DVD SNAPSHOT

What I'm Watching: Editor's Choice (DVD)

Confessions Of A Shopaholic/The Secret Life Of The American Teenager/Peanuts/Rob Thomas

Cute.

That’s the best word I can think of to describe Confessions of a Shopaholic: it’s cute. I don’t mean that in a bad way, it’s just a lighthearted, fun, frothy, cute film. It’s utterly predictable in every possible way, but the combination of some funny characters, a charming cast, and Isla Fisher’s impressive comedic talents make the film a breezy watch that’s rather enjoyable. It really is the kind of movie that’s been done a hundred times before, but if you saw the trailer for the film and thought it looked mildly enjoyable, you’re not wrong; it’s worth at least a rental.

Extra features include:

• Bloopers
• Deleted Scenes
• "Stuck With Each Other" Music Video By Shontelle Featuring Akon
• Digital Copy Of Confessions Of A Shopaholic For Portable Media Players (2-Disc Edition only)

Utterly predictable but completely charming, Confessions of a Shopaholic is the perfect date night movie.

Movie: B+
Extra Features: C+

The Secret Life of the American Teenager is one of those shows I didn’t really have much interest in watching until I had to review the first season on DVD. Then I realized what a completely and utterly addictive teen soap opera it is, much more creatively successful than overly-hyped but under-developed fare like the CW’s 90210 reboot. I still can’t figure out how it airs on ABC Family since 90% of the show is about sex, but it’s really quite good.

Season two of the show sees Amy and Ben “secretly” “get married” to kick the season off. And, yes, I used both those sets of quotes on purpose, because their “secret wedding” isn’t really a secret, nor do they really get married. Sort of. You kind of have to watch it to understand, and I don’t want to spoil the fun. Amy’s pregnancy continues, and life gets more and more complicated for Ricky, Adrian, Jack and Grace. Throughout all the drama, though, the show mixes in a good amount of humor, and excellent supporting characters such as the parents played by John Schneider, Molly Ringwald, and Josie Bissett really round things out. The show has a great cast that has great chemistry with each other, and that’s part of what makes it so great to watch.

Extra features include:

• Music Video Performed By The Strange Familiar
• Character Secrets: The Cast Reveals All – This is actually a really fun feature.
• Cast Close-Ups-Visit The Set As The Cast Dishes In A Series Of Personal Videos

Movie: A-
Extra Features: C

The Peanuts: 1960’s Collection is a very nice release from Warner Brothers. They’ve put a number of the holiday-themed Peanuts episodes on DVD already (multiple times in some cases), but this is more of the beginnings of a definitive collection. This set includes six Peanuts specials that aired in the ‘60s, and that’s all the specials that aired in that decade. You can see, then, how future “Decade” volumes would allow very easily for a nice, comprehensive set of Peanuts specials to be put together. The six specials included are: A Charlie Brown Christmas; Charlie Brown's All-Stars; It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown; You're in Love, Charlie Brown; He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown; and It Was a Short Summer, Charlie Brown. The last two are new to DVD and can only be found in this collection. In addition to all that, you get a featurette on Vince Guaraldi, the composer of the Charlie Brown Theme and the music for the Peanuts specials.

I grew up with Peanuts in both the funny pages and on my TV, so this set is a great blast from the past that holds up well with some really terrific cartoons.

RECOMMENDED!

Movie: A-
Extra Features: D+

So… Matchbox 20 doesn’t get a lot of love from the critics. And technically I’m a critic, right? Which means, I suppose, that if I want to keep my street cred up, I should pan this release. But I can’t. I’m a huge Matchbox 20 fan and I think Rob Thomas is an incredibly gifted vocalist, songwriter, and all-around musician. Rob Thomas: Something To Be Tour – Live at Red Rocks is a terrific concert DVD from the tour for his last solo album; released, of course, right as he has a new album coming out. This disc includes 18 songs from his Red Rocks concert (what a great venue!) and that includes, along with almost every song from his solo debut album, a good handful of Matchbox 20 hits, such as “3 AM,” “Bent,” and “If You’re Gone,” as well as an acoustic rendition of “Smooth,” his hit with Carlos Santana.

My only complaint about the disc is that the bonus features are lacking. I realize that most music DVDs don’t have a ton of extra features, but in this case it’s a little frustrating in that they include the “Streetcorner Symphony” music video, but not the other three music videos that Thomas released. That’s just kind of annoying. On the plus side, the packaging for the disc is gorgeous; a really sharp design that looks better in person than in pictures. If you like Rob Thomas or Matchbox 20, this one is definitely worth picking up.

RECOMMENDED!

Movie: A-
Extra Features: D

- Mike Spring
Editor