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…)
The epic films of David Lean are an essential part of any cinematic library, and the first to make the transition to high definition is the sweeping Doctor Zhivago (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), and it looks and sounds absolutely incredible. Just to add icing to the cake, it’s packed with bonus materials, including an audio commentary, a new retrospective, a making-of documentary, vintage featurettes and interviews, the theatrical trailer, and a sampler CD of Maurice Jarre’s score.
Robots are cool. So is brushing your teeth. Go with me on this… When you combine a toothbrush and a tiny little motor, you get the uber-cool BristleBot Toothbrush Robot ($7.99), which you can race against each other (after personalizing it, of course). It’s small, it’s cheap, and it’s fn. Ace.
I’m always leery of a new take on Hamlet (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), but when it was revealed that the young Dane would be played by David Tennant and Claudius would be played by Patrick Stewart, well, I knew I’d have to give it a spin. And it is worth a viewing. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a making-of featurette.
It’s been a few months and the new series has been hitting our shores, so hat means it’s time for another clutch of classic [Doctor Who] DVD releases. This time, we get a pair of Jon Pertwee adventures – The Monster Of Peladon (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) and The Curse Of Peladon (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The 3rd release is a Tom Baker outing, The Masque Of Mandragora (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), and all 3 are packed with bonus materials including audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes, and much more.
Using the Poppinsonian maxim of a spoonful of sugar, Paramount has dipped into their catalogue for a trio of new-to-Blu-Ray releases, the first of which is the aforementioned sugar – Saving Private Ryan (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). [Ryan] looks & sounds better than any previous DVD release, and the 2-disc special edition contain an introduction from Spielberg, making-of featurettes, historical featurettes, and a documentary on WWII combat photographers. The medicine is a pair of less than stellar flicks – Harrison Ford in K-19: The Widowmaker and Kurt Russell in Escape From LA (Paramount, Rated PG-13/R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP each). [Escape] is featureless, but [K-19] carries over an audio commentary, a making-of, and a trio of featurettes.
Presented by Sir John Gielgud, Six Centuries Of Verse (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$69.99 SRP) is an epic exploration of English-language poetry through the centuries, featuring performances by the likes of Anthony Hopkins and Julian Glover.
While the new Blu-Ray edition of Tombstone (Hollywood Pictures, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) retains the making-of featurette, trailers, storyboards, and TV spots of the most recent DVD special edition, the high-def debut of Armageddon (Touchstone, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is barren compared to the bonus-heavy Criterion edition of yore, giving us only a music video and trailers. Such a shame.
The comedy isn’t terribly nuanced, but there is a sucker punch level of laughs to be had from Leigh Francis’s grotesque creations in The Complete Bo’ Selecta! (Channel 4, Not Rated, Region 2, DVD-£29.99 SRP). The box set contains all 3 series plus the holiday special, filled with the likes of Keith Lemon, Avid Merrion, The Bear, Craig David, and more. Also available is the tribute special Cha’mone Mo’ Fo’ Selecta: A Tribute To Michael Jackson (Channel 4, Not Rated, Region 2, DVD-£12.99 SRP).
Universal dips into the vaults for the latest in the Backlot Series, The Barbara Stanwyck Collection (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP). The 6 films included are [Internes Can’t Take Money], [The Great Man’s Lady], [The Bride Wore Boots], [The Lady Gambles], [All I Desire], and [There’s Always Tomorrow].
You remember [The Santa Clause]? Where Tim Allen assumes the mantle of Santa Claus and family-friendly, heart-warming hilarity ensued? Well, replace Allen with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and make the former wrestler the titular mythical creature of Tooth Fairy (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). Yeah. You heard me. The 3-disc set contains an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and a standard DVD copy of the film.
Their marriage may not have been the happiest, but there’s no doubt that both Carole King and James Taylor knew how to write a song, which is evident on their recent reunion concert disc Live At The Troubadour (Hear Music, $19.98 SRP). And, because you know you want it, there’s also a bonus DVD of the concert, for those who want to see all of the water under this ex-couple’s bridge.
The films are good, but Universal’s new Blu-Ray/DVD flipper discs are still an unwelcome abominations – which is a shame, since the trio of catalogue titles – Out Of Africa, Traffic, & The Jackal (Universal, Rated PG/R/R, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP each) – deserve better treatment than this. Each film ports over the bonus films featured in the previous standard DVD editions (but [Traffic] is lacking the extensive materials found on the old Criterion release).
Recently re-released as a Blu-Ray special edition, the Colin Firth version of Pride & Prejudice (A&E, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) makes its standard DVD debut in a 2-disc edition featuring the same bonus featurettes found on the high-def version.
David Lynch’s adaptation of Dune (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP) is one of those glorious, overblown, disastrous fantasy flicks that seemed to come fast and furious in the 1980’s. The new high-def transfer is certainly impressive, and while the film is tedious at best and certainly off-putting, the new edition should make fans happy, as it ports over the deleted scenes and featurettes from the standard DVD special edition.
