The weekend’s here. You’ve just been paid, and it’s burning a hole in your pocket. What’s a pop culture geek to do? In hopes of steering you in the right direction to blow some of that hard-earned cash, it’s time for the Quick Stop Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…

To say that the finale of the 9th season of Seinfeld (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP) – and of the series itself – was a highly controversial note to end on is an understatement. In fact, I’d goes as far to say that the disappointment and ill feelings it generated would not be exceeded until the Sopranos ended in its own infamous way. Regardless of how you feel about the end, the season itself was a pretty high note, and the DVD set wraps things up with the established plethora of extras, including commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.

Let’s just all forget the disappointment that was Ocean’s 12… You know, the one that left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth. Luckily, Ocean’s Thirteen (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, DVD-$28.98 SRP) is a worthy sequel to the frothy heist fun of Ocean’s 11, reuniting all the major players – plus new additions Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin – as Danny Ocean’s band of merry misfits are pitted against Pacino’s double-crossing Vegas kingpin. Bonus features include a tour of the casino, a look at Vegas design sense, and deleted scenes.

The Disney Afternoon releases have been slow in coming, but we’ve finally got the penultimate volumes of two beloved series with the third volume of DuckTales and the second volume of Tale Spin (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$34.99 SRP each). Unfortunately, Disney continues to give us lackluster transfers and zero bonus features. Talk about mistreatment!

I don’t know why Paramount is still flogging the abominable colorized version of It’s a Wonderful Life (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP), but at least the new 2-disc edition has the sense to also include the remastered black & white original. Bonus features include a making-of, a tribute to Frank Capra, and the theatrical trailer.

Raymond Burr’s square-shouldered defense attorney returns in the second volume of Perry Mason: Season 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$38.99 SRP). The 4-disc set features the final batch of 15 episodes to wrap up the legal eagle’s sophomore outing.

Another chapter in the cinematic saga of Tolkien’s epic closes with the release of Return Of The King: The Complete Recordings (Reprise, $74.98 SRP). The 4-disc set features the entirety of Howard Shore’s score, which is sure to be a hit with humans and Hobbits alike.

Halloween has just passed, but I still think there’s enough of a residual groove to dig on Midnight Movies: From The Margin To The Mainstream (Starz, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP). As you might expect, the documentary focuses on the flicks that achieved cult status on the big screen, long after the blockbusters had vacated the screen for the day and the giddy lunatics ruled the night with films like Rocky Horror, Night Of The Living Dead, Pink Flamingos, Eraserhead, and more.

I’m not entirely sure why we have another (the fourth!) edition of The Princess Bride (MGM/UA, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) so soon after the “definitive” 2-disc edition, but I guess there’s always more money to be made. I don’t think the trio of new featurettes is worth the quadruple dipping, but if you’re tight on cash and can’t afford the 2-disc version, this might be a nice alternative, just for the recently improved picture quality they both share.

So there you have it… my humble suggestions for what to watch, listen to, play with, or waste money on this coming weekend. See ya next week…

-Ken Plume

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