl Shuffle has always been among the high marks for stupidity in marketing. While I recognize it took the country by storm in the ‘80s, so did “The Smurfs” and single sequined gloves. Do you really want a return of those things? I can’t understand the idea of putting “The Super Bowl shuffle” out on DVD almost two decades after it was created. I thought for sure this was one of those darker moments in sports that was best left behind, but I guess I was wrong. Be certain of this - come Tuesday somewhere down south there will be some overweight white ex-jock who will be getting off his couch, and getting down in a way that will make William Hung look like a professional.
Of course, if you really want to enjoy the bad movies, check out the recent queen of bad flicks which gets a rerelease this week: Gigli. You would think everyone involved with the whole Bennifer thing would want to hide for all time, much like Kevin Smith’s response to Jersey Girl’s bad reception. Instead the film has come out on DVD, and now is being rereleased. I say milk that puppy for all it’s worth (which isn’t much).
It’s Michael Moore time
CinemaBlend mogul Josh Tyler made the decision that the site wasn’t going to cover Fahrenheit 9/11 [Josh's Note: It was more a result of laziness than actual conscious decision. On second though, perhaps your version makes me sound better. Carry on.] when it came to theaters, a decision I will continue to uphold as Michael Moore’s controversial flick comes out on DVD. That’s not to say the film doesn’t have relevance or a message behind it. It’s more like, we have no interest in being a part of that message.
For me, it’s not a matter of disagreeing with Moore’s political beliefs. I understand his beliefs, and frankly I even agree with some of them. What I don’t agree with is how Moore conducts himself. We’ve watched over the last year as Moore has used and abused the press to promote his films, continually stirring up controversies, all with his unique perspective. Some people would call that perspective a matter of taking off rose colored glasses and seeing the truth. Others would call it bald faced lying. Either way, we’re not going to be a part of it.
So Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11 is coming out this week, as well as a collector’s set of Bowling for Columbine and The Big One. If you like those kind of movies, check them out. If you don’t, don’t. Pretty simple, eh?
TV on DVD
It’s teen angst week for the TV on DVD releases. It’s just a matter of whether you like your teen angst normal, or exotic. For those who like the normal, run of the mill emotional turbulence of teenagers there’s the fourth season of “Dawson’s Creek”. Will Pacey kiss Dawson? Will Dawson find his creek? For those who prefer an intergalactic style of angst there’s the second season of “Roswell”.
For those who just want the aliens without the angst, there’s the fourth and final season of “Farscape”, which means the whole series is now available on DVD. If you’re a sci-fi fan, but haven’t gotten hooked on this show yet, you should check it out before October 17th’s made for tv movie, “Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars”. With the new Star Wars still a few months away, and no Lord of the Rings movie this year, “The Peacekeeper Wars” is The Next Big Thing for science fiction fans.
Bad Extensions
After the success of Luke Greenfield’s extended edition of The Girl Next Door it’s apparently been decided to revisit his first big film The Animal with an extended edition as well. You remember The Animal? The film that cast Colleen Haskell in the lead since she was popular from “Survivor” (strike one) and starred Rob (strike two) Schneider (strike three). I’m hoping the extended footage involves Schneider and Greenfield on their knees apologizing for making this film.
Also getting an extension this week is Booty Call which is being released as The Bootiest Edition. I’m usually critical of “Unrated Versions” that don’t really ad much to the film or make it seem like they’re going to offer nudity of key members. However, if anyone can pull off a decent extended edition, I have the feeling the Wayans Brothers can do it. Not that that’s much incentive though. An extended version of a mediocre movie, is still mediocre - it’s just a longer mediocre movie.
There are lots of other big releases this week, including The Shawshank Redemption and Disney’s Aladdin, but we’ll be covering those in our reviews. Make sure to check back often because we should have new DVD reviews just about every day!
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