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…

I was a fan of the Alien Nation TV series back in the day, but never got a chance to see the TV movie resolution to the series’ cliffhanger ending. That resolution – and an additional 4 films – is contained in the Alien Nation: Ultimate Movie Collection (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The 3-disc set also contains audio commentaries on all 5 movies, making-of featurettes, gag reels, and more.

Make the wait for the next Spongebob season set a little easier to bear (and believe me, my nephew devours Spongebob like it’s air, so it’s not an easy wait) with the new Spongebob Squarepants: Pest Of The West (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP). The disc features 7 new-to-DVD episodes, plus a quartet of shorts and an animatic.

Other artists have gotten a catalogue review, but I’m glad that the latest addition is Van Morrison: Under Review 1964-1974 (Sexy Intellectual, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) – a 2-hour documentary analyzing Van’s classic solo period, featuring rare footage, performances, and interviews.

Courtesy of a pair of new documentaries, not only can you learn How The Earth Was Made, you can also get a sense of current environmental changes with A Global Warning? (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP each). How The Earth Was Made sports the bonus documentary Inside The Volcano, while both discs contain additional scenes.

It’s not Lawrence or Kwai, but David Lean’s A Passage To India (Sony, Rated PG, DVD-$24.96 SRP) still holds up as epic filmmaking. The newly remastered 2-disc special edition features an audio commentary, a profile of author E.M. Forster, and 6 retrospective featurettes on the production, culture, and Lean himself.

It’s hard to believe it’s taken this long for there to be a career-spanning box set celebrating the prodigious half-century output of Willie Nelson, but it’s not until the release of Willie Nelson: One Hell Of A Ride (Sony Legacy, $49.98 SRP) that we finally get it. The 4-disc set features 100 tracks, including all of the hits, as well as duets and rarities. Truly a must-have collection.

While you’re at it, you can also pick up a copy of The Very Best Of Outlaw Country (Sony Legacy, $16.98 SRP), featuring 20 tracks from the likes of Willie, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Charlie Daniels, and more.

Three seasons in and I still can find nothing to like about American Dad (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP). It’s 3 seasons in, though, so certainly somebody’s watching it – and this 3-disc set featuring all 18 episodes are for you. Bonus features include audio commentaries, deleted/extended scenes, uncensored versions of some episodes, and a table read from Comic-Con.

Finally, let’s close things out for the week with a reminder that the Premium Format Indiana Jones is now available for preorder from Sideshow Collectibles ($279.99 SRP), and as you can see below, it’s well worth snagging before it’s too late – just be sure to grab the Sideshow Exclusive edition, with the alternate “non-hat” head included.

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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