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…)
While I don’t think it was one of their better seasons, there was still much to enjoy in South Park: The Complete Fourteenth Season (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$57.99 SRP), and even more so as both Trey & Matt return for their patented mini-commentaries on all of the episodes, deleted scenes, and a bonus episode.
If you’re in to DIY and want to extend it to your electronic devices, you might have been stumped by the often proprietary screws they have. Well, be stifled no more with the Access Pro Tool Kit ($19.99), which contains tips and tools that will give you access to everything from games consoles to cell phones and more.
DA Pennebaker’s seminal documentary Bob Dylan: Don’t Look Back (Docurama, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) has made the transition to high definition, looking and sounding better than ever, carrying over the audio commentary and bonus features from the original DVD release, in addition to a bonus disc with a behind-the-scenes documentary on Dylan and an interview with Pennebaker.
Long before John Travolta became an alien joke, he starred as a sound effects man who believes he’s accidentally recorded a political assassination in Brian De Palma’s gripping if in consistent thriller Blow Out (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), which has been given a beautiful high definition treatment by the fine folks at Criterion. This special edition pulls in brand-new interviews, De Palma’s 1967 feature Murder a la Mod, on-set photos, and the theatrical trailer.
In a change of pace from their recent nature documentaries, the BBC turns their high definition cameras on people for the series Human Planet (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP), which looks at how we interact with the natural world that surrounds us. The Blu-Ray contains the original UK version of the 8-part series, which features narration from John Hurt and three hours of scenes not screened in the US, plus a clutch of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
If you’re at all interested in the nuts and bolts that built the Hollywood Dream Factory, look no further than TCM’s excellent documentary series Moguls & Movie Stars: A History Of Hollywood (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$27.99 SRP). The 3-disc set features 7 episodes, tracing the business’s origins in peepshows all the way to end of the studio system in the late 60’s. The set also includes bonus interviews and featurettes.
It’s hard to believe Sid & Marty Krofft’s iconic H.R. Pufnstuf (Vivendi, Not Rated, DVD-$34.97 SRP) only ran for a total of 17 episodes. Like most enduring franchises, one remembers the number being far more robust, which just goes to prove how memorable the show was to be able to make so much of an impact with so little. This new collection improves the picture quality of the long out-of-print set from a few years back, and also includes a never-before-released episode of Horror Hotel from the Krofft Superstar Hour (not to mention the Pufnstuf Bobblehead that comes packaged with the special edition set).
If you haven’t been buying them individually, catch up on one of the most beautifully executed astronomical documentary series ever aired with The Universe: The Complete Series Megaset (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$179.95 SRP), which brings together all 5 seasons plus the 7 Wonders Of The Solar System disc. Nice.
Years after the release of its debut season, the Seaver family gets their sophomore run out of the gate with Growing Pains: The Complete Second Season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). The 3-disc set features all 22 episodes, plus Kirk Cameron’s 80’s-fro.
If you have a youngster in your family, Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures line of book adaptations are lovely gifts to give. The latest is a collection celebrating Asian Heritage, featuring the story Tikki Tikki Tembo (Scholastic, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95 SRP), plus 6 additional stories.
Before Earth’s mightiest heroes hit the big screen, Marvel has primed audiences with an animated series – and you can now get the first 13 episodes of the inaugural season via The Avengers: Volume 1 – Heroes Assemble! & Volume 2 – Captain America Reborn! (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP each). Both discs also feature a sneak peek at the upcoming second season.
I wish I had half the energy that Stan Lee has. The man’s got more projects going than Spielberg. One of them is a reality show for The History Channel, Stan Lee’s Superheroes (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), which finds the octogenarian wonder fronting a series that looks at real-life superheroic feats done by extraordinary people. Excelsior!
They were originally released a few years back, but with leaner times and decreasing shelf-space, A&E has re-released Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman – Season 1, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman – Season 2, Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman – Season 3 & Highway To Heaven: Season 1 (A&E Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP each) in smaller, more streamlined packaging. Everything else about the sets content remains exactly the same, just in a drastically smaller box.
Earth day may have just passed, but you can still explore the origins of the Earth and the potential consequences of our actions upon it in Our Planet: The Past, Present and Future of Earth (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), a documentary that does what it says on the tin.
While it attempts to capture the charm and update a classic, the BBC’s new take on Upstairs, Downstairs (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) never seems to gel into something that’s actually watchable. Which is a shame, since there’s so much potential to the parallel tales of the rich and their servants. The 2-disc set also contains a behind-the-scenes featurette.
If you’ve ever wondered what special information the President of the United States might be privy to, you might get a kick out of the documentary The President’s Book Of Secrets (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP), which looks at what exactly the POTUS knows and the trivia surrounding it.
Take one last look at the brutal members of some of the country’s toughest gangs in Gangland: The Final Season (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP). The 3-disc set also contains additional footage.
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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