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…)
Considering the legal tangle that has stymied its home video release for decades, miraculous is a perfectly suitable word to describe the arrival of the 1966 Batman (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$269.97 SRP) TV show to your home theater. And, as if one miracle weren’t enough, they’ve also gone and remastered and restored the original film elements in stunning high definition, making the show’s beautifully colorful 60s palette positively pop in crystal clarity literally never bore seen by audiences. And because you’re already excited, the only way you should buy it, true fans that you are, is via the deluxe collector’s edition box set, which packages all 3 seasons with copious bonus features, an Adam West scrapbook, an episode guide, a set of reproduction trading cards, and your very own 1:64 scale diecast Hot Wheels Batmobile. Holy nostalgia, Batman!
If you’ve been holding off on a grand refresher binge of The Sopranos, your perfect moment – and rationale – has arrived in the form of the honkingly massive 28-disc The Sopranos: The Complete Series (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$279.98 SRP), which marks the high definition debut of the now-classic drama that redefined both HBO and television. Not only does the series look and sound amazing, but there are plenty of brand new bonus features that make an already easy sell that much easier, including a retrospective documentary on the show’s creation and impact, a pair of cast & crew dinner roundtables, 25 commentaries, lost scenes, a 2-part interview with creator David Chase, and more. Don’t stop believin’.
After Paramount cruelly teased fans a few years back with both a best-of collection and a first season set, it took the miracle workers to deliver unto us the beautifully mastered complete four season set of the legendary Sgt. Bilko (aka The Phil Silvers Show) (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$129.99 SRP). If you’ve never seen the show and consider yourself a fan of comedy, you must rectify the oversight immediately. Not only is the writing sterling, but Phil Silvers is a brilliant comic performer, elevating the material and making his role as a con-happy army sergeant iconic. The 20-disc set contains all 142 episodes, plus audio commentaries, interviews with Phil Silvers, the original network opening, original cast commercials, the lost audition show, an episode of The New Phil Silvers Show, Silver’s guest-starring episode of The Lucy Show, and more.
There have been best-of clip package DVDs released in the past – all of which are well worth adding to your collection – but what makes The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: The Vault Series (Carson Entertainment Group, Not Rated, DVD-$114.99 SRP) so delightfully unique is that the 12-disc box set contains complete, unedited episodes, including the vintage commercials! The 24 episodes within are like little time capsules that are fun, funny, and fascinating. In addition to the 24 episodes, there are also over 4 hours of bonus clips. Here’s hoping there are many more sets to come.
I didn’t dislike the first Hobbit film, but it did suffer from a bloated sense of not much happening, as well as a decided lack of a dragon. And because of the decision to turn two films into three, its extended edition was not extended by very much, as most of the material that would have been put back in was instead shunted over to help fill out its first sequel. That being said, the extended edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$54.98 SRP) certainly ups both the something happening and the dragon quotient, as our band of dwarves (and a thief) finally make their way to the Lonely Mountain and have their confrontation with the titular dragon, adding in some pretty significant scenes involving Gandalf at Dol Guldur and much more. The real draw to these extended editions for me, though, are the incredibly in-depth and riveting production Appendices, the excellence of which continues through the 10 hours contained in this new set. I could watch these all day. And I did.
Nothing says Turkey Day like Mystery Science Theater 3000, so Shout Factory has crafted the perfect way to fill your holiday viewing in proper fashion with Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXI – The Turkey Day Collection (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$64.99 SRP). Not only do fans get four more films to fill in the holes in their collection – Jungle Goddess, The Painted Hills, The Screaming Skull, & Squirm – but the set is packed with new Turkey Day intros from Joel Hodgson, Turkey Day featurettes, additional featurettes, mini-posters, and even comes packaged in a nifty collectible tin. Hi-keeba!
There are a few shows long since passed that I could still see running today and being every bit as enjoyable, and one of that select few is most certainly Reno 911 (Comedy Central, Not Rated, DVD-$45.98 SRP). If you don’t believe me, or you just want a refresher course, check out the brand new set collecting all 6 seasons of the whip-smart and absurd Cops parody from a handful of alum of The State. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted/alternate scenes, featurettes, and more.
