Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0
Battlestar Galactica has the balls to split from the status quo on TV these days and shoot for originality and ambitious story arcs. The plot has depth and purpose, and with a complex approach that doesn't mercilessly tease and taunt the audience, BG is as unique as they come. Admittedly, I'm not the hugest fan of the show, but word on the street is that Season 4 was just as intriguing, surprising and entertaining as seasons 1-3, and perhaps more. This DVD is a must-have for those looking forward to Season 4.5, as the series approaches its final conclusion.
Pineapple Express (Blu-ray) (2-DVD edition)
In terms of genre-defining films, Pineapple Express makes the cartoonish stupidity of Half Baked, How High or any Cheech & Chong film ever made for that matter, embarrassingly obsolete. Believable (and familiar...) characters, hilarious plot twists and not a dog named Killer to be found make for what's quite possibly the best comedy of the year.
Affable chubster pothead Dale Denton (Seth Rogen) really only has one thing in common with his weed dealer, Saul Silver (James Franco), until Dale becomes the only witness to a murder by a crooked cop (Rosie Perez) and the city's most dangerous drug lord (Gary Cole). Due to the extremely rare strain of pot he drops in a panic at the scene, the killers make the connection (really, no pun intended) and set out to snuff both stoners. Hijinks and hilarity ensue as the two "Freaks & Geeks" alums run for their lives, having realized that, for once, their blazing paranoia is very real.
The Wackness
Written and directed by John Levine, The Wackness is a fantastic snapshot of life in the summer of '94 through the eyes of a kid going through the rites of passage into manhood, who's insightful enough to be aware of the fact that this is a cornerstone moment in his life. Set in New York City, Luke (Josh Peck) is a pot dealer just out of high school who needs answers to the sudden barrage of life's questions and conundrums. He's worried he may be losing his mind - or worse, depressed. Luke befriends a psychiatrist named Dr. Squires (played to perfection by the great Sir Ben Kingsley) and starts attending weekly sessions with the shrink to help clear his head. His payment? Weed, of course. Kingsley's character keeps a big glass bong on the desk in his office.
The film is only 110 minutes long, but I could've sat in that theater all damned day. It was like stepping into a time machine. The lingo, the music, the atmosphere, it all perfectly captures the essence of a moment of innocence in our history that our children will never experience or understand. Hard to believe it was 15 years ago that Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul were the hottest thing around, and skinny white kids were even more awkward than they are now at trying to xerox black culture. Pulp Fiction and Forrest Gump were in theaters, and "Beavis and Butthead" were all the rage. It was years before 9/11, Paris Hilton and "American Idol" would be a part of the fabric of our nation. Imagine that.
Things weren't perfect in 1994, but the world sure was a hell of a lot easier to live in back then. If anything, The Wackness will take you back to that feeling, if just for a little while.
Other DVD releases for the week of January 6:
The Alphabet Killer
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Collection 3
Babylon A.D. (Blu-ray) (2-DVD special edition)
Bangkok Dangerous (Blu-ray) (2-DVD special edition)
Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia
Ben 10-Secret of the Omnitrix
Blind Mountain
Blue Dragon, Vol. 3
Dire Straits: Sultans of Swing (Live in Germany 1979)
Disaster Movie (Blu-ray)
Doctor Who: Four to Doomsday (Episode 118)
Doctor Who: War Machines (Episode 27)
Dogtown: New Beginnings
Drive in Cult Classics 4
Duckman: Four Season Pack
Duckman: Seasons Three and Four
Eden Lake
Eon Kid, Vol. 2: Season 1
Friday Night Lights (Blu-ray)
Frisky Dingo - Season 2
Ghost Writer
The Grocer's Son
Gurren Lagann, Pt. 2
Hell Girl: The Complete First Season
The Hitcher (Blu-ray)
Inheritance
Kiss of the Vampire
Laredo: Season 2, Part 2
The Last Emperor (Blu-ray)
The Last Legion (Blu-ray)
The Legend of Sorrow Creek
Lucky Star, Vol. 5
Magi Nation: Fight the Shadows
Magi Nation: The Moonlands
Mannix: The Second Season
Michael Powell Double Feature (Age of Consent, Stairway to Heaven)
Midnight Movie
Miss Potter (Blu-ray)
Naruto, Vol. 31
New York Blood
Ouran High School Host Club: Season One, Part Two
Ping Pong Playa
The Plot to Kill Hitler
Postal (Director's Cut)
Righteous Kill (Blu-ray)
Rivalry Series - Basketball-Duke Beat North Carolina
Rivalry Series - Basketball: North Carolina Beat Duke
Secret Diary Of A Callgirl - Season One
Shaun White: Don't Look Down
Transformers: Season Two
Tripping the Rift: The Complete Third Season
The Tudors - Season 2
Tweeny Witches the Adventure
The Wackness (Blu-ray)
The Waltons - The Complete Eighth Season
The Waltons: Complete Seasons 1-8
The Wicker Man
