Bill and Ted’s Most Triumphant Trilogy Is the Pick of the Week

I purchased my first computer when I was just out of college. I’d previously used broken-down machines, and leftovers from my father or uncle. But when I scored a good job, making way more money than I’d ever made before, I went out and bought myself a brand spanking new Gateway PC. I don’t remember the specs. They were impressive at the time but I’m sure they’d be laughable now. I do remember it had a 14-gig hard drive which was unthinkable to me back then and is unthinkable to me now, but for different reasons.

Anyway, I did some customization to it, including adding a bunch of audio clips that played when I did certain functions. The one I remember is that when I shut the computer down for the night Alex Winter would say to me, “This has been a most unusual day.” That line is, of course, from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. It was a favorite of mine back then, and there are still lines I quote from it to this day.

I own the excellent Shout Factory Blu-ray release of the film (and wrote a review of it) but I am still enticed by this new boxed set of all three Bill & Ted films. I actually haven’t seen Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey since it came out. I hated it as a teenager, but I suspect I’ll enjoy it now. The inevitable modern sequel was a pleasant surprise coming out in the middle of the pandemic.

Maybe it is weird to be excited about a trilogy in which I admittedly dislike one of the films, felt that the third one was pleasant but not amazing, and already own the only one I really enjoy. But I’m a sucker for a good boxed set and now that I’ve joined the 4K UHD crowd, I’m all in for upgrades. Also, it is a rather slow week.

Also out this week that looks interesting

Collateral 4K UHD Steelbook: Michael Mann’s excellent thriller finds Jamie Foxx playing a cab driver who picks up contract killer Tom Cruise and is forced to drive him around from job to job.

Dragonheart 4K UHD: Dennis Quaid and Sean Connery star in this fantasy about an evil king who has the power of a dragon’s heart and the men who try to stop him.

Hackers 4K UHD: One of a handful of films that came out in the mid-’90s that tried to cash in on the burgeoning Internet craze. I’ve never seen it. I’ve always heard bad things about it. But I know it has its fans.