Saturday, June 21, 2008
Mini-DVD Review: Futurama - Beast With a Billon Backs (June 24)
Futurama - Beast With a Billion Backs (20th Century Fox, $29.98) is the second installment in Fox's series of movies based upon the Sunday night animated sitcom from the past. The feature film picks up where the previous feature, Bender's Big Score, leaves off, when they try to find a way to keep peace and joy in the galaxy. But all doesn't go so well when a beast... a beast with a billion backs... takes over the society and makes Fry the Pope! How will they get out of this mess? Or will we have to wait until one of the next two installments to find out?
The movie looks and sounds great on DVD, with Dolby Digital Surround Sound audio. Of course, you can't compare this to how it looks on TV, as this has yet to be shown on TV, but to put it simply, it looks great.
Of course, the DVD also contains a plethora of special features, which honestly are much better than the movie itself. For starters, there is a commentary track that includes commentary from all of the important people involved with the movie. The "Futurama: The Lost Adventure" featurette is actually a lost full-length episode of the original series—kind of. This was produced for a Futurama video game that never quite made it, but now we get that "episode" on this DVD... with commentary, of course! "Meet Yiyo!" gives you a look at Yiyo, the title character of the movie. "Blooperama: The Futurama Cast at Work" lets you get a behind the scenes look at the screw ups made along the way in the production of this movie. And of course, there are animatics and deleted scenes--what would a Fox animated series be without those on DVD? Finally, there is a short preview of the next movie in the Futurama movie series, Bender's Game.
Any true fan of Futurama is going to want to see this simply because it is another chapter in a series that they are a fan of, but even these true fans should prepare themselves to be disappointed. It seems that the idea of the series has changed quite a bit with these movies, and it has become less of a good animated sitcom and has gotten more into the realm of science fiction, which would be fine except it is still being written by comedy writers. I can't really think of any time where my real disappointment with a DVD has been about the content of what is on it as opposed to a bad DVD compilation. The compilation in this case is excellent, and fans will certainly appreciate that, and it is worth watching the movie anyway if you are a fan.
-- Reviewed by skees53
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Sitcoms Airing Tonight / Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows
Saturday, August 2
Mind Your Business - "Tick Tock" (Bounce TV, 8:00PM ET/PT)
Aaliyah discovers that she could be running out of time to become a mother when she's diagnosed with endometriosis; family tensions rise when they're convinced Lucille wrote a book filled with their family secrets and drama.
Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of July 28)
Friday, August 1
- Chris Distefano (Benders) - Chris guest hosts a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Julie Bowen (Modern Family/Ed) - Watch Julie on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
- Owen Wilson (Stick) - Owen takes "The Colbert Questionert" on a repeat of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert at 11:35pm on CBS.
- Mary Beth Barone (Overcompensating) - Mary appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
- Thomas Lennon (The Odd Couple/Sean Saves the World/Reno 911!) - Thomas is a guest on a repeat of After Midnight at 12:37am on CBS.
- Pamela Anderson (Stacked/Home Improvement) - Pamela talks about The Naked Gun on Live with Kelly and Mark, so check your local listings.
- Nicole Ari Parker (And Just Like That.../Second Time Around) - NBC's Today catches up with Nicole in the 10am hour.
- Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary/Fam/Instant Mom/Moesha/It's a Living) - Sheryl and her husband, Pennsylvania State Senator Vincent Hughes, sit down for an EXCLUSIVE conversation about their choice to live in separate cities, which set off the internet on a repeat of Tamron Hall, so check your local listings.
- Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) - Brooke is sharing the secrets behind her shiny and bouncy hair and why she decided to create he own haircare line in her 50s on a repeat of The Drew Barrymore Show, so check your local listings.
- Michael Jai White (Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse) - Michael is a guest on a repeat of Access Daily with Mario & Kit, so check your local listings.
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04/01 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Third Season
05/13 - The Drew Carey Show - The Complete Series* (missing 4 episodes and some music has been replaced or altered)
06/06 - Shoresy - Season 2
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07/22 - Bewitched - The Complete Series - 60th Anniversary Special Edition (Blu-ray)
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