Holy Monkeys! “Weird Science” Seasons 1 & 2 to be Released on DVD!

It’s about time!

During my semi-daily browsing of DVD Verdict this morning, I came across some news (well, a quick flash of cover art) that brought a twinge of sunshine upon this down-on-his-luck shut-in. It seems A&E Home Video is finally releasing a boxed set of “Weird Science”, a show that was a favorite of mine as a preteen.

“Weird Science” was an adaptation of the 1985 John Hughes film, featuring the same characters and updated for the mid-90s crowd. It chronicled the misadventures of Gary and Wyatt (John Mallory Asher and Michael Manasseri) two high school nerds who used their computer-generated genie, Lisa (Vanessa Angel) to grant them wishes beyond their wildest dreams- though said wishes always had unfortunate side-effects, and wore off at the end of every show. 88 episodes were produced, and the series ran from 1994-1997. I’d call that a pretty successful run, in comparison with certain other vehicles.

DVD features will include audio commentary on three episodes, a trivia quiz, and cast biographies. The total runtime of is 598 minutes. The release date is January 1, 2008.

Although I’m excited about this release, I’m not ready to rush out and spend money on it right away. Reruns have aired on various channels in recent years, but I haven’t actually watched the show since age 12. There’s no telling how much I’ve grown up in comparison to what’s on these discs, so a quick rental might be in order first.

On the other hand, I’m about to spend money on “Captain N”. So maybe I should keep my mouth shut about maturity.

“South Park” ‘Imaginationland’ DVD to Hit Stores March 2008

The 11th season of “South Park” was a positive turnaround for the series. I’d been watching the show faithfully since I was in the 8th grade, but noted a steady decline in quality as the years passed. After the lackluster, politically fixated 10th season, I was ready to give up.

Fortunately, season 11 fared a lot better. Trey Parker and Matt Stone shifted their priorities from libertarian preaching (though not entirely) to focus on being funny again. This year saw not just memorable episodes, but wildly creative ones. Who can forget the amazingly screwed up “Lice Capades”, the conversion therapy critique “Cartman Sucks”, or “The List” , which was hilarious and awkward.

And then there was the “Imaginationland” trilogy of episodes, which belongs in a category all by itself. Here, M&T did a number of things. They crammed in over a hundred references to our favorite childhood heroes and villains without resorting to a ‘Family Guy’-type joke structure. They remained consistently funny throughout, put Butters at the helm (which is always a plus) and even brought back the Woodland Critters.

The response was overwhelmingly positive. According to this TV Shows on DVD press release (my source for this) “Imaginationland”was Comedy Central’s most watched telecast of the year, bringing in almost 10 million viewers. Among the 18-24 male demographic, the rating was higher than Game 1 of the World Series. The internet, as strong a reflection of pop culture as ever, was abuzz with praise.

Now, Paramount and Comedy Central are putting together a special DVD of the “Imaginationland” trilogy. The episodes will be uncensored, and the disc will feature bonus footage created exclusively for the release. The press release provides no other significant details, like information about commentary tracks or whether the episodes will be cut together to run like an hour long film.

The question on my mind, though, is if this is necessary. There’s no doubt that this release is an attempt to cash in on the hype surrounding”Imaginatonland”, but the Season 11 box set will likely be released around or about the same time. You’ll be able to get those same three episodes, uncensored (because the season sets are now being put together as such)– why not include the bonus footage as an extra?

Captain N: The Game Master Hits DVD

Oh, to be a guy who was around in the early 90s! How would we live without DVD, the blessed format that has forever preserved our memories of crap TV shows that would have never make it past the pilot in this day and age!? Shout Factory, the same company that put The Legend of Zelda and The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! in handy disc format, has now bestowed upon us Captain N: The Game Master. Now those of us in our early 20s can pretend we’re all six year olds again.

It’s an invaluable piece of game history, and with a retail price around $ 20 (at least on Amazon) it’s a steal. The only thing that would make me happier is if they released a ‘deluxe’ edition that came with a control pad belt and a talking Gameboy keychain.