Such A Consumer Whore, I Am

So, being the consumate consumer whore that I am, I've bought far too many DVDs and the like in the past few days. Here are my thoughts on what I've recently picked up:

Star Wars Trilogy [Widescreen]: due to some good pricematching and eagle-eyed attention to online deal sites, I was able to snag this set for $25, total including shipping. Now I wasn't raised in a Star Wars household - my dad was an avid Trekkie. We have all the Star Trek movies on VHS, but we never had a copy of any of the Star Wars movies growing up. So unlike my fellow nerds, I've probably only seen the entire series maybe 2-3 times, including the theatrical reissues in the late 1990s. I've never owned a Star Wars VHS set myself, so when the opportunity came around to get this set, I jumped all over it, just like I did with my much-loved Indiana Jones Trilogy. Watching the three movies in the past day or so really reminds me of a few things. First that the original movie [A New Hope] is good, but far from spectacular. Empire Strikes Back on the other hand is one hell of a movie, and it stands head and shoulders as better than the other two in the set. Return of the Jedi has a lot of cheesy moments, but the second half of the movie [once they start talking about the Death Star 2 and Endor] is where things pick up. Overall, it's a great set that I'm happy to have in my collection at long last. Now let's hope Episode III doesn't completely suck [Episode II hurts my head when I watch it] so that the series can go out on a good note. As far as trilogies go, I'd put Star Wars at 3rd behind Indiana Jones and The Godfather [which loses points for #3].

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I loved this movie when I saw it, so it was a foregone conclusion that I would buy it the very day it came out and watch it again. Sunshine was one of those movies where walking out of the theater you start asking "so when does the DVD come out?" It's a great, original film with a brilliant story and premise. The acting is superb, the presentation is amazing, and it's just an all-around wonderful film experience. If you haven't seen it yet, why?

Jim Henson's The Storyteller and Greek Myths: I am a sucker for all things Jim Henson, and I [vaguely] remember this show when it originally aired in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The Storyteller is just that, a series of tales [or Greek Myths in the case of the 2nd DVD] told by a narrator with characters from Jim Henson's Creature Workshop sprinkled in. A great set of tales, it's a real family treat. As I'm an admitted Classics freak, the Greek Myths DVD really pleased me. The tales are well presented, and in classical Jim Henson style, the mythological monsters and creatures come to life in stunning detail.

Rounders: Collector's Edition: There was something about this movie that I loved when I first saw it. I didn't even understand the rules of Texas Hold'Em like I do today, but I couldn't help but love this story. Matt Damon and Ed Norton are great as two card sharks, and coupled with great cinematography and a stellar soundtrack [the track that plays over the credits, "Baby I'm A Big Star Now" by the Counting Crows, is one of my favorite tracks of all time] this movie really should be seen by everyone. This recently released "Collector's Edition" is packed with special features, including the oddest commentary track I've ever heard. Professional poker players Johnny Chan, Chris Moneymaker, Phil Hellmuth, and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson provide running commentary on one track, where they talk about the hands the players had, how'd they'd react in those circumstances, and other things. A very unique experience, it's a fun one to listen to [I'm not usually huge on commentary tracks, unless we're talking Kevin Smith movies because his commentary in those is usually incredible].

The Last Unicorn: Now you're probably asking what in the hell this is doing here. I remember watching this movie when I was young [3-5, somewhere in there] and loving it. So I stumble upon it again sometime in college, download it, and the nostalgia really kicked in - problem was the DVD wasn't available in the United States. Well on my way out of Best Buy the other day [was fetching "Sunshine"] I saw this on the rack and picked it up without thinking. It's a cartoon, a children's movie, but the fantasy tale told in this story appeals to people of all ages [and I actually think I like it far more now than when I was a child - if anything, I can actually understand the story now]. The haunting images of the giant red, fiery Bull driving unicorns to their death under the crashing waves of the sea is something that I probably wouldn't show my young child, but the movie is still great.

Classic Cartoons: In the past month or so, I've probably picked up 10-15 DVDs of cheap, older cartoons. Things like Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, Betty Boop, Casper, and Superman. Walmart and Walgreens had these classic cartoon DVDs for $1-2 each, so I loaded up and bought all the titles. The real gems are without a doubt the older Superman episodes. Some cartoons in this set, those dated in the early 1940s, were World War 2 propaganda cartoons - and while some would be offended by the blatant cultural stereotypes [see the Superman episode "Japateurs" about some "Sneaky Japs" that hijack a secret new military plane on it's maiden voyage] I love watching these old propaganda cartoons because they give me another window into the history of American society - a side you don't see represented in history books. Regardless, $2 for a DVD full of old classic cartoons is a steal in my mind, so keep putting them out and I'll keep buying them.

Other than working just about every day and buying/watching the aforementioned DVDs, I'm still an avid video gamer. Here's what's been on the rotation as of late:

Burnout 3: Takedown: Still incredible, still impossible to put down. Race cars, crash cars. Simply incredible.

Star Wars: Battlefront: Command the Imperial or Rebel forces in pretty much every major battle that's ever occured in a Star Wars movie - from shooting down Ewoks on Endor from your Imperial Walker to the ever-present Battle of Hoth where you trip up the AT-ATs, this game's a lot of fun and the multiplayer potential is off the charts.

ESPN NHL Hockey 2K5: Since we're probably not going to get a hockey season this year [something which I have gone in detail about here] this is as close to hockey action as I'm going to get. Sega's ESPN line of Hockey games have been the best on the market for a few years now, and 2K5 follows suit. An amazing game with amazing presentation which includes commentary by Thorne and Clement, ESPN's hockey guys, this is $20 well spent. If you're the type that spends $20 on games, that is.

Tony Hawk's Underground: When I went on my massive Gamecube game-selling binge, I sold my GC copy of THUG and had to start over from scratch on my Xbox. That hasn't been a problem though, as breezing through the earlier levels, even on a harder difficulty, has been a cinch this time. This is a great game, and I applaud Neversoft for putting in a story mode in an action-sports game. It works incredibly well, and I can't wait for THUG2.

There are some upcoming DVDs and Movies that I really can't wait to get/see:

Aladdin: Though there's a Clay Aiken song added to the movie [why, Disney? WHY?!?] this movie is possibly my favorite Disney movie of all time. Robin Williams' performance was top notch as the Genie, and the songs and story were great.

Shaun of the Dead: if you haven't seen this yet, you really should. It's goddamned hilarious.

Dawn of the Dead: I need to get this DVD, as it was great in the cheap theaters.