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…)
Shout Factory has settled into a pleasantly clockwork schedule of releasing new sets, but I still greet Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XVIII (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP) with delight, because it means more episodes have made it out. This go round, we get Lost Continent, Crash Of The Moons, The Beast Of Yucca Flats, and Jack Frost. Bonus materials include new intros from Kevin Murphy & Frank Conniff, a spotlight on Coleman Francis, and MST Hour wraparounds.
When I was a kid, I always wanted the 5 transformable lions that would join to form the mighty battle robot Voltron. Sadly, I never did wind up getting it back then. As an adult, however, I have gotten the 25th Anniversary Voltron ($69.99) in all its 1:197-scale glory. Yeah, it’s cool.
Relive the great legacy of Sesame Street back in the days before the show went down the tubes with the DVD release of 1989’s Sesame Street: 20 Years And Still Counting (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), back when Jim Henson and Richard Hunt were still with us and the show hadn’t become pap-filled Elmo Central. Maybe we can get them to release Don’t Eat The Pictures next…
If you’re keen for a massive tome that takes a backstage look at the genius behind the concepts, designs, and implementations of their theme parks, look no further than Walt Disney Imagineering: A Behind The Dreams Look At Making More Magic Real (Disney Editions, $60 SRP), which does exactly that, along with additional ephemera inserts.
Tide yourself over for the next season release with Spongebob Squarepants: Triton’s Revenge (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP), which collects another 7 episodes, plus “The Clash of Triton” shorts and a Fanboy & Chum Chum episode.
You’ve probably purchased them in the past, so what’s the incentive in buying the new editions of Saturday Night Live: The Best Of Will Ferrell & Saturday Night Live: The Best Of Tracy Morgan (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each)? Well, in addition to additional sketched, they’ve also added in more outtakes, dress sketches, and TV appearances.
It’s hard not to be enthralled by the images on display in World War I In Color (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP), as “The Great War” has long been one that exists in modern memory via black & white photos and footage, allowing some emotional distance between the viewer and history. Now, through the discovery and restoration of rare footage, the War suddenly pops in full color, making the events that much more immediate and visceral. Highly recommended.
If you’re curious what Reality Bites would look like at middle age, look no further than Greenberg (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), which finds Ben Stiller as the titular layabout whose rudderless life is presented with options when his brother asks him to housesit in LA. Amiable if not memorable, it’s a decent watch. Bonus materials include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Warners continues to mine their deep library of noir films with the 5th volume of the Film Noir Classic Collection (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), which contains another 8 flicks – Cornered, Desperate, The Phenix City Story, Dial 1119, Armored Car Robbery, Crime In The Streets, Deadline At Dawn and Backfire.
Post-MASH, Robert Altman decided to cash most of the goodwill audiences had in with the bizarre, daft Brewster McCloud (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP), which stars Bud Cort as… I don’t know what. A dreamer? A failed realist? A fantasist? Give it a spin and see if you can figure it out.
In the early days of Nick at Nite, one of the shows I watched night after night was My Three Sons, and I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s because of star Fred MacMurray, as single parent Steve Douglas (sadly, sans Flubber). Or maybe it was just the lovably crotchety presence of William Frawley. Either way, both the first and second volumes of season 2 are now available (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP each), each containing 18 episodes apiece, plus sponsor spots.
Paramount continues to undercut the public domain cheapie market with the welcome release of the complete second season of The Lucy Show (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which collects all 28 episodes of Lucille Ball’s guest star-studded follow up to I Love Lucy. Bonus materials include vintage openings & closings, interviews, rare clips, cast commercials, The Lucille Ball Comedy Hour special with guest Bob Hope, and more.
I was never a fan of Saving Grace (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$49.98 SRP), as its detective w/ a “real” guardian angel schtick just felt like Colombo meets Highway To Heaven, but I’m sure fans will pick up the 3rd (and final) season set. The 5-disc set contains all 19 episodes.
Since you can’t introduce your kids to the superheroes you loved as a kid via comic books anymore (dark, violent aberrations that they’ve become), pick up The Superhero Squad Volume 1: Quest For The Infinity Sword (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.93 SRP) for fun, kid-friendly versions of all of your Marvel Comics favorites that are a lot closer to what you remember than what’s in the books now.
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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