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 FRED Weekend Shopping Guide – your spotlight on the things you didn’t even know you wanted…
(Please support FRED by using the links below to make any impulse purchases – it helps to keep us going…)
Cut down in its prime by a network that didn’t understand the greatness it was letting slip away (Hello, BBC!), The Peter Serafinowicz Show (Channel 4, Not Rated, Region 2 DVD-£19.99 SRP) was fully appreciated by its dedicated fans (I’m one of them) and has since become an internet viral phenomenon as its sketches have been globally disseminated. In fact, it was via Twitter that the ‘net put pressure on Channel 4 to accelerate a DVD release, which is what any comedy fan in their right mind can now pick up, which also sports commentaries, deleted scenes, a documentary, and the Christmas special. Get this DVD set. Get it now. GET IT.
I love musical instruments. I have absolutely no talent for learning or playing them, but I do love to own and tinker with them. The Bliptronic 5000 LED Synthesizer ($49.99) is one of those rare instruments that I can tinker with and feel that I’m accomplishing actual acts of creation – it really is as simple as digital pressing one and off of tones on the LED button keypad and adjusting the sequence and frequency. It’s just fun.
Time to wrap up the tenure of the 10th Doctor (played by David Tennant) with the release of the final two specials – Doctor Who: The Waters of Mars (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) & Doctor Who: The End Of Time (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Mars features the behind-the-scenes Doctor Who Confidential, while End Of Time is loaded with Confidentials, commentaries, deleted scenes, a video diary, Christmas Idents, and Who at Comic-Con. If you want to get the whole kit in one swoop, there’s Doctor Who: The Complete Specials (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which contains all four specials plus the bonus features of the individual releases. A Blu-Ray edition ($59.98 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
The releases have been heavily delayed and the wait has been difficult, but the 6th season of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) is finally on tap – which means we can all own a pristine copy of one of the finest sitcom episodes ever made. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you must rectify that glaring oversight post-haste by picking up this set and watching “Chuckles Bites The Dust”.
If you were unable or unwilling to pony up the cash for the deluxe edition of The Godfather Trilogy on Blu-Ray, now’s your chance to pick and choose either The Godfather or The Godfather Part II (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP each) – no Godfather Part III yet. Granted, you won’t be getting all of the bonus materials from the multi-disc set, but both films do have the Coppola commentary tracks. The restoration on these two films – particularly the first – is truly stunning, so if you’ve been waiting to pick them up, stop waiting and snag ’em.
Much like DC’s direct-to-video adaptations of their comic book story arcs, Marvel has leapt into that pool with an animated adaptation of Planet Hulk (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which finds Big Green exiled to outer space, crash landing on an alien planet, sold into slavery, forced to become a gladiator, and finally becoming a freedom fighter. Get all that? Bonus materials include audio commentaries, making-of featurettes, and previews of upcoming animated flicks. A Blu-Ray edition ($29.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
Returning with her second HBO special and her A game direct from the nation’s capital, Wanda Sykes: I’ma Be Me (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is full of everything we’ve come to expect from Sykes – smart, sharp commentary on everything from coming out and mother hood to pirates and having a black president.
A staple of my late-80’s Nick At Nite viewing, I’m delighted that the goofily fun Mister Ed (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.97 SRP) has made it to a complete 2nd season release – as I feared it might stall with only the first season under its belt (as many classic sitcom DVD releases have). The 4-disc set contains all 26 episodes, including Studebaker car commercials and an audio interview with Alan Young & the late Connie Hines.
I think we’ve just about completed Terry Gilliam’s catalogue transition to high definition with the release of Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP), leaving on Fisher King and Jabberwocky to go. Sadly, this is not the jam-packed Criterion edition – just the standard Universal take, with deleted scenes and a vintage featurette. So hold onto that special edition.
Granted, the contestants are long gone, but if I’m roaming the cable channels and happen across the Game Show Network, I’m often sucked into watching games shows that were recorded up to a half-century ago. If you’re like me, then you’ll probably want to pick up The Best Of The Price Is Right (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), The Best Of Password (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), The Best Of All-Star Family Feud (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), The Best Of Match Game (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), and Game Show Moments Gone Bananas (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP). Who will win? The same people that already won decades ago!
The transition to the big screen isn’t wholly successful, but there’s still much to love in the high-definition debut of Meredith Wilson’s The Music Man (Warner Bros., Rated G, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP), starring Robert Preston in the title role as the con man who finds that love may upset his careful plans to swindle the small town of River City. Bonus materials include an introduction by Shirley Jones, a making-of featurette, and the theatrical trailer.
It’s a big, messy, ensemble love letter to the city that never sleeps, and like any patchwork film made up of numerous director’s vignettes, there’s some good and some bad to be found in New York, I Love You (Vivendi, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$27.99 SRP). It’s a star-studded affair, and as a novelty piece, it’s certainly worth a spin. Just know that it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Bonus materials include director interviews, additional segments, and the theatrical trailer.
Warners continues its budget-conscious TCM Greatest Classic Films Collections with a trio of new additions to the roster – The Marx Brothers, Sci-Fi Adventures, & Romance (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$27.92 SRP each). The Marx collection brings together A Day At The Races, A Night In Casablanca, Room Service, & At The Circus. The Sci-Fi set contains Them!, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, World Without End, & Satellite In The Sky. Finally, the Romance set’s got Splendor In The Grass, Love In The Afternoon, Mogambo, & Now, Voyager.
Of his recent flicks, Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$28.99 SRP) leaves me cold, despite its emotionally charged subject matter. Still, it’s worth nothing its arrival in high-def, with an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, Charlie Rose interviews with Eastwood and the cast, and theatrical trailers.
I don’t really get the appeal of the Air Bud series, but there’s certainly enough of a demand that Disney is releasing a special edition of Air Bud: Golden Receiver (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP). The new edition adds an play-by-play track from the puppy Buddies. You know, for the kids.
Yeah, the writing is on the wall in the penultimate 9th season of Beverly Hills 90210 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP) that perhaps the teens of Beverly High were getting a bit long in the tooth. It’s always awkward when the hairlines start receding. The 6-disc set contains all 26 episodes.
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
##
Comments: None
Leave a Reply |