Thor: The Dark World
Gravity
Muscle Shoals
30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (Deluxe Edition)
Sci-Fi Creature Classics - 4-Movie Set
DVD and blu-ray new releases Feb. 25: Gravity; Thor - The Dark World; Muscle Shoals; more!
Click the links to order discounted items from Amazon.
Thor: The Dark World
Gravity
Muscle Shoals
30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (Deluxe Edition)
Sci-Fi Creature Classics - 4-Movie Set
Thor: The Dark World
Gravity
Muscle Shoals
30th Anniversary Concert Celebration (Deluxe Edition)
Sci-Fi Creature Classics - 4-Movie Set
Pop tweets
Can we drop the pretense of "President's Day" and just call it "I needed a long weekend because Valentine's Day is garbage"
— Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) February 17, 2014
Let's all take a moment to reflect on our favorite Presidents. Mine is Zaphod Beeblebrox
— Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) February 17, 2014
1st pic of Matt and I in character was released 4 yrs ago today, but, I have the real one..from the 1st camera test pic.twitter.com/72ldPCvpM3
— Karen Gillan (@KarenGillan2) February 18, 2014
Because you know what we all need? Our own Batman mask: http://t.co/dWuyKZlb9h pic.twitter.com/xujwepzamX
— DC Comics (@DCComics) February 19, 2014
I never use gendered pronouns because I only ever talk about myself.
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) February 19, 2014Looks like FP is not the only doll @OriginalFunko #Buffy dolls!! #BTVS I soooo want them ALL!! pic.twitter.com/d42zEvDV1A
— Sarah Michelle (@RealSMG) February 19, 2014
Pop focus: Corgi James Bond vehicles!
I promised I'd follow-up our recent display of Corgi Batman vehicles with one devoted to the company's great James Bond die-cast vehicles, and here it is.
Corgi's verions of OO7's Aston Martin from "Goldfinger" is probably the most famous toy vehicle the company ever made, and it's nifty.
Not only does it have a fully functioning ejector seat (good luck finding the little plastic passenger once he shoots out. He's probably under the living room couch), but also a bullet deflector shield for the back window, pop-out machine guns in the front bumper and plastic spinning "blades" that extend from the rear hubcaps. Both gold and silver models were manufactured.
Corgi made other Bond cars, probably most notably the submarine-transformable Lotus Esprit from "The Spy Who Loved Me." Special effects on this Corgi were more limited: Hit a switch and fines and a periscope would pop up, and it could shoot little plastic missiles out the back windshield area (they're there, under the couch).
I had, and still have, both. Corgi's are so well-made and durable, that both are in great shape 30-odd years after purchase. I also had the black Bell helicopter from "The Spy Who Loved Me." It didn't really do anything. I think a little rope could be extended from the bottom, but maybe I'm confusing that with the Corgi Batcopter.
The company made a number of other Bond vehicles, too, including a car from "Thunderball" I didn't know about until tracking down these pictures, and the "moon buggy" from "Diamonds are Forever."
Enjoy!
Corgi's verions of OO7's Aston Martin from "Goldfinger" is probably the most famous toy vehicle the company ever made, and it's nifty.
Not only does it have a fully functioning ejector seat (good luck finding the little plastic passenger once he shoots out. He's probably under the living room couch), but also a bullet deflector shield for the back window, pop-out machine guns in the front bumper and plastic spinning "blades" that extend from the rear hubcaps. Both gold and silver models were manufactured.
Corgi made other Bond cars, probably most notably the submarine-transformable Lotus Esprit from "The Spy Who Loved Me." Special effects on this Corgi were more limited: Hit a switch and fines and a periscope would pop up, and it could shoot little plastic missiles out the back windshield area (they're there, under the couch).
I had, and still have, both. Corgi's are so well-made and durable, that both are in great shape 30-odd years after purchase. I also had the black Bell helicopter from "The Spy Who Loved Me." It didn't really do anything. I think a little rope could be extended from the bottom, but maybe I'm confusing that with the Corgi Batcopter.
The company made a number of other Bond vehicles, too, including a car from "Thunderball" I didn't know about until tracking down these pictures, and the "moon buggy" from "Diamonds are Forever."
Enjoy!
Pop culture roundup: Badfinger! Dr. Seuss!
Hear a lost Badfinger album -- produced by Geoff Emerick and orchestral arrangements by George Martin -- that seems like it should really be released. Some of the tracks were re-worked for Straight Up and have appeared as CD extras.
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Check out Dr. Seuss' hat collection.
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Check out Dr. Seuss' hat collection.
Pop stuff: Inside Llewyn Davis; Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee
What I'm reading, hearing, watching, etc.
Inside Llewyn Davis. Set in the pre-Dylan Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s, this is the quietest, sanest Coen Brothers film to date. There are few of their manic touches on display. Mainly, what we see are the misadventures of the lead character -- a talented, but undistinguished singer and songwriter whose greatest obstacle to success seems to be himself.
