For the sake of posterity, I’m going back to update several terminally-late DVD Tuesday updates. Hang on, because we’re going to plow through these pretty quickly…
I wasn’t originally going to include Shaolin Soccer on this list, since this is the DVD release of the edited American version. However, Miramax was gracious enough to include the original (and much longer) Hong Kong release on the same DVD. That alone makes this disc worth buying. And if you want to be totally technical, it even includes the two extended scenes that were previously part of the special edition. Since I think that one of those scenes is integral to the film, I am glad that they were included. The film is another example of that tired, well-worn genre, the comedy-romance-martial arts-sports movie. It is a slapstick comedy about a Shaolin martial-arts expert who learns to play soccer. Low comedy meets high-tech special effects. Think Victory meets The Matrix meets Big Trouble in Little China, and you will still be pretty far from describing Shaolin Soccer. I have never seen anything like it, and I’m willing to bet that neither have you.
Futurama…what can you say about it that hasn’t already been said? Cut short in the prime of life, I can’t imagine what the Fox executives were thinking. You have the creator of a show which single-handedly revitalized television, creating the longest-running comedy series of all time (The Simpsons, for those of you who have been in a coma under a rock in a cave for the past 17 years). Yet when he makes a new series, executives move it around, preempt it half the time, and cancel it before it really gets an audience. I simply don’t understand how the executives don’t give proven creators the benefits of the doubt. It’s as if the expectations are so high, no series can live up to them. Instead, we get numerous reality shows that are churned up like bile from Satan’s own belly, drowning out all other shows. Pathetic.
Sorry…where was I? Oh yes, Futurama: Great show. This DVD set is the fourth and final, rounding out the series up to its cancellation. Once again, the show’s creators have provided commentaries on every episode, as well an numerous extras. Definitely worth picking up. And due to excellent ratings for the reruns during Adult Swim on Cartoon Network, there is actually a chance that the show may resume production again, a la Family Guy (which became the all-time best-selling DVD release of a television series). I’m not holding my breath, but it’s nice to see a glimmer of hope every now and then.
Ah, who can forget the lonely Friday nights at home…when all other friends were gone, ABC’s T.G.I.F. lineup kept me company. And the crown jewel in the T.G.I.F. crown was Boy Meets World, the guiltiest of all guilty pleasures. A simple, family-friendly comedy about a bunch of grade-school kids, it struck that perfect blend of comedy, drama, and romance. It reached out to every boy who ever loved a girl named Topanga. And over time, the children grew to become high schoolers, then on to college, and then…well, why spoil it? Live the dream for yourself. Watch the series from the beginning, and revel in the untarnished joy that is Boy Meets World.
