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…)
It hasn’t always been a fun ride being a Harry Nilsson fan. For many years, much of his catalogue remained unavailable on CD, save staple albums like Nilsson Schmilsson and Son Of Schmilsson. Then, starting in the UK and Japan, more of his remaining albums began to see the light of day, often accompanied by the stray, very tantalizing bonus track of an unreleased tune, alternate take, or demo. I recall many long years of desperately hunting these rarities and scraps amongst other likeminded fans on the interwebs, & the accompanying joy of each new discovery… And then wondering why more people weren’t familiar with this wonderful artist. Better late than never, the fine folks at Sony Legacy, with Andrew Sandoval and Rob Santos, have put together the definitive box set of Harry’s 10-year tenure at RCA – Nilsson: The RCA Albums Collection (Sony Legacy, $99.29 SRP). Containing 14 fully remastered albums – Pandemonium Shadow Show, Aerial Ballet, Harry, Nilsson Sings Newman, The Point!, Aerial Pandemonium Ballet, Nilsson Schmilsson, Son Of Schmilsson, A Little Touch Of Schmilsson In The Night, Pussy Cats, Duit On Mon Dei, Sandman, That’s The Way It Is, Knnillssonn – plus a trio of fully packed “Sessions” discs of unreleased tunes, demos, takes, and more, this is the set I dreamed would one day be a reality… And now it is. At its best, Harry Nilsson’s music is an open wound – A raw glimpse at life. It’s both the deep pain and glorious rapture of being alive. This set should be in your collection. Right now. And you’ll hear why I’m well and truly correct in my assessment of his genius.
And, if you’re keen to find out more about Harry, look no further than the newly released biography Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter (Oxford University Press, $27.95 SRP). Author Alyn Shipton utilizes candid interviews as well as Harry’s own notes for his unfinished autobiography to assemble a fascinating portrait of a supremely gifted yet regrettably human artist.
Another few months have gone by, which means fans are spoiled by yet another wonderful collection from the fine folks at Shout Factory with Mystery Science Theater Volume XXVII (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP), containing another clutch of episodes which fans thought might never see the light of DVD. This go round, we stretch back to the first season with The Slime People, then season 2’s Rocket Attack USA, season 4’s Village Of The Giants, and season 7’s The Deadly Mantis. Add on the regular clutch of wonderful featurettes, and you have another nifty treat for MiSTies.
Last month brought the high definition debut of the first two seasons of Adventure Time, and now another Cartoon Network insta-classic gets to make its snazzy high-def splash with the release of Regular Show: The Complete First & Second Season (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP). Bonus features include audio commentaries on all 40 episodes, the unaired pilot, animatics, pencil & CG tests, shorts, karaoke, interviews, commercials, and more.
Hot on the heels of the formal reveal of the upcoming theatrical sequel to How To Train Your Dragon comes the first pair of releases featuring the story links that set up that sequel – Dragons: Riders Of Berk: Part 1 & Dragons: Riders Of Berk: Part 2 (Dreamworks, Not Rated, DVD-$12.96 SRP each). While not as brilliant as the original film, they’re a fun romp with most of the voice cast intact.
It usually takes quite a well crafted movie to get me to watch a film about sports, and that’s certainly the case with 42 (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) – the recent biopic about the groundbreaking major league signing of Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers. The biggest surprise of all? Harrison Ford’s ace performance as Dodgers owner Branch Rickey. Bonus materials include a trio of historic and behind-the-scenes featurettes.
After witnessing the suicide of a woman who looks exactly like her, orphan Sarah decides to assume the dead woman’s identity and life – but finds a much deeper mystery in the first season of Orphan Black (BBC, Not Rated Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP). Bonus materials include a clutch of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
The Infamous Five have been trading powers as we open Misfits: Season 3 (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), but it remains to be seen if they’ve gotten anything worthwhile to fight an onslaught of baddies and zombies, with a little time travel thrown in for good measure. Bonus materials include webisodes and featurettes.
The pulpy guilty pleasure returns with the second season of Femme Fatales (E1, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP). Packed with guest stars like Robert Picardo and Vivica A. Fox, it’s like a film noir Love Boat. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
The BBC’s nature documentary division returns with another pair of must-see releases, this time in the aquatic predator realm – Hammerhead (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) and Great White Shark: A Living Legend (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), the latter of which is presented in stunningly beautiful high definition.
If you drain most of the campy fun (its one redeeming hallmark) and just keep the ridiculously over-the-top gore, then you get the recent remake of Evil Dead (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP). Oh, and no Bruce Campbell. Big, big loss. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a clutch of featurettes.
If you’re of a mood for a brainless action piece starring the increasingly leathery Sylvester Stallone as a New Orleans hitman bent on revenge, then queue up Bullet To The Head (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), because it certainly ticks all of those boxes. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette.
How about some kid-centric release? Nickelodeon has a pair with Nickelodeon: Let’s Learn Colors (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) and the Nickelodeon Double Pack of Dora The Explorer: Musical School Days/Blue’s Clues: Blue’s Big Musical Movie (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP).
While the last season was a bit shaky, the final season of Damages (Sony, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP) manages to reassert the legal thriller we all fell in love with as Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and her ex-protégé Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) reach showdown point. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and outtakes.
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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