Viral videos have popped up this week under the guise of scratchy infomercials for something horrendously called The American Budget Shopping Network. A few readers have emailed in to ask if these are previews for the upcoming season of Eastbound & Down, which is understandable since they are hosted by Andrew Daly, aka Principle “I’ve been goin’ a little bit of crazy” Cutler, and are faux-aired from North Carolina. Well, they aren’t for the show’s second season, but they are directed by series co-creator, Jody Hill, and tie into his native town of Concord. View all five videos and find out what they are for after the jump, or call 1-888-TAB-9373 to order a “Candy Lamp” from a distraught Daly.
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This past April saw the release of writer/director Jody Hill‘s first official Hollywood feature entitled Observe & Report. The film is an uncompromised portrait of a young mall-cop riding the peaks and valleys of bi-polar disorder like a vigilante daydream set to Queen‘s Flash Gordon theme. In the lead, Seth Rogen gave his most memorable and invested performance since a scathing-eyes debut on Freaks and Geeks.
On top of that, Observe‘s production design was deliberately unglamorous; its depictions of a troubled, goofy main character and firearms bordered, at times, on misanthropic endorsement. Hill’s script and direction managed to flesh out an endlessly talented supporting cast (Anna Faris, Aziz Ansari, Patton Oswalt, Ben Best, Danny McBride, Ray Liotta, Michael Peña, Collette Wolfe) in a decidedly untypical comedy. Many critics and viewers didn’t know what to make of it. Far too many critics said, “I liked it, but it’s not for everyone.” Movies as Joe Viewer trough? Moreover, gallons of digital ink were wasted on a bullshit, hit-fueled “rape controversy,” in yet another growing-pain display of male movie writers as over-sensitive guardians of today’s PC-gates.
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This Week in DVD is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy and Fry’s.
Please don’t take the commentary on the movies and TV shows too seriously, as they’re meant not to be reviews but rather previews that include the general thoughts and ramblings of a twice-committed DVD addict. The categories represent solely the author’s intentions towards the DVDs at hand, and are in no way meant to be a reflection on what he thinks other people should rent or buy. So if he ends up putting a movie you like in the “Skip it” section without having seen it, please keep in mind that the time you could spend leaving a spiteful but ultimately futile comment could instead be used for more pleasant things in life. Like buying DVDs.
EASTBOUND & DOWN (SEASON 1)
Eastbound & Down creator/writer Jody Hill‘s style of comedy definitely isn’t for everyone, but those capable of embracing his raw, cynical attitude may just find themselves rewarded with one of the funniest shows television has to offer. So far, everything Hill has done revolves around a specific formula: bad things happening to bad, dumb people. Between this and Observe & Report, I doubt there’s any mystery about Hill’s feelings toward a large majority of the American public; regardless of the crazy situations his characters get into, there’s always this sense of depressing truth to them, always making sure we know that people like this aren’t too far off from the type of people you might find in any small middle-to-lower class town. This aspect of the show helps elevate it beyond a simple dark comedy to somewhat of an unsettling character study, presenting one man’s desperate struggle to cling to this distorted reality that his fame helped create for him, only to find actual reality settling in and crashing down on him.
Blu-ray? No.
Notable Extras: An audio commentary with creator/writer Jody Hill, actor Danny McBride, director David Gordon Green, and writer/actor Ben Best, “Making Eastbound & Down”, “Kenny Powers: Greatest Hits”, “Schaeffer Motor Commercials”, “Stevie’s Dark Secret”, and deleted scenes.
| BEST PRICE |
| Target |
Best Buy |
Fry’s |
| $22.99 |
$24.99 |
$19.77 |
| Amazon – $19.99 |
EXCLUSIVE DEAL:
What? Free $5 GiftCard when you buy both Eastbound & Down (Season 1) and Entourage (Season 5) on DVD.
Where? Best Buy.
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