TOP PICK
Do the Right Thing — 20th
Anniversary Edition
(Universal)
Spike Lee’s best, and still incendiary, movie celebrates its 20th
anniversary with a two-DVD set and a Blu-ray debut. Four hours of bonus
material include deleted scenes, commentary by Lee and a documentary
featuring film stars Danny Aiello, John Turturro and Samuel L. Jackson.
Plus, the new surround mix booms with Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,”
the film’s recurring musical motif.
CD
Isaac Hayes:
Hot Buttered Soul
(Stax)
Hayes’ breakthrough album marks its 40th anniversary with a pair of
bonus radio edits. There are also new liner notes by My Morning
Jacket’s Jim James. But it’s the original album that still resonates:
Four tracks — including hit covers of “By the Time I Get to
Phoenix” and “Walk on By” — that form a super-sticky song cycle.
Sadly, “Chocolate Salty Balls” isn’t one of them.
CD
Major Lazer:
Guns Don’t Kill People … Lazers Do
(Downtown)
Hipster-approved DJs Diplo and Switch are behind this cool project,
which pairs mostly anonymous dancehall artists with the duo’s bizarro
beats. They Auto-Tune a baby, bury vocals under tons of blips and
beeps, and throw a few animals into the aural mix. The sex rhymes are a
total waste; Diplo and Switch’s sounds are totally awesome.
TV
SpongeBob SquarePants
(Nickelodeon)
The world’s most annoying/lovable talking sponge celebrates 10 years
with an seaful of specials this week. At 8 p.m. Friday, a 50-hour
marathon launches with a new episode about SpongeBob’s cherished pants
shrinking in the dryer. It wraps up at 7 p.m. Sunday with 10 new eps.
And be sure to catch the hour-long documentary on VH1.
TECH
Star Wars Mimobot
(Mimoco)
We love this line of Star Wars flash drives, which has
featured everyone from C-3PO to Boba Fett. The latest batch includes
the clone Captain Rex and two Darth Vaders (one looks like Hayden
Christensen underneath the helmet, the other looks like the guy who
played Anakin in Return of the Jedi). Our favorite: Darth Maul,
a badass even when he’s in our pocket.
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2009.