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…)
For a long time, I’ve looked to the original DVD edition of Orson Welles’ legendary Citizen Kane (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$64.99 SRP) as a brilliant representation of just how night and day loving restoration can make a film look and sound. Well, the new Blu-Ray trumps even that. This film has never, ever looked and sounded better than it does here. And if getting the film weren’t enough, the 3-disc collector’s edition also contains the 1995 documentary The Battle Over Citizen Kane and the mostly-factual TV movie RKO 281, along with audio commentaries from Roger Ebert & Peter Bogdanovich, interviews, newsreels, featurettes, one-sheet/lobby card/correspondence reproductions, and a 48-page book. Truly a must-have set.
If you’d like to organize your life a bit more like Dolores Umbridge, you can leave yourselves reminders and declarations via the Harry Potter Proclamation Board ($49.99), which is a scale replica of the ones featured in Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix, but features a white board (and hidden dry erase markers and an eraser).
Oh, Community (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). You really are the best written and performed show on television right now, and your second season has cemented you a position in the golden annals of comedy. From your epic Halloween show to your emotional Christmas Show, from pens and conspiracies to babies and paintball, every single episode brings it. BRINGS IT. And your new DVD set’s commentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, and featurettes are just icing on the cake. Get this set. Get it now. AND CELEBRATE IT.
It’s by no means a perfect film, and doesn’t reach the level of the first Iron Man film, but Thor (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$54.99 SRP) is an enjoyable adaptation of Lee & Kirby’s take on Norse mythology and its god of thunder. My one real regret is that it didn’t stay in Asgard more and away from the borderline dull Earth. Oh, and Volstagg wasn’t nearly big enough. The 3D presentation of the limited edition set is pleasing, particularly during the aforementioned Asgard sequences, when the depth has epic territory to play with. Bonus materials include an audio commentary with director Kenneth Branagh, featurettes, and deleted scenes.
Speaking of Marvel films, another admirable effort makes its way to home video – X-Men: First Class (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). Considering I thought the previous 3 X-Men films were complete garbage, this retro rethink of the franchise is a welcome change, even if I wish it had just been a complete reboot that set the original core group – including Cyclops, Iceman, & Jean Grey – back in the swinging 60’s. Maybe they’ll do the right thing and retro-rethink the Fantastic Four, too. Bonus materials include featurettes and deleted/extended scenes.
It’s been quite a few year since Rhino released what many consider to be the series’ finest episode, but Shout Factory has decided to turn their release of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Manos The Hands Of Fate (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$24.97 SRP) into a truly special occasion. The 2-disc set contains the episode itself, and un-MSTied version of the film, a retrospective featurette (with Joel, Trace, Frank, & Mary Jo), MST Hour wraps, a documentary about the making of the film, a presentation of the shorts “Hired!” Part 1 & 2 back-to-back, and more. This one’s worth picking up even if you already own the original release. And speaking of re-releases, Shout is also making available single-disc releases of The Unearthly & Red Zone Cuba (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$14.99 each).
The arrival of another Dalek storyline from the classic Doctor Who archives is always most welcome, including the dastardly mutants’ first arrival in the Jon Pertwee years in Day Of The Daleks (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). In addition to the original version of the storyline, this 2-disc special edition also features the storyline with revamped special effects, sound, & Dalek voices, plus the usual complement of audio commentary and in-depth behind-the-scenes featurettes and rarities.
I’m certainly not a member of the cult of Scarface (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), seeing it instead as a nice of enough piece of violent 70’s crime filmmaking with a memorably over-the-top performance from Al Pacino. But for those slavishly devoted, this new high definition transfer is ace, as are the bonus features and the inclusion of the 1932 version of Scarface.
Even over 25 years later, the Coen Brothers’ debut Blood Simple (MGM, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP) is still a landmark piece of modern film noir, and it’s a pleasure to finall6y have it in high definition – even if the Brothers are nowhere to be found in the bonus commentary track.
The 3rd season of Fringe (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.97 SRP) cranks up the drama as the team escapes from the parallel universe sans Olivia, whose double upsets things here before the original’s return makes things decidedly more awkward. Oh, and there’s lots of secrets. Lots. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, promos, a gag reel, and more.
Those gents over at the MOD MGM Limited Edition Collection are still churning out the catalogue titles, with the newest batch featuring Orson Welles in Tomorrow Is Forever (MGM, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98), Vincent Price in the Jules Verne adaptation Master Of The World (MGM, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98), and the big screen reunion of Bill Cosby & Robert Culp in the awkwardly titled Hickey & Boggs (MGM, Rated PG, DVD-$19.98).
Continuing their stellar run of TV licensing, the fine folks at Shout Factory are releasing the first season of the groundbreaking 1970’s cop show Police Story (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.97 SRP). The 6-disc set contains all 22 episodes plus the pilot film, a movie of the week, and an interview with show creator Joseph Wambaugh.
While it’s nowhere near as polished as the most recent big-screen adventure, the 1992 Captain America (MGM, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) is at least more polished than the laughable late 70’s attempt at the character. Although, for the life of me, I still can’t figure out why the producers of this film made the Red Skull Italian.
I think it’s about time for me to be quite plain in saying, as we come to the 7th season of The Office (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.98 SRP) and the departure of Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott, that I really don’t like what the show has become. In fact, I haven’t liked its overblown, disingenuine cartoonishness for the last couple of seasons. Now, however, enough is enough. In the UK original, a fine line was walked between the humanity and the comedy, and you never lost sight of those people as real. In the US version, and realism has been sacrifices at the altar of pure farce for the sake of keeping the show going. Sad, really. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, webisodes, a blooper reel, and more.
You can certainly see a career ahead of him when you view the new high definition special edition of Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes (Image, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$17.97 SRP), about an all-American family who enter a nightmare when their car breaks down in the desolate southwest near a clan of cannibals. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, an alternate ending, TV spots, and more.
Try as I might, even three seasons in I still can’t get into Parks And Recreation (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), which still feels likes its trying too damn hard to be The Office (which, considering how interminably goofy that’s become, really shouldn’t be a goal). The 3-disc set contains extended episodes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, featurettes, and more.
I’m not much of a fan – no matter how many times I try – but I there are plenty who will eagerly devour The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Fourth Season (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$54.97 SRP), which sports all 24 episodes plus featurettes, a live taping, and a gag reel.
Not content to let other studios ramp up their catalogue high definition releases, the folks at MGM have dropped another pair of much-requested titles with Dustin Hoffman in Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs (MGM, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) and Michael Caine in Brian de Palma’s Dressed To Kill (MGM, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP). While Dogs only gets a trailer & TV spots, Dressed To Kill sports a making-of documentary, a featurette, and the theatrical trailer.
The mild, inoffensive comedy of it all is nothing compared to the fact that the 8th season of Two And A Half Men (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP) is the swan song for Charlie Sheen, during which his mind went bye-bye. See if you can spot the moment!
Amanda Tapping and her crackerjack team of scientists continue to track down, study, and protect a whole new lot of off creatures in the complete third season of Sanctuary (E1, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$64.98 SRP), containing audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
I’ve always been a fan of her witty, acerbic writing (and yes, her many film roles), so it’s a special treat that Carrie Fisher’s first live show is such a delight. Wishful Drinking (HBO, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) is a biographical one-woman show based on her most recent book, and the DVD also contains an interview with her mother, Debbie Reynolds, and deleted 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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