September DVD Preview

Better late then never, yeah? Giddyup:

9/4
30 Rock: Season 1 – Tracy Morgan, you are a comedic genius. C’mon – I dare you to resist Morgan running down a highway in his underwear yelling, “I am a Jedi!” Alec Baldwin, douchebag that he is, is brilliant here as well. Actually, he’s even funnier on the show than in real life on that voicemail where he’s calling his kid a “rude little pig.” And THAT’S hard to top.

Desperate Housewives: The Complete Third Season – PMS Power!! Catch it. Or don’t. Probably don’t.

Georgia Rule – Lindsay Lohan. Felicity Huffman. Jane Fonda. All in the same film. If you have any desire whatsoever to see this, I invite you to go locate your testicles. Go ahead. We’ll wait.

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: Seasons 1&2 – Probably the meanest, most twisted show currently on television. And also one of my personal favorites. Imagine Seinfeld if every episode had the evil spirit of the poison envelopes story, multiplied by one thousand. That should just about do it.

The Office: Season Three – You say: “The third season was really uneven and wasn’t nearly as good as the second.” I say: “You’re probably right, but even so this is still one of the funniest shows on TV, so stop your whining you bitch.”

Prison Break: Season Two – If you can turn off your brain – I mean really, really turn off your brain – and enjoy some pure escapist entertainment, then Prison Break is where it’s at. Sure there are plot-holes the size of Cleveland, but when people are getting killed off left and right, you kinda don’t care.

9/11
Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Third Season – You know, even if you’re not a fan of the show, it would be interesting to skip halfway through the season to watch any scene between T.R. Knight and Isaiah Washington. I’m pretty sure that you can hear them each plotting ways to kill the other. Fun stuff.

THE DIRTYWHIRL'S PICK FOR THE BEST OF SEPTEMBER
Supernatural: The Complete Second Season – Since Smallville is a steaming pile of Super-shit, Supernatural is left to carry the flag for network TV sci-fi, and it does it so much better than you would think. The show was boosted in its sophomore season as its storytelling delved farther into its demon hunting mythology and as its production values left it feeling like a horror film each and every week. In all honesty, it’s shaping up to be a worthy heir to the Buffy/Angel throne. No higher praise has ever been spoken.

Two And A Half Men: The Complete First Season – What?! How did this get on here? Oh, yeah… padding the list. And also a chance to take a shot at the most sitcommy sitcom on TV. This is to entertainment what Michael Vick is to dogs. Woof.

9/18
Brothers And Sisters: The Complete First Season – Laugh all you want but by the end of its first season, Brothers & Sisters had become an eminently enjoyable soap that was boosted from the guilty pleasure category by its stellar cast. Hiring Greg Berlanti, the creative force behind the late, lamented Everwood, as showrunner and executive producer was a stroke of genius.

The Condemned – OK, so Vinnie Jones and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin are among a group of convicts dumped on an island as part of a reality show where the survivor (after presumably killing everyone else) gets a get out of jail free card? How did this movie not make $800 million dollars?

Grindhouse Presents: Death Proof – Extended And Unrated – Granted, it was the weaker of the two films in Grindhouse. It also feels like a bit of an ass-raping that the two films are being split into separate releases when you just know that there’s going to be some balls-out special edition that combines the two (as they were meant to be seen, damn it) in six months. That being said, it’s still a Tarantino film so add it to your Netflix list and save your money until the inevitable better edition drops.

Severance – Taking downsizing to the next level, Severance is literally cutthroat as it follows a group of office workers who embark on the corporate retreat from hell. Wanna kill your boss but can’t? Check this out instead.

Smallville: The Complete Sixth Season – Really, it’s mind-blowing how you can take a concept like the origin of Superman and fuck it up as badly as the producers of Smallville have. And then, to make it even worse, take into consideration that they’ve been fucking it up for going on SEVEN SEASONS now. This show is Kryptonite to good acting. And writing. And special effects. And brain cells.

We Are Marshall – Arriving on DVD just in time for the college football season, We Are Marshall looks at how a community rebounded from one of sports’ all-time greatest tragedies. Hopefully the subject matter was treated with the delicacy that it deserved but since it stars Matthew “I Like To Play Bongos Naked” McConaughey and was directed by the not-so-subtle McG, I’m guessing probably not.

9/25
The Bronx Is Burning – ESPN’s dramatic foray into the NYC Summer of ’77 that saw citizens terrorized by the Son Of Sam and enthralled by the Yankees’ chase for the pennant. Word was that this was a very strong miniseries that’s well worth checking out on DVD.

Bug – Director William Friedkin returns to horror in this harrowing (and gory) adaptation of an off-Broadway play.

Next – Exactly, Nicolas Cage. Exactly.

The TV Set – For a true TV nerd, The TV Set’s comedic examination of just how a show gets on the air amid network interference and idiotic “talent” is a more than appealing way to spend an hour and a half.