Hey folks
Before I utter a damn word in relation to this week's DVD releases, I must demand nothing less than rapturous applause for Mat Brewster, who did a marvelous job bringing the scripture to you good folks throughout my two-week absence, during which I was submerged in a tank at the bottom of the ocean with only Naked Lunch on audio-book for to keep me company.
Who knew heroin-binges and buggery could sound so sleazy?
Also, I must alert you to the following;
The Sandlot, a fondly-remembered family flick from 1993 concerning the teenagers and the friendship and the baseball, has gone ahead and spawned a sequel. You'll be glad to hear that The Sandlot 2 is available on DVD right the hell now, and I feel it only fair to fling the following featurette type deals in your direction, should you be itching for some tasters of said follow-up.
Featurette 1 - Looking Back At The Sandlot - Hi - Lo
Featurette 2 - The Making Of The Sandlot 2 - Hi - Lo
So there you go. Thanks to Matt Paprocki for the heads up.
Now, a horrific truth to be unveiled - This week is pretty crappy, to be honest, unless you're a big James Dean or Steve McQueen fan. The Duke being neither, especially, I'll have to soothe myself with the two DVD purchases that fell into my head-space yesterday;
To wit - I finally tracked down Quills, and not only was it as good as I remembered, but better, if anything. In addition, Jandek On Corwood arrived in the mail-box on Tuesday morning. I'll be damned if it wasn't absolutely wonderful, is the crux of my thinking regarding the Jandek picture. There'll be an incisive critique of both flicks sometimes in the near-future, more than likely.
In the meantime, here's a handful of DVD's from this week's schedule that you may or may not find appealing.
Tomorrow's Children / Test Tube Babies
Two separate releases, but two that compliment each other perfectly, I'd wager. Tomorrow's Children is a brilliantly camp Crane Wilbur picture from 1934, concerning the grisly matter of Forced Sterilization. A young woman fights against the horrific procedure, whilst the advocates point out how much imbecility, alcoholism and general craziness there is in her family tree. Cut that tree down now, they demand, before any more drunken loons can be spawned from tween the legs.
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Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
Ah, glory: Over the Top, where pure will power (and flipping your hat backwards, pre-hip hop styling) can defeat any opponent in the rough-and-tumble arm wrestling with your rig on the line game.
Surprised you did not wax upon the Bedtime for Bonzo, Duke. Classic Ronnie Reagan fare, that. And with monkeys!
I find the Steve-O and Jackass antics to fairly consistently be:
1/3 unwatchable/disturbing
1/3 insanely boring
1/3 magnificently brilliant and/or funny
2 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Eric, the Reagan classic slipped me by. And i agree with your views on Over The Top and Steve-O.
I think Jackass is incredibly funny at times, especially the flick, but Steve-O's own adventures are jsut supremely worrying. the fella's got more than a touch of the Sid Vicious about him.
3 - Eric Berlin
Duke, regarding the Reagan: you're rusty from the time off so we'll give you a week or so to regain your Supreme Powers.
I haven't seen Steve-o's solo efforts, come to think of it, so I can only imagine how messed up things could get for the lad. He was pretty good with Chris Pontius on that Wild Boys thing on MTV... although the prediliction for wearing speedos at all times got to me after a bit.
Good to have you back, Sir Duke.
4 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
thanks eric.
the steve-o stuff that's lingered longest with me was the time he phoned his sister whilst high on PCP, and the time he wanked over his manager's keyboard, then hid behind a plant till he arrived.
all very unnerving
5 - Eric Berlin
Wow -- that's definitely above and beyond getting his ass cheeks stapled together.
Damn, between Steve-o, GG Allen, and Faces of Death, it's a wonder you're anywhere near sane, my man.
6 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
my sanity is a great dissapointment to me...
7 - Mat Brewster
You're very welcome, Duke. It was my pleasure for filling your mighty big shoes for a couple of weeks.
Why no love for the Dukes of Hazzard? My grandma's neighbor used to have a car suped up to look like the General Lee. Unfortunately, they never had anybody who looked like Daisy Duke riding along.