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where technology has failed and mankind is living by a thread after a plague sweeps the land, Survivors (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP) was creator Terry Nation’s take on an oft-told tale, but a well told take nonetheless. This new box set contains the complete run, plus a documentary and photo galleries. It’s gotten a release because the modern day remake is hitting DVD with Survivors: The Complete Seasons One And Two (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), a slicker, if not better, update. Bonus materials include featurettes and profiles.
Featuring rare footage from his own personal collection, Andy Kaufman: World Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion (Microwerks, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is a documentary about the most controversial – and some say professionally destructive – period of the late comedian’s career. Regardless, it’s an interesting look into the mind of an original.
In the mood for a mildly entertaining romantic comedy with likeable actors that won’t cause upset and will quickly wash off after it’s all over? Well, then It’s Complicated (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$36.98 SRP) is for you. Starring Meryl Streep & Alec Baldwin as a divorced couple on good terms who begin to rekindle their romance – which is rather awkward for his young wife and Streep’s new beau (Steve Martin). Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a making-of featurette.
Remember that surprisingly chilling horror film a few years back about a team of female spelunkers who are hunted by subterranean creatures during an expedition gone wrong? You know, [The Descent]? Well, now it all gets a bit naffer with The Descent Part 2 (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP), which finds the survivor of the original film forced to go back into the caves, by the local sheriff, on a search mission for her missing companions. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a storyboard gallery.
I’m not a fan, but there are plenty of kids who adore the little red monster and will probably happy tap along with Sesame Street: The Best Of Elmo 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which contains almost an hour’s worth of the furry bastard. Now where the DVD release of Kermit’s best bits?
A surprising and welcome arrival on DVD is the second volume collecting On The Road with Charles Kuralt (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) – the Emmy-winning travelogue that featured Kuralt, a motor home, and destinations and personalities across the breadth of the United States. The 3-disc set features 18 episodes, plus updates.
While not as funny as some of their previous television incarnations, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in the second season of Tracey Ullman’s State Of The Union (Eagle Media, Not Rated, DVD-$19.93 SRP), which finds her playing 53 different characters rooted in American life. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, sing-alongs, and more.
Cross Doo Wop with [The Sunshine Boys] and you have The Dukes (E1, Rated PG-13, DVD-$24.98 SRP), a pretty fun little caper comedy about a down on their hells Doo Wop group who decides to stage a comeback – only this comeback involves stealing 35 pounds of gold. The cast – Robert Davi, Chazz Palminteri, & Peter Bogdanovich – are clearly having fun. Bonus features include an audio commentary, interviews, and deleted scenes.
It’s a bit disconcerting as you try and process the age difference in the 70’s-filmed [Honeymooners Specials], which brought the cast back together for one last spin as The Kramdens and The Nortons, but once you get into it, the old magic is there. The Second Honeymoon (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) finds Ralph and Alice renewing their vows on their 25th wedding anniversary, while Valentine Special (MPI, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) is pretty self-explanatory. Both discs also contain rare parody skits.
Translated from its smash Broadway run and bringing Andy Griffith and Don Knotts together on screen for the first time, No Time For Sergeants (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is one of those comedies that I’ve been waiting eagerly for, and this remastered edition is a welcome arrival.
With Memorial Day right around the corner, Warners has dipped into the archives for some manly men classics to release as part of their TCM: Greatest Classic Films Collection. The first, TCM Classics: Westerns (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$27.98 SRP), contains [The Stalking Moon], [Ride The High Country], [Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid], & [Chisum]. TCM Classics: War (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$27.98 SRP) sports [Battle Of The Bulge] , [The Dawn Patrol], [Gunga Din], & [Operation Pacific]. I just wish both releases weren’t on those damn flipper discs.
By the time we reach the Saturday Morning Cartoons: 1980s collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP), we’ve pretty much reached the border between nostalgia and embarrassment, as the offerings on hand in this 2-disc overview of the decade’s animated offerings includes the likes of Mister T, Chuck Norris, Ed Grimley, Thundarr, and The Biskitts. At least there’s a little featurette on the history of Thundarr.
Tony Stark becomes a teenage superhero in Nickelodeon’s Iron Man: Armored Adventures (Genius, Not Rated, DVD-$29.93 SRP), which I assume is a change meant to appeal to kids – although why one would think they couldn’t identify with a 30-something multibillionaire arms manufacturer, I’ll never know. The 4-disc box set contains all 26 episodes, plus storyboards and original sketches.
See a man do some incredibly foolish things to his body in the name of adventure in Man Vs. Wild: Season 4 (Discovery, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The man in question is crazy survivalist Bear Grylls, and the 3-disc set contains all 13 episodes, plus extended scenes and a preview episode.
It’s another quarter of episodes to entertain the kiddies with Go Diego Go!: The Great Panda Adventure (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) which – in addition to adventures with pandas, lemurs, koalas, and beavers – also features a pair of videos from the Fresh Bat Band.
It seems like there’s been a couple hundred editions released, but the new special edition of Dirty Dancing (Lionsgate, Rated PG-13, DVD-$29.98 SRP) sports a brand new, damn spiffy video transfer that makes the film look better than it ever has in any previous release. Bonus features include audio commentaries, featurettes, documentaries, a tribute to Patrick Swayze, outtakes, interviews, music videos, and much more. A Blu-Ray edition ($34.99 SRP) is also available, with identical bonus materials.
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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