BIG LOTS, BIGGER DEALS: My Big Lots Closeout DVD Purchases for 03.21.11

Another entry in my continuing series of spectacular DVD finds at national closeout chain Big Lots, where DVDs are not some paltry public domain affair. No, the Lots gets major movies from major studios, often times selling them for under $5. In today's economy, that's cheaper than a night at the movies--and you could probably even pick up a guitar-shaped canister of cheddar Elvis Presley popcorn while you're there. Why even go out? Here's my collective haul from the past few weeks--feel free to post yours in the comments!

The last time I posted a Big Lots update was a little before Christmas, so, as you could guess, my pile of priceless finds has become rather unwieldy, begging me to brag on this, my only forum. More than three-fourths of this entry's DVDs are from Paramount and New Line Cinema, who I guess they're liquidating their back-stock, probably after losing so much money on the belief that people are clamoring for copies of THE ICE PIRATES. Which brings me to...

* THE ICE PIRATES - A mid-80s HBO classic, this sci-fi comedy never really caught on with the general public who, at the time, refused to buy VEGA$ star Robert Urich as a swashbuckling intergalactic buccaneer. Their loss. But, just think: somewhere, in an alternate universe, this was a huge hit and SPENSER: FOR HIRE never existed. I want to live in that world.

* THE FILTH AND THE FURY - The best music documentary ever made, and I say that without any hyperbole. Even if you can't stand the Sex Pistols, Julien Temple's take on their story is McLaren-level mesmerizing.

* LIPSTICK - Another late-night HBO classic, Margaux Hemingway is a high-fashion model who gets raped. Quite a bit. It would be horrible and unnerving if the movie wasn't so, you know...exploitative and trashy.

* RESURRECTION BLVD.: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and PRICE OF GLORY - 90% of movies and television shows based around Latino families seem to focus on generations of failed boxers and their last great brown hope for redemption. Even though I am Latino myself, I can't identify with the boxing stuff because my family was more into getting good grades--which, now that I think about it, I probably would've been better off training in a ring of some sort. However, if these movies are to be believed, my little brother would've been shot by gang-members eventually. It's quite the double-edged sword that should probably only be experienced vicariously through media.

* LA BAMBA - 10% of movies and television shows based around Latino families seem to focus on dead Hispanic singers and songwriters who were their family's last great brown hope for redemption. Even though I am Latino myself, I can't identify with the singing stuff because my family was more into getting good grades--which, now that I think about it, I probably would've been better off training my vocal cords or learning an instrument of some sort. However, if these movies are to be believed, my little brother would've been shot by gang-members eventually. It's quite the double-edged sword that should probably only be experienced vicariously through media.

* THE ANDY MILONAKIS SHOW: SEASONS ONE and TWO - You know what, you can hate on me all you like, but I found this show funny when it was first on MTV, and dammit, I find it funny now on discarded close-out DVDs. To quote Tupac, "Only God can judge me."

* NORBIT - I had always derided and ridiculed Eddie Murphy's NORBIT. But, with a seemingly full pallet on display right in the aisle, something called out to me in that Big Lots bin, begging me to take a copy home. For $3, I thought, what could I truly lose? Long story short, I identified with NORBIT to the point of tears. TEARS.

* NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LOADED WEAPON 1 - The last great spoof, the last great National Lampoon's movie, the last great Emilio Estvez performance. Please come back, Gene Quintano, the parody-genre needs you more than ever.

* PERFECT / STAYING ALIVE - Two of the three movies that ruined John Travolta's career (c'mon Big Lots, get in TWO OF A KIND so I can make it a hat trick!). So, of course, I'm gonna buy them on sight. STAYING ALIVE is the Sylvester Stallone (!) directed sequel to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER and is embarrassingly fun. PERFECT, however, is not as fun, especially if you're not a fan of a scantly-clad Travolta doing aerobicized pelvic-thrusts in your general direction. Of which, sadly, I am not.

* THE WENDELL BAKER STORY - One of my favorite discoveries of the past few years, I remember reading about this Luke Wilson-directed comedy, but it disappeared, only to be unceremoniously dumped on DVD and, almost de-ceremoniously, dumped in the waiting, gaping Big Lots bins. It's an extremely charming deadpan, low-key 70s-esque movie, all with a welcome and warm Texas-twang. And, you know, Eve Mendes. So, yeah.

* JUICE - "You got the Juice now, grandma..." I really wish Big Lots would get some copies of DON'T BE A MENACE in. That movie's the bomb.

* MOST WANTED - Remember that period of cinematic history, in the early-to-mid 90s, when Keenan Ivory Wayans headlined just about every other action movie released? I was such an IN LIVING COLOR fan that I saw A LOW DOWN DIRTY SHAME, THE GLIMMER MAN and this, MOST WANTED, in the theaters. And you know what? I thought he made a pretty darn good action hero. But, most of America disagreed because they enjoy keeping a brother down. A--holes.

And, finally, it's not a DVD, but I did find Don DeLuise's EAT THIS TOO! cookbook, featuring numerous low-fat recipes and is endorsed by Angie Dickinson, Burt Reynolds and Dennis Franz. And if it's good enough for them, then by God, it's good enough for me.