Age and familiarity have in no way lessened the weird wonderfulness of Weird Al Yankovic’s UHF (Shout Factory, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$22.97 SRP) as it makes its high definition debut replete with an audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, easter eggs, promo materials, and a 2014 retrospective panel from Comic-Con.
Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP) is a certifiable holiday classic, so it’s perfectly acceptable that it’s being celebrated with a brand new diamond anniversary edition. Looking and sounding great, it adds a bag of new bonus materials, including an audio commentary with Rosemary Clooney, classic holiday TV appearances by Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, a special UNICEF documentary from 1954 featuring Kaye, photo galleries, and a sing-along feature.
I really do despise the “Anakin Effect”. I am a firm believer that there not all evil needs a backstory, and a tender, forgiving one, at that, and that is sadly what Maleficent (Walt Disney, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP) does for one of the most iconic villains in either animated or live action film history. By making the antagonist of Sleeping Beauty into the central character, this prequel has decided to defang the character and instead make Briar Rose’s father into the villain of the piece, as the person whose actions transformed Angelina Jolie into a fallen faerie bent on revenge. Unfortunate, really. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a handful of featurettes.
The single-disc releases of Adventure Time have made it up to season 3 with Adventure Time: Finn The Human (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), featuring 16 episodes (from “The New Frontier” to ” Sad Face” and comes packaged with a limited edition Finn backpack to add to your Finn and Jake hats from previous releases.
If you were expecting a truly batshit crazy final season from True Blood (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) – you know, in keeping with the tone of the series thus far – then the final fate of the denizens of Bon Temps certainly delivers. Because it is just as batshit crazy as it’s ever been. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and a behind-the-scenes special. And because this is the end, and it’s also the holidays, also available is the full caboodle True Blood: The Complete Series (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$299.99 SRP) continuing all 7 seasons and bonus features from the original single-season sets.
Even when the film is an I-wish-it-was-better road trip comedy, there’s something eminently and irresistibly watchable about Melissa McCarthy. Such is the case with Tammy (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which pairs McCarthy’s down-on-her-luck Tammy with her desperate for freedom grandmother (Susan Sarandon) in a multigenerational Thelma & Louise. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Let Seth Green and Co. into your hearts for the holidays with the Robot Chicken Christmas Specials collection (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$14.97 SRP), which brings together on a single disc all of the show’s Yuletide episodes, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes/animatics, and promos.
If you’re jonesing for some Star Wars and were a fan of the abruptly terminated animated series Clone Wars, see where it all was going with Clone Wars: The Lost Missions (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$45.99 SRP), containing the final 13 episodes, plus four story reels for now never-to-be-produced future episodes and a brand new documentary. However, if you’re in the mood for a more lighthearted journey to a galaxy far, far away, see the classic tale told with a spin via Phineas & Ferb: Star Wars (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), in which the toon cast take on story.
If you’re in the mood to be uplifted, Legends Of The Knight (Virgil Films, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is a documentary built on tales of people who have overcome adversity and given back to their communities, inspired by the character Batman. Bonus materials include a featurette, deleted scenes, and a trailer.
The music is iconic, the story is interesting, and the actors are game, but there just doesn’t seem to be any real spark to Clint Eastwood’s big screen adaptation of the musical Jersey Boys (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which tells the tale of the rise , break-up, and rapprochement of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons, from their rough and tumble Garden State roots to the heights of stardom. Bonus materials include a trio of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Add years of advancement in effects technology and the deadening of audience expectations for drama after numerous SyFy spectacles and you get this generation’s Twister, Into The Storm (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP). The story, if it really matters, focuses on a group of storm chasers on a day where a small Midwestern town is targeted by an onslaught of deadly tornadoes. Because why not? Hey, it looks cool. Bonus materials include a clutch of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
As a story, the wholly unnecessary sequel Planes: Fire & Rescue (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is just as slight and merchandise-driven as its predecessor. However, it’s very clear that the filmmakers were well aware