Since I had all the episodes saved on my DVR, I felt comfortable waiting until Christmas to get the DVDs. Thus, I've only recently re-watched the first season on DVD. Ummm...okay. First off, obviously, the show is genius. And even better the second (or third or fourth, in my case) time around. If you missed it when it first aired, the DVDs are a must-buy (yes, buy, not rent--you'll want to watch them over and over). And at less than $25, it's not like they'll break the bank. Hell, they're still a must-buy if you did see it when it first aired. Who doesn't need a permanent copy of the first season of Flight of the Conchords? That said, speaking as a huge fan of the show, they're rather disappointing.
I mean, I guess I'm glad HBO was able to release them so quickly, but the only thing these DVDs gave me was the ability to free up some space on my DVR, and to watch the episodes in Spanish. Um...score? No episode commentaries, no deleted scenes, no bonus copy of the Conchords' appearance on One Night Stand, no cast interviews or insights into the creative process--nothing. Which, okay, I guess I was expecting that. I suppose it makes for a cheaper DVD set, which allows more potential fans to get into the show. I'm bummed, and would've prefered to wait a few more months and pay a few more dollars for a better set, but it wasn't a huge surprise.
However, and this is pretty damn annoying, how hard would it have been to separate out clips of all the songs? As it stands, if you only want to see the hysterical Lord of the Rings music video, you have to fast-forward through the entire episode to get to it. Way to be crappier than YouTube, HBO. Sigh.
That said, of course I'll treasure the DVD set forever, and watch it over and over. What's important is the quality of the show--not the bonus materials that come with it. It just would've been nice, as a fan, to get a little something besides what actually aired. Or at least not to have the feeling that I'm going to have to shell out an additional $35 to buy the Extra-Awesome Edition when they finally decide to do a real DVD release of the first season. Ah, well. The show's still amazing, and you should still buy the DVD. Just...don't expect too much (or anything) beyond the actual episodes.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
DVD Review: Flight of the Conchords - Season One
Monday, December 31, 2007
Testing...testing...
...Anybody out there? Well, I obviously took a longer vacation from blogging than I originally intended this holiday season. Oops. Sorry. That said, there was absolutely nothing on TV, so I didn't really have that much to write about, anyway. Can you forgive me?
As a peace offering, here's a tip: Amazon is having a crazy TV on DVD sale. Buy one, get one free for a selection of over 170 items, from Seinfeld to Rescue Me to News Radio to The Critic to shows from the 70's that I've never even heard of. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Clone High: Finally on DVD!
Today marks a monumental occasion in my life, and hopefully yours: Clone High, the hysterical animated series about a high school of cloned historical figures, is finally available on DVD! MTV didn't even air the entire first (and only) season, which is a tragedy in and of itself, but you can now, at last, watch the whole thing the way it was meant to be watched (i.e., not a fuzzy bootlegged version on your campus's filesharing network).
For the unfamiliar, Clone High is awesome. And hilarious. And extremely quotable. ("I like my humping like I like my martinis: dry.") And features much of the Scrubs cast's vocal talents, as well as Bill Lawrence's creative genius and many awesome guest stars. ("Staaaamooooooos!") Amazon is out of stock right now, so it's not super-easy for a Christmas gift, but it's still perfect strike-surviving material! So what are you waiting for?
Friday, December 14, 2007
All 3 Seasons of Arrested Development for $30!
Amazon's Gold Box Deal today is all three seasons of Arrested Development (the greatest, funniest, awesomest show on Earth) for only $30. It's just until they run out, which will probably happen fast, given the awesomeness of the deal, so go order now!
Ten freaking bucks a season, people. [GOB voice] COME ON!!! [/GOB voice] If you already own it, get a backup copy just in case tragedy strikes and something happens to the original! (Not that I just did that or anything...I'll probably end up giving it away as a Christmas present...probably...)
Afternoon Update: Looks like they're sold out. Sorry if you missed out, but it's still worth paying full price for!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
DVD Review: Veronica Mars - Season Three
Now, as you may know, Glowy Box covered the third season of Veronica Mars in quite some detail, so I'm not going to review the season itself. If you want to know what we thought about the third season's episodes, head here. (Brief summary: "Even its worst episodes had better writing and acting than some shows that have run twice as long." So true. Although the third season - and second season, for that matter - never quite reached the brilliant heights of the first season.) Instead, I'm going to focus on the many excellent bonus features, since they're new for all of us.
First off, and most excitingly, the bonus DVD includes the entire season four pitch. For those who don't remember, Rob Thomas, in a last-ditch effort to save the show, put together a 15-minute video introducing a possible fourth season, which would take place several years in the future, when Veronica is a rookie FBI agent. Though I was very skeptical of the idea at first (though supportive of anything that would save the show), I am now convinced that it would have been an awesome, grown-up Veronica Mars that very well may have been successful. You guys, the DVD set is almost worth the price for the FBI pitch alone. It's like the first two acts of the first episode of the fourth season! And am I the only one who thinks this would make an awesome movie? (Hint, hint, movie executives...) And seriously, I feel like the other networks should be fighting over this show.
The DVD also includes interviews with Rob Thomas and a supervising producer about what went into the season four pitch, and where it came from. Fun fact: He always envisioned Veronica going into the FBI somewhere down the road. Fun fact #2: They threw the whole thing together in two weeks! My only (very small) complaint would be that they intersperse long clips from the pitch, which we presumably just watched, with the interviews. Which is redundant at best.
The bonus disk also features an illuminating series of interviews with Rob Thomas and the supervising producer about various aspects of season three, including the change in opening credits (which is more interesting than it sounds), Rob Thomas's experience directing "Spit & Eggs" (probably my favorite episode of the season), Veronica's relationship with Logan and Keith, and (quite interestingly) the politics of Veronica Mars, which doesn't necessarily go in the direction you'd expect. Fun fact: Kristen Bell is an animal rights activist! Right on--I knew I loved this show!
There are also five "webisodes," or features from the website, with actor interviews, set tours, etc. My favorite is definitely the clip of Kristen Bell and Chris Lowell (Piz, now on Private Practice) interviewing each other. It's pretty hysterical. There are also deleted scenes (or, as they put it, "unaired scenes") with introductions by Rob Thomas (who points out that there aren't many, because it's hard to cut scenes from a mystery show in which most every scene contains clues). And, of course, the predictably great gag reel.
However, the DVDs also seem to be lacking in one major bonus feature: episode commentary. What gives?! Couldn't lure everyone back into one room to reminisce? That disappointment aside, if you're already a Veronica Mars fan, you obviously have to get these DVDs. If you're not a Veronica Mars fan (yet), you have to get the first and second season DVDs, and then these DVDs. Seriously. This show was all kinds of awesome.