Home Movies is well worth looking at. Any show with H Jon Benjamin from Dr. Katz fame is worth checking out in my book.
8 - Eric Berlin
When I was a kid, I thought there was nothing more bad ass on this planet than to have the doors of your car welded such that you can't open them and thus have to shimmy in, Duke Boys style.
9 - DJRadiohead
Eric, I thought that was cool as balls, too. Of course now that I weigh a metric buttload, I am not sure how cool it is. That and the fact that the doors are the only thing on my current car that seem to work properly. I have now just jinxed that. Damnation.
Duke... have you heard the new Oasis yet? I am trying to lower my expectations by suffering through "Be Here Now" at the moment. My copy has shipped and should be here today.
10 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
Mat - thank you once again. honestly, you helped a fella no end. Regarding Dukes Of Hazard, i thought maybe i should say something, but then i thought, no. My biggest memory of watching the show has nothing to do with the worth of said program itself, and everything to do with the cool toy car i used to fling around the living room. And i had heard Home Movies compared to Dr Katz (apparently the first season uses the same squggle-vision) but didn't know it went any further than that. Now i MUST investigate.
Eric B- this is a great image, but it bothers me to WALK to the car, never mind jump in the damn windows. For a fella of my meagre mass, the lack of any energy whatsoever is somewhat worrying...
DJRadiohead, i love the new Oasis record. Absoloutely adore it. I think i shrugged in a semi-appreciative style when i got Heathen Chemistry, and then filed it away never to be heard again. I was scared this would be a similar situation, but no. I haven't played an Oasis record so much in the first week of purchase since Be Here Now, which obviously you're not very fond of, but which i think i actually love. Maybe just has a lot of swell memories and such attached, but still, plenty wonderful melodies on there.
I been starting and re-starting a review of the new one for plenty days now, and probably it'll reach conclusion sometimes shortly. I will say the lyrics are still fairly awful, but the whole thing just makes me smile, man. A looong time since an Oasis record made me smile so much.
11 - Eric Berlin
Man, I love Dr. Katz -- that show was so brilliant.
And now I've gotta hear that Oasis record! I may have to buy the damned thing from iTunes and be done what it.
12 - Mat Brewster
Dr. Katz isn't officially available on DVD yet, but some guy is selling the entire series, as dubbed off TV and put on DVD, on Ebay. A friend purhcased and booted me a version. Great, great show, and hilarious to watch since the guy dind't cut out commercials, he just fast forwards through them.
13 - DJRadiohead
Duke: I finally got my copy and have gotten to hear the thing a few times. Man, I am loving it. I will admit... the first time through it I was not too sure. I expected something as immediate and 'hard' as "Definitely Maybe" for some reason (probably has a bit to do with the 45 times I have listened to 'Lyla' in the past two weeks). This album is not that. I don't think it's immediate but I do think it's brilliant. You're right about some of the lyrics (particularly the non Noel lyrics). I love "Turn Up the Sun" but I don't get the bit about the piano. I just chuckle at that part and turn the song up louder. I think the album is a winner. Is it just me or does "Meaning of Soul" sound like a "gas, gas, gas?"
Be Here Now... OK, I don't hate that record. I pick on it because it is an easy target. It's too bloated and there were some B-sides from those sessions that blew away some of the album tracks (although this is usually the case with Oasis - great B-sides). And speaking of B-sides, I have had four of them on order from an outfit in the UK and they still haven't sent them. They will feel my wrath (the lengths we have to go to in Alabama to keep up with Oasis singles!). Noel recently said "Be Here Now" is only good if you bought it the first week it came out in the midst of the hype. I bought my copy a bit after that. Some of it's really good. Other bits... not so much. But I think I like it better after I listened to "Shoulder of Giants" ('Little James' might be the worst song in modern rock history!).
I, for some reason, still really like "Heathen Chemistry." "Don't Believe the Truth" is even better. I can't wait to read your review. I am planning on writing one, too. We'll compare notes.
14 - Faces of Death
Not hardcore enough =)