Cool News
B5!! 66!! 1999!! POPEYE!! LOST!! ANGEL!! MY SO-CALLED LIFE!! Herc's Season-Box DVD Vault!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Thanks to a deal struck between Hearst’s King Features Syndicate (which owns Popeye) and Time Warner (which owns the old Popeye shorts) Popeye 1933-1938 Vol. 1 
contains all 60 Fleisher Bros. Popeye animated shorts (including the Betty Boop short “Popeye the Sailor” that served as a pilot of sorts) released to cinemas between July 14, 1933 and April 28, 1938:
1933
Popeye the Sailor (Betty Boop cartoon)- July 14
I Yam What I Yam - September 29
Blow Me Down! - October 27
I Eats My Spinach - November 17
Season's Greetinks - December 17
Wild Elephinks - December 29
1934
Sock-A-Bye Baby - January 19
Let's You and Him Fight - February 16
The Man on the Flying Trapeze - March 16
Can You Take It - April 27
Shoein' Hosses - June 1
Strong to the Finich - June 29
Shiver Me Timbers - July 27
Axe Me Another - August 30
A Dream Walking - September 26
The Two-Alarm Fire - October 26
The Dance Contest - November 23
We Aim to Please - December 28
1935
Beware of Barnacle Bill - January 25
Be Kind to Animals - February 22
Pleased To Meet Cha! - March 22
The Hyp-Nut-Tist - April 26
Choose Your Weppins - May 31
For Better or Worser - June 28
Dizzy Divers - July 26
You Gotta Be a Football Hero - August 30
King of the Mardi Gras - September 27
Adventures of Popeye - October 25
The Spinach Overture - December 7
1936
Vim, Vigor and Vitaliky - January 3
A Clean Shaven Man - February 7
Brotherly Love - March 6
I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski - April 3
Bridge Ahoy - May 1
What, No Spinach? - May 7
I Wanna Be a Lifeguard - June 26
Let's Get Movin' - July 24
Never Kick a Woman - August 28
Little Swee'pea - September 25
Hold the Wire - October 23
The Spinach Roadster - November 26
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor - November 27 (color)
I'm In the Army Now - December 25
1937
The Paneless Window Washer - January 22
Organ Grinder's Swing - February 19
My Artistical Temperature - March 19
Hospitaliky - April 16
The Twister Pitcher - May 21
Morning, Noon and Nightclub - June 18
Lost and Foundry - July 16
I Never Changes My Altitude - August 20
I Like Babies And Infinks - September 18
The Football Toucher Downer - October 15
Protect the Weakerest - November 19
Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves - November 26 (color)
Fowl Play - December 17
1938
Let's Celebrake - January 21
Learn Polikness - February 18
The House Builder Upper - March 18
Big Chief Ugh-Amugh-Ugh - April 25
These are the earliest of all Popeye cartoons, made before his big-screen creators were told to tone down the sailor man’s violensk. The Fleishers (who also masterminded Betty Boop, Koko the Clown and the first Superman cartoons) directed 108 Popeye shorts between 1933 and 1942. Paramount bought the Fleisher studios and made 125 Fleisher-free Popeye theatrical shorts between 1942 and 1957. Warner Bros. plans to release them all on DVD. Volume two is due in November.
Documentaries on the extra-loaded first volume include:
* “I Yam What I Yam,” (43:24) traces Popeye’s origins from a bit player in a decade-old comic strip called “Thimble Theatre” through hundreds of cartoons and a Robert Altman movie. See how the sailor mirrored America, as he moved from the tenements of the Depression to the U.S. Navy during World War II to the postwar suburbs. Learn that the original contract between Paramount King Features called for all Popeye prints and negatives to be destroyed after 10 years. Learn that a whopping 220 new made-for-TV Popeye shorts -- which actually adhered more closely to the Thimble Theatre source material -- were produced in two years between 1960 and 1962. Learn that Mae Questal, who provided the voice of Betty Boop, voiced also Olive Oyl (and even voiced Popeye at one point!). Learn that Bluto became “Brutus” in King Features’ made-for-TV cartoons because the syndicator somehow believed Paramount owned the rights to the Bluto character introduced in the strip. Learn that screenwriter Jules Feiffer was determined to base the “Popeye” movie on E. Segar’s Thimble Theatre cartoon strips (rather than the shorts), which Pfieffer considered the comic equal of the Marx Bros. and W.C. Fields.