Like many in the real folk scene were, Llewyn is preoccupied with being pure and uncommercial. His very lack of success means he's doing things right. To do better would be selling out, he tells the permanently cranky Jean (Carey Mulligan), the wife of a friend he may or may not have impregnated.
Jean's husband, Jim, (Justin Timberlake), does "sell out," hitting the charts with the lively, hilarious rock/doo-wop novelty tune, "Please Mr. Kennedy." The recording session where Jim, Llewyn and a fellow struggling folkie (Adam Driver) create the tune is one of the film's highlights.
But Jim's approach to music and art is more genuine and less self-conscious than Llewyn's "art." Jim is upbeat, maybe a tad overly earnest, but happy, at least, while Llewyn is none of the above. In fact, if he gets any more jaded and cynical, he may end up like a junkie jazzman he meets on the road, a walking cautionary tale played by Coen regular John Goodman.
The film is quiet, yes, but still engaging and well-paced. It's rare to spend this long inside one character's head, as we do here -- to come to understand his flaws and their roots. The performances are excellent, particularly Mulligan's and Oscar Isaac's in the lead role.
Really, Llewyn's biggest problem is that he's lost his musical foil, a partner who committed suicide. He blames those around him for not being able to move on. The film sends a message about art and authenticity, about what's really cool and genuine, and what's original. All questions that Bob Dylan -- an artist unafraid to be himself, or to be commercial -- forced the folk community to ask. In the film, Llewyn hears this new singer singing, and seems to hear the deeper possibilities of the music. Maybe he'll finally be able to move forward, too.
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. I love a laugh as much as the next guy. But, generally, the idea of non-situational comedy on TV doesn't grab me. I can't take those standup shows on Comedy Central with the too-loud audience laughter and the too-predictable jokes. All of which probably explain why I'm such a latecomer to this charming show featuring Jerry Seinfeld and various guest comics.
What I like about the show is that it's not strictly played for laughs. Not that there's much in the way of serious conversation, but Jerry and his guests aren't trying overly hard to be funny. They are simply drinking coffee, conversing, and being funny in the process. The laughs are organic, not forced.
The show appears online and also via the Crackle channel available on Roku and other streaming devices. Among the most entertaining eps to date are those featuring Larry David, Louis CK, Patton Oswalt and Gad Elmaleh.
Car nuts will want to check it out, too: In each episode, Jerry picks up his guest in a classic (or, sometimes, not-so-classic) car.
Inside Llewyn Davis. Set in the pre-Dylan Greenwich Village folk scene of the early 1960s, this is the quietest, sanest Coen Brothers film to date. There are few of their manic touches on display. Mainly, what we see are the misadventures of the lead character -- a talented, but undistinguished singer and songwriter whose greatest obstacle to success seems to be himself.
Like many in the real folk scene were, Llewyn is preoccupied with being pure and uncommercial. His very lack of success means he's doing things right. To do better would be selling out, he tells the permanently cranky Jean (Carey Mulligan), the wife of a friend he may or may not have impregnated.
Jean's husband, Jim, (Justin Timberlake), does "sell out," hitting the charts with the lively, hilarious rock/doo-wop novelty tune, "Please Mr. Kennedy." The recording session where Jim, Llewyn and a fellow struggling folkie (Adam Driver) create the tune is one of the film's highlights.
But Jim's approach to music and art is more genuine and less self-conscious than Llewyn's "art." Jim is upbeat, maybe a tad overly earnest, but happy, at least, while Llewyn is none of the above. In fact, if he gets any more jaded and cynical, he may end up like a junkie jazzman he meets on the road, a walking cautionary tale played by Coen regular John Goodman.
The film is quiet, yes, but still engaging and well-paced. It's rare to spend this long inside one character's head, as we do here -- to come to understand his flaws and their roots. The performances are excellent, particularly Mulligan's and Oscar Isaac's in the lead role.
Really, Llewyn's biggest problem is that he's lost his musical foil, a partner who committed suicide. He blames those around him for not being able to move on. The film sends a message about art and authenticity, about what's really cool and genuine, and what's original. All questions that Bob Dylan -- an artist unafraid to be himself, or to be commercial -- forced the folk community to ask. In the film, Llewyn hears this new singer singing, and seems to hear the deeper possibilities of the music. Maybe he'll finally be able to move forward, too.
What I like about the show is that it's not strictly played for laughs. Not that there's much in the way of serious conversation, but Jerry and his guests aren't trying overly hard to be funny. They are simply drinking coffee, conversing, and being funny in the process. The laughs are organic, not forced.
The show appears online and also via the Crackle channel available on Roku and other streaming devices. Among the most entertaining eps to date are those featuring Larry David, Louis CK, Patton Oswalt and Gad Elmaleh.
Car nuts will want to check it out, too: In each episode, Jerry picks up his guest in a classic (or, sometimes, not-so-classic) car.
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