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…)

Tick another one off the most-wanted list as Wolfgang Petersen’s classic Das Boot (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) gets an absolutely stunning high definition treatment sure to sweep away die hard fans of the film that finds a WWII German submarine crew sent on a top secret mission that virtually guarantees their doom. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a documentary, and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

As if having it as an actual screwdriver or a flashlight weren’t enough, you can now get a pretty snazzy looking Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver Pen ($19.99), which translates the 11th Doctor’s trusty tool into a pen that contains not only black ink, but green as well. C’mon, you know you want this pen. You glorious geek.

The kids can have their countless Elmo releases – for us big kids of the 70’s & 80’s, sets like Sesame Street: Spoofs! (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) are an incredibly enjoyable journey down memory lane. This 2-disc collection brings together hours and hours of all the best pop culture spoofs the show has done, from the game shows of Guy Smiley to “Hill Street Twos”. Brilliant.

Watch the second volume of Trailers From Hell! (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.93 SRP) and BEHOLD! 20 new cult film trailers featuring commentaries from the likes of Hoe Dante, Roger Corman, Guillermo del Toro, John Landis, and more! Not only that, you also get the original Little Shop Of Horrors, available for the first time in anamorphic widescreen.

For the past few years, LA’s Gallery 1988 has been presenting a fine art celebration of pop culture most iconic movies via a recurring show called Crazy 4 Cult. Well, if you’ve never been able to make it to the gallery for one of these shows, a clutch of the pieces have been collected together in the fine hardcover volume Crazy 4 Cult: Cult Movie Art (Titan Books, $34.95 SRP), featuring an introduction from Kevin Smith.

I can’t say that Victorious (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) captures the same kind of lightning its predecessor iCarly did, as it often feels like the Tori Vega and her friends at Hollywood Arts high school are forcing the humor in a style a little too much like the horrid Disney Channel fare. Still, there is plenty to like in the 10 episodes comprising this half-season set, with bonus materials including featurettes and music videos.

While waiting for the upcoming Blu-Ray collection of their classic toons, pass the time with Tom & Jerry: Fur Flying Adventures Volume 2 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which contains 14 cat & mouse chases.

Lionsgate has dropped another batch of TV titles from their license agreement with ABC Studios, including the seco0nd season of Eddie Murphy’s claymation The PJs (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), the 4th season of According To Jim (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), and the penultimate sixth season of Boy Meets World (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), which finds the gang in their freshmen year of college.

We’re well past Father’s Day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t spend some of your hard-earned bucks bringing home the Big Daddy of Norse mythology and father to Thor, Odin ($169.99). This 12″ version of the All-Father is from the fine folks of Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles, which means it perfectly captures the look of actor Anthony Hopkins from the recent feature film. Besides the spot-on likeness, the costuming in impeccably realized, from leathers to armor to horned helmet, and he also comes with his impressive staff. Now, where’s Loki?

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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