* “Forging the Frame: The Roots of Animation 1900-1920” (31:02). Terry Gilliam, Bill Plympton, Ray Harryhausen, Leonard Maltin and others discuss embryonic ventures into film animation, including the earliest work of Windsor McKay, J.R. Bray and the Fleisher Bros.
* “Mining the Strip: Elzie Segar and Thimble Theatre” (8:40). Learn the sad fate of Harold Hamgravy, Olive’s boyfriend for a decade before Popeye joined the strip. Learn that Popeye originally got his superstrength not from Spinach but from rubbing a magic whiffle hen. Learn that Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and Spirit creator Will Eisner were both huge Segar fans.
* “Me Fickle Goyle, Olive Oyl” (4;21). Learn that no romantic sparks flew from either party when Popeye first met his beanpole love in the strip.
* “Wimpy the Moocher: Ode To The Burgermeister” (4:31) Paul Dooley, who played Wimpy in the movie, and others discuss the opportunistic moocher. We learn the Fleishers were often not true the comic-strip character and that a British hamburger chain was named for him.
“ “Sailor’s Hornpipes: The Voices of Popeye” (9:30) We learn how artist/story man Jack Mercer took over Popeye’s voice after the voice’s creator, a stage and recording artist named Bill Costello, proved difficult. It was Mercer, I must say, who perfected the comic mumblings so key to Popeye’s onscreen popularity. His employers agreed, apparently, as Mercer remained the voice of Popeye until his death in 1984.
* “Blow Me Down! The Music of Popeye” (10:03) The Fleischer Bros. were swing and jazz fiends! Popeye’s theme, which is also the Spinach can’s theme, is enduring!
* “Popeye in Living Color: A Look At The Color Two-Reelers” (5:47) The three full-color double-sized 20-minute-long Popeye color shorts helped pave the way for animated features, we’re told. All were huge successes, sometimes billed above the feature, according to Leonard Maltin.
* “Me Lil’ Swee’pea: Whose Kid Is He Anyway?” (3:52) Swee’pea was left on Popeye’s doorstep in the comic strip, but in the cartoons he was in the care of Olive Oyl. This led to all kinds of confusion. Wondered many: “Where did the unmarried Olive get this baby?”
* “Et Tu. Bluto? Cartoondom’s Heaviest Heavy” (4:41) Learn that Bluto was not a big deal in the comic strip, but became huge in the shorts due to a big fight he had with Popeye in 1932 when Paramount bought the movie rights.
Audio commentaries include:
* Historian Michael Barrier and animator Dave Tendlar on the original Betty Boop cartoon, “Popeye The Sailor.”
* Animator Mark Kausler on “I Yam What I Yam.”
* Amimators Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua on “Blow Me own!”
* Historian Michael Barrier and animator Dave Tendlor on “I Eats My Spinach.”
* Historian Jerry Beck on “Wild Elephinks.”
* Historian Glenn Mitchell on “Sock-A-Bye Baby.”
* Filmmaker Greg Ford on “Can You Take It.”
* Director Eric Goldberg on “A Dream Walking.”
* Historian Jerry Beck on “Beware of Barnacle Bill.”
* Filmmaker Greg Ford on “Choose Yer Weppins.”
* Filmmaker Greg Ford on “For Better or Worser.”
* Historian Jerry Beck on “You Gotta Be A Football Hero.”
* Historian Michael Barrier and actor Jack Mercer on “King of the Mardi Gras.”
* Historian Glenn Mitchell on “Adventures of Popeye.”
* Historian Daniel Goldmark on “The Spinach Overture.”
* Writer Paul Dini on “A Clean Shaven Man.”
* Directors Eddie Fitzgerald and John Kricfalusi and cartoonist Kaili Fontecchio on “I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski.”
* Directors Eddie Fitzgerald and John Kricfalusi and cartoonist Kaili Fontecchio on “Popeye The Sailor Meets Sindbad The Sailor.”
* Animator Mark Kausler on “The Paneless Window Washer.”
* Directors Eddie Fitzgerald and John Kricfalusi and cartoonist Kaili Fontecchio on “Lost and Foundry.”
* Historian Jerry Beck on “Protek The Weakerist.”
* Directors Eddie Fitzgerald and John Kricfalusi and cartoonist Kaili Fontecchio on “Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba’s Forty Thieves.”
Non-Popeye bonus silent shorts include:
* “Colonel Heeza Liar at the Bat” (1915) (9:30)
* “Krazy Kat Goes A-Wooing” (1916) (2:44)
* “Domestic Difficulties” (1916) (8:18)
* “Bobby Bumps Puts A Beanery on the Bum” (1918) (4:37)
* “Feline Follies” (1919) (4:14)
* “The Tantalizing Fly” (1919) (3:56)
* “Modeling” (1921) (7:59)
* “Invisible Ink” (1921) (7:32)
* “Bubbles” (1922) (4:49)
* “Jumping Beans” (1922) (10:52)
* “Bed Time” (1923) (8:55)
* “Trapped” (1923) (10:58)
* “Trip To Mars” (1924) (6:47)
* “Koko Trains ‘Em” (1925) (10:08)
* “Koko Back Tracks” (1927) (9:04)
Plus:
* “Let’s Sing With Popeye” (1934) (2:10)
Expensive-looking, slow-moving and preposterous, Space 1999 was a strange show about the moon getting blasted out of Earth orbit by a nuclear mishap. The moon - the whole moon - and its moonbase would then zip around the galaxy visiting all sorts of alien solar systems.
It was a non-puppet series from puppet-series producers Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, whose puppet series were so soundly mocked by “Team America.” It was launched in 1975, between the “Star Trek” TV show and the big-screen "Trek" movie, but it reeks of Kubrick’s “2001” (1968) in its effects, its setting, its storylines and its title music. Kubrick’s “Clockwork Orange” (1971) may have influenced the lycra-happy costume design (not well-suited to Martin Laundau and Barbara Bain’s middle-aged physiques). “Mission: Impossible” (1966-1973) may have influenced its casting and title credits.
The costumes, zippered sleeves notwithstanding, look in retrospect a lot like those Robert Wise ultized in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”
The new 30th anniversary set contains all 48 episodes, three of which come with commentary tracks. One is by a superfan, one is by two of the writers, and a third is by season-one producer Sylvia Anderson. I found Anderson’s the most interesting; she talks about how money-man Lew Grade (perhaps emboldened by his success with “The Prisoner”) gave his American stars, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, lots of creative control over the series. We learn Charles Crichton, who later directed “A Fish Called Wanda,” directed roughly a third of the “1999” episodes. There’s also a fascinating story about Stanley Kubrick contacting the Andersons about doing special effects for him.
Other extras:
* A short fan film, “Message From Moonbase Alpha,” which starred series regular Zienia Merton as Sandra Benes, and provided an ending of sorts for the series.
* Alternate sequences from key episodes.
* Vintage interviews with cast and crew.
* A vintage interview with set designer Keith Wilson.
* A special effects featurette.
* A film publicizing a “Space City” amusement park exhibit utilizing “1999” footage.
* A “Space 1999” Ice Lolly commercial.
* An original year-two behind-the-scenes featurette.
* A BBC behind-the-scenes segment.
* Original promotional spots and theatrical trailers.
* Photo galleries depicting memorabilia, special effects, and deleted and alternate scenes.
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales streets today, and longtime spy “Gaspode” said it’s strictly for fans:
About a decade and a half ago, somebody in Warners Publicity sent me the pilot for a new series that nobody had ever heard of, called Babylon 5. Never heard of it, but I popped the tape into my VCR for a look-see. The sound and music still hadn’t been added, the computer-generated FX were a bit wonky and some of the aliens looked like rejects from The Muppet Show. Believe it or not, I was hooked.
Earlier this afternoon, I sat down to watch a DVD of Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, first in a possible series of direct-to-video stories that take place in those in-between years before ‘Sleeping in Light.’ Let me cut right to the chase here: if you’re not a B5 fan, I would not recommend this little slice of interstitial continuity, because you don’t have a hope of figuring out what’s going on here. But for fans of the series, I think you’ll like it a lot. Mild spoilers to follow.
The initial volume, ‘Voices in the Dark’ is comprised of two stories that together run a bit more than an hour. In the first, Tracy Scoggins returns as now-Colonel Lochley who summons a priest (played by Alan Scarfe) to B5 in order to deal with a problem of a spiritual nature (which sorta makes sense, since he’s a priest and all). While both Scoggins and Scarfe do a decent job with the heavy lifting dialogue-wise, the pace is a bit too slow for my taste. While series creator Joe Straczynski (who wrote and directed TLT) has successfully explored religion before in episodes such as ‘The Parliament of Dreams,’ this one wasn’t quite up to that level.
The second story begins on Minbar, with President Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) heading back to B5 for a big shindig celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Interstellar Alliance. Unfortunately his trip is interrupted first by a pesky ISN reporter (played by a very sexy Teryl Rothery) and more disturbingly, a visit by technomage the enigmatic technomage (Peter Woodward, who doesn’t look a day older in this DVD, leading me to believe he really may be a technomage). Invading Sheridan’s dream state, Galen shows him a disturbing vision of the future, as well as a major-league moral dilemma. I don’t want to give too much away, but think about the problem that Christopher Walken talked to Herbert Lom in The Dead Zone and substitute a young Centauri prince for Greg Stillson.
Where the Lochley story lags a bit, Sheridan’s tale beautifully captures the spirit of what B5 was all about. There’s a nice performance by the always-dependable Boxleitner, and once again, Woodward gets all the best lines. And speaking of lines, there’s a wonderful reference to G’Kar and Franklin that will definitely raise a few tears from die-hard fans.
Okay, that pretty much covers things from a story perspective. Let’s talk about some of the other positives and negatives. On the plus side, the production values are top-notch. I was a bit worried to hear that TLT was going to be shot almost entirely on green screen, but with a few minor glitches where the characters appear just a little bit too superimposed over the digital backgrounds, the HD image is crisp and clean. There’s a wonderful opening credit sequence, and the digital FX are also superb, notably a sequence that takes place in a futuristic New York (at least we know where most of the budget went) and a new version of Hyperspace called Quantum Space. Finally, Christopher Franke’s score is as good as it ever was on the original series, with the possible exception of a couple of beats in the first story that were just a bit too heavy-handed for my taste, but that’s a minor complaint.
On the negative side, my biggest complaint is that TLT felt a bit deserted at times, particularly the Lochley story. One aspect of the original series that helped provide some of its texture was that the corridors were always filled with alien extras and station personnel. During the first half, I began to think the station had been evacuated, with maybe just half a dozen background extras, and the station is getting ready for a big tenth anniversary blowout? Maybe everybody was working in the B5 kitchen; you know how long it takes to get the spoo right. And while we’re on the subject, what’s the point of including a line that diplomats and ambassadors from a hundred different worlds will be on hand for the party when we don’t actually see any of them?
In addition to the main story, there are a smattering of extras including interviews with JMS and cast members, a pair of memorials to Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs, a series of JMS interviews called ‘Fireside Chats,’ and The Straczynski Diaries, which are a lot more entertaining than they sound. The best is a tongue in cheek segment in which JMS tries to convince straight-faced Warners exec Greg Maday that they can save even more money by replacing the actors with sock puppets, using the real-life actor’s voices. Okay, there’s just something about Galen being played by a black sock holding a Sharpie for a staff that cracked me up. And now that I think about it, maybe those sock puppets could have solved the problem with extras that I mentioned earlier.
So what’s the final verdict on Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, volume one? As a first effort in a new format, there are certainly a few minor flaws, but I imagine most of them will be ironed out in future volumes, and let’s hope this one sells well enough to justify them. With so many lost tales still to be told in the B5 universe, it will be interesting to see if Straczynski gets a chance to tell them.
Submitted for your approval,
Gaspode
Herc’s Popular Pricing Pantry
Those who have been wondering when Fox might issue an “Angel” version of its “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” Complete Series Megaset may be able to stop the wondering. Angel: The Complete Series Collector's Set has just arrived for preorder at $97.99, less than $20 per season.
I assume this new box will contain all the discs and extras now available in the separate sets in a new box with some new extras. Right now if you buy the five “Angel” seasons (pictured above) separately you’ll pay abut $140.
My advice is to pre-order and lock in the $97.99 price right now; those “Buffy” series-sets went up in price in a big fat hurry during the pre-order period. If Amazon raises the price between now and the street date (as it just did – by almost $100 - with the “Star Trek: Next Generation” complete series set), your price doesn’t go up. In the unlikely event the price goes down before Oct. 30, Amazon has a low-price guarantee that automatically gives you its lowest price posted between purchase and street date. And you can always cancel the order between now and then with no penalty if you change your mind or find a better deal elsewhere.
Its sister show, “Buffy The Vampire Slayer,” is the better series overall, but “Angel” made my top-ten list every year it aired on The WB, and was number-one on that list the year it was cancelled. Made me laugh, made me cry, made me stare in awe. It really is one of the greatest TV shows ever aired and – unlike “Buffy” – always got better with each succeeding season.
60% Off Justice League & Batman Beyond!!
60% Off The Unit & Arrested Development!!
50% Off Prison Break, Bones, Boston Legal, Family Guy, St. Elsewhere, Time Tunnel, The Shield, Lost In Space, Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea, King of the Hill, Remington Steele, X-Files!!
TV-on-DVD Calendar
Last Week
Beer Nutz 1.x
Benson 1.x
A Bit of Fry & Laurie 3.x
A Bit of Fry & Laurie 4.x
A Bit of Fry & Laurie: The Complete Collection
The Crow: The Complete Series
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law 3.x
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law 1.x-3.x
Land of the Giants: The Complete Series
Philip Marlowe Private Eye 1.x
The Pink Panther Vol. 6
The Real McCoys 1.x
The Secret of Isis
Spawn: 10th Anniversary Gift Set
Spenser: Judas Goat
Spenser: A Savage Place
Stargate SG-1 10.x
Star Trek: Captain's Log
Suspense: The Lost Episodes Vol. 1
Tales From The Crypt 6.x
Three Sheets 1.x
Underdog: Ultimate Collection Vol. 1
Underdog: Ultimate Collection Vol. 2
Underdog: Ultimate Collection Vol. 3
Weeds 2.x
Weeds 2.x (Blu-Ray)
Woody Woodpecker & Friends
This Week
The Archie Show: The Complete Series
Babylon 5: The Lost Tales
Dallas 7.x
Hawaii Five-0 2.x
The Kids of Degrassi Street: Complete Series
Popeye 1933-1938
The Rhinemann Exchange: The Complete Miniseries
Sabrina The Teenage Witch 2.x
Sons of Hollywood 1.x
Space 1999: The Complete Series
Thunderbirds: The Complete Series
Next Week
The Adventures of Jim Bowie: Complete Series
Charlite & Lola Vol. 5
Daniel Boone 5.x
Darkwing Duck Vol. 2
The Dresden Files 1.x
8 Simple Rules 1.x
The Film Crew: Killers From Space
The Foursome 1.x Vol. 1
Full House 7.x
The Godzilla Power Hour Vol. 3
Happy Tree Friends Vol. 3
The Hills 2.x
Home Improvement 7.x
Hopalong Cassidy: The Complete Collection
Inside The Actors Studio: Barbara Streisand
The Jimmy Dean Show: Best Of Vol. 2
King Kong: The Animated Series Vol. 3
Man Stroke Woman 1.x
The Muppet Show 2.x
My Hero 2.x
Rome 2.x
Roseanne 8.x
Saved By The Bell: The Movies
The Simpsons 10.x
Soul Food 2.x
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody: Vol. 2
Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 5.x
That Girl 3.x
The Tick Vs. 2.x
Voltron: Revelations
August 14
All Creatures Great and Small 7.x
All Creatures Great and Small: The Complete Series
Avatar 2.x Vol. 4
Baby Looney Tunes Vol. 4
Doctor Who: Robot
Doctor Who: Survival
Dynasty 2.x
Elvis: The Miniseries
The Fugitive 1.x Vol. 1
Home Improvement 7.x
Home Run Derby Vol. 2
Kids in the Hall: Pilot
Loonatics Unleashed 2.x
Loonatics Unleashed 1.x/2.x
Masters of Horror: Valerie on the Stairs
Earlier this afternoon, I sat down to watch a DVD of Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, first in a possible series of direct-to-video stories that take place in those in-between years before ‘Sleeping in Light.’ Let me cut right to the chase here: if you’re not a B5 fan, I would not recommend this little slice of interstitial continuity, because you don’t have a hope of figuring out what’s going on here. But for fans of the series, I think you’ll like it a lot. Mild spoilers to follow.
The initial volume, ‘Voices in the Dark’ is comprised of two stories that together run a bit more than an hour. In the first, Tracy Scoggins returns as now-Colonel Lochley who summons a priest (played by Alan Scarfe) to B5 in order to deal with a problem of a spiritual nature (which sorta makes sense, since he’s a priest and all). While both Scoggins and Scarfe do a decent job with the heavy lifting dialogue-wise, the pace is a bit too slow for my taste. While series creator Joe Straczynski (who wrote and directed TLT) has successfully explored religion before in episodes such as ‘The Parliament of Dreams,’ this one wasn’t quite up to that level.
The second story begins on Minbar, with President Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) heading back to B5 for a big shindig celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Interstellar Alliance. Unfortunately his trip is interrupted first by a pesky ISN reporter (played by a very sexy Teryl Rothery) and more disturbingly, a visit by technomage the enigmatic technomage (Peter Woodward, who doesn’t look a day older in this DVD, leading me to believe he really may be a technomage). Invading Sheridan’s dream state, Galen shows him a disturbing vision of the future, as well as a major-league moral dilemma. I don’t want to give too much away, but think about the problem that Christopher Walken talked to Herbert Lom in The Dead Zone and substitute a young Centauri prince for Greg Stillson.
Where the Lochley story lags a bit, Sheridan’s tale beautifully captures the spirit of what B5 was all about. There’s a nice performance by the always-dependable Boxleitner, and once again, Woodward gets all the best lines. And speaking of lines, there’s a wonderful reference to G’Kar and Franklin that will definitely raise a few tears from die-hard fans.
Okay, that pretty much covers things from a story perspective. Let’s talk about some of the other positives and negatives. On the plus side, the production values are top-notch. I was a bit worried to hear that TLT was going to be shot almost entirely on green screen, but with a few minor glitches where the characters appear just a little bit too superimposed over the digital backgrounds, the HD image is crisp and clean. There’s a wonderful opening credit sequence, and the digital FX are also superb, notably a sequence that takes place in a futuristic New York (at least we know where most of the budget went) and a new version of Hyperspace called Quantum Space. Finally, Christopher Franke’s score is as good as it ever was on the original series, with the possible exception of a couple of beats in the first story that were just a bit too heavy-handed for my taste, but that’s a minor complaint.
On the negative side, my biggest complaint is that TLT felt a bit deserted at times, particularly the Lochley story. One aspect of the original series that helped provide some of its texture was that the corridors were always filled with alien extras and station personnel. During the first half, I began to think the station had been evacuated, with maybe just half a dozen background extras, and the station is getting ready for a big tenth anniversary blowout? Maybe everybody was working in the B5 kitchen; you know how long it takes to get the spoo right. And while we’re on the subject, what’s the point of including a line that diplomats and ambassadors from a hundred different worlds will be on hand for the party when we don’t actually see any of them?
In addition to the main story, there are a smattering of extras including interviews with JMS and cast members, a pair of memorials to Andreas Katsulas and Richard Biggs, a series of JMS interviews called ‘Fireside Chats,’ and The Straczynski Diaries, which are a lot more entertaining than they sound. The best is a tongue in cheek segment in which JMS tries to convince straight-faced Warners exec Greg Maday that they can save even more money by replacing the actors with sock puppets, using the real-life actor’s voices. Okay, there’s just something about Galen being played by a black sock holding a Sharpie for a staff that cracked me up. And now that I think about it, maybe those sock puppets could have solved the problem with extras that I mentioned earlier.
So what’s the final verdict on Babylon 5: The Lost Tales, volume one? As a first effort in a new format, there are certainly a few minor flaws, but I imagine most of them will be ironed out in future volumes, and let’s hope this one sells well enough to justify them. With so many lost tales still to be told in the B5 universe, it will be interesting to see if Straczynski gets a chance to tell them.
Submitted for your approval,
Gaspode
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and bring on McGarrett!
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Herc - any plans to put the wonderfully insane Cow and Chicken on DVD? Eh?
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2 superhero comedies that could use a little DVD love...
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in other places.
I read about in SFX already (print version) so the info's been online at least 2 months (like everything else in that printed SF "news" magazine) -
I finally started watching that show on DVD, and wow... if only I had known what I was missing.
Now I'm just hoping the third season comes out on DVD before the fourth season begins airing. -
My So-Called Life has only been available in a ludicrously expensive out-of-print set for too long. Finally it's available again. BEDRFORD FALLS COMPANY: PLEASE RELEASE "ONCE AND AGAIN" NOW THAT YOU DID MSCL PROPER!!! That is all. When ABC gets it's head out of it's ass and releases "Wonder Years" the best shows of the nineties will be finally available. (For the love of Christ just pay for the rights to the music, it won't break you.)
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About five years ago. I've had the entire series sitting on my shelf for the last year or two. And no, not bootlegs or Japanese imports... Rhino home video started producing the sets back in 2002.
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The obscenely expensive My So-Called Life. How it graced so many of these talkbacks. It will always be a treasured memory for all of us here in Coaxial.
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comes out in the UK on September 3. Unfortunately, us Brits have been seriously short changed in the extras department with only a 42 minute cut together story-so-far episode. So no webisodes or commentaries for us, worth hanging on for the region 1. That said, I've just finnished watching it and it's better without having to wait a week (or so) between installments. The off-topic episodes play better and viewed as a whole it's an amazingly diverse season that packs a lot in.
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It was as boring as the show (I was a little kid at the time, mind you).
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Herc, MTV just announced that all 3 Seasons of The State will be in one box set in October.
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(Well, it was available ... don't know if it still is.)
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Every week I die a little inside
(I also look for Daria, but since I've seen most of them recently on The N I'm not bothered as much) -
in a complete box set... i'd received season 1 as a gift and then traded in all of my individual buffys for the complete set when that was released and waited for angel to do the same. i finally broke down and bought season 5 because it's my favourtie but have still been holding out for the complete set... i can't believe it's actually going to happen.
and i just got my so-called life from a friend (insanely cheap, he didn't know what he was sitting on) last year... it was missing disc two, but a friend was able to copy hers for me. but i may have to pick up the new release... i can only hope that the picture quality will be better and that the extras will be worthwhile.
and vmars season 3! october is looking to be a very good month for tv on dvd. -
Yeah, but it was only the first season, and I hate watching TV on my computer. This way I can watch TV on a .. you know... TV!
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I'm gonna dip my BALLS in it!
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With complete series sets (i.e., Gilmore Girls)...yet there is no trace of Night Court Season 2. Pisses me off. If they were smart, they'd release the entire series in a limited edition run, charge $200-300 for it, and sell it exclusively through their website.
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... Never managed to do a sex tape, get busted for drunk driving or blow possession or even get photographed getting out of a car in a miniskirt and no drawers... no wonder she doesn't seem to be getting work anymore.
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I want that show on dvd! Where the hell is it? They like watching me suffer, I know they do..
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BTW, Thats good news on The State, I'm there when that comes out.
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...will it be original songs on the dvd or more generic? I had heard that was the reason for the delay in a reissue.
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Hot damn.
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According to Corin Nemec: "I was actually working with Shout! Factory to license the rights from Sony for the DVD set,” Corin said. Sony wasn’t willing to license the rights because the didn’t want to share the profit. My excitement was to be able to work with Shout! Factory and be hands on making the extras and be the actual guy to interview the producers, the writers and the cast members. We couldn’t get the nod from Sony so now we’re in a holding pattern.” http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2007/06/14/party-favors-corin-nemec-more/
Proving once again that Sony is pure evil. -
Herc, any word on this? I had heard one was announced at Comic Con with both seasons and two versions of the pilot.
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So I've read that the itunes / amazon unbox / xboxlive market place versions have different/generic music (much like the discussion surrount MSCL dvd reissue) so they wouldn't have to pay licensing fees.
So does anyone know if the newly soon-to-be-released State DVDs will have the original music as they aired? -
All the Stooges B&W shorts with Jerome "Curly" Howard, together in one set. Should I even have to justify this?
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This officially kicks Heroes' ass
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The review was pretty charitable. I thought the first segment was quite astoundingly lame. The one scene where LOchly meets the priest at the dock was presented like a highschool drama production. They shot this thing in a week and it shows. Slow down next time Joe. Jesus.
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The episode "Dragon's Domain" scared the shit of you when you were a kid.
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Desperate Housewives, that is. http://tinyurl.com/25n7fz
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Per TV Shows on DVD.com; 9/25 is the new date for public release. Those who ordered through AETV.com will get theirs on 8/31. No reason given for the delay.
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of a TV series that I've ever seen. Just frightening to watch, even on multipe viewings.
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Dammit. :(
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anyone notice that wow kyle from season 10 is a dead ringer for harry without the beard?
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About freaking time... and note to Bedford Falls: Thirtysomething. Still waiting...
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Space: 1999 was definitely how space should look. Set-wise the costumes were too Glam-Rock David Bowie.
That said, the plots made less than zero sense. They, in fact, drained sense out of the room.
Always though SciFi channel missed a golden opportunity to run Space: 1999 when 1999 actually rolled around.
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and watch 300
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I thought surely there'd be a "Saving Grace" talkback today, what with James "Spike" Marsters on last night's ep, sporting an Oklahoma accent that made him sound like he really was British.
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Damn, don't really care about this show but if anything it means that "The Wonder Years" is that much closer to becoming reality. KEVIN!!
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$100 for 9 episodes of the Sopranos? That's quite the extortionist money grab, even for them. HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are going to be around $130.
http://www.dvdactive.com/news/releases/the-sopranos5.html -
1st story is for the core fans, 2nd story any sci-fi fan is going to love.
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Since A&E used to stand for Arts & Entertainment, now that it has reality television and whatever the fuck else (other than the Sopranos), what does it stand for? Certainly not the original meaning, right?
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no excuses for this.
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The entire-series set is supposedly due Oct. 30, same day as the Angel and My So-Called Life complete series sets. Expect it to join the pre-order calendar any day now. A big day for DVD geekdom.
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Jul 31, 2007 8:36:49 PM CDT
Popeye, cool; but where's the love for Laurel & Hardy?
by thegreatwhatzit
Hallmark released an extremely constrained Laurel and Hardy venue; just a few feature-length films (from the Roach years, thank God) and a handful of two-reelers. The results are variable (what was the point of appending a new musical track to these classics?). Nevertheless, I'm elated that SONS OF THE DESERT and WAY OUT WEST are preserved on DVD (ditto CHICKENS COME HOME, a two-reeler that portends the Clinton administration). But where's PARDON US (screamingly funny), OUR RELATIONS, PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES, etc.? And where are the other "short (2-reeler) comedies, e.g. BRATS, OUR WIFE, THE CHIMP (underrated), PERFECT DAY, MEN O' WAR, et al? And, Jesus, please don't colorize these masterpieces. Warner Home Video released some of the duo's movies but the selections are lesser Roach productions (FRA DIAVOLO and BONNIE SCOTLAND, where the comedy supported romantic or plot-driven filler). Let's pretend their Fox movies never existed.
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Guess I'm obligated to buying My So caled Life.
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sucks my assssssss
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Recently I stumbled across a Space 1999 set on the newsgroups. All episodes and extras.
BUT
The episodes were arranged by production date and NOT air date. The poster kindly posted a guide to the correct viewing order.
But you still had to search through the disks to play them in air date chronological order.
I'm assuming this is the same box set with the same issue. -
Do they have the shuffling Negro in these Popeyes?
I remember him from my childhood. Matter of fact I think he was involved in one of the goat stories. Maybe the goat eating the battleship.
By the way I am what I am isn't much different from Tat Tvam Asi meaning wise. Making Popeye very Eastern in his thinking processes.
But he is a sailor and would have picked up some of the ideas from his travels. -
But just so nobody's head explodes, there's a big disclaimer for easily offended stupid people who don't realize that social attitudes were different back in the '30s.
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Thanks for the info on Parker Lewis. Hopefully they can straiten all that out before too long and get us some damn dvds!
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I never watched the show, but have thought about catching up with it on DVD - is it worth the time? This new DVD is great for it's fans! I'd love to see Serenity get a series of DVD sequels...
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That weird droopy eye thing is a strange coincidence.
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As much as I love complete series box sets, I really wish there was some of sort of trade in service. I've got all of buffy, angel, and TNG on DVD and these complete collections will destroy me if I succumb and buy them..
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This "new" Space: 1999 boxed set is just a reissue of A&E's fairly cruddy masters from years ago. I think this transfer dates to the 1990's, and the first season in particular was poorly-done. They applied way too much edge enhancement, so any fine details shimmer, and the levels are all out of whack. They also used some fairly primitive noise reduction to clean up dust and scratches, not always successfully. The prints they used were originally struck in the early 1990's, for use in the Laserdisc release. The Laserdiscs actually had better audio than the DVDs.
The European market got a newly-commissioned set of Space: 1999 discs a couple of years ago that look incredible. New prints were actually struck from the original negatives, and the audio has been restored. I'd recommend waiting for that release to make it to our shores (or just buy the Region 2 DVD set online). -
...they STOLE it. They swept in, fired the Fleischers, and out and out took the place.
Read THE FLEISCHER STORY by Leslie Cabarga. -
I didn't care for season 1 as a kid, prefering S2 (Maya, yum). But while the show's rep for having ridiculous science is earned (anymore ridiculous than a transporter that doesn't KILL you and create a new version from your torn-apart atomic structure?), once I read a little about the show's intentions, S1 became godamned-near coherent! The key episodes are the ones where the moon passes through a black hole/sun, and a godlike being saves them, and "Collision Course." There is a scene in CC where Landau's commander speaks with an alien woman who tells him that the moon will travel through space forever, and humans will populate space--and this has all been planned for eternity. The wonky science shouldn't get in the way of one's enjoying this series for what it is--an attempt (not entirely successful) at an ADULT SF series. No Kirk hysterics here, these are grown-ups. Bain isn't a chick, she's an adult woman; the alphans aren't exploring space (wheee!)they're trying to SURVIVE--space is scary! The aliens wanna protect their planets! Humans can sometimes suck! It is perhaps the loneliest of space shows/movies, and captures the sense that they are so completely far from home that they are all alone--something Voyager, for example, never achieved. Sure it's laughable in parts, but stop searching for what it isn't and appreciate the good things and you'll enjoy it.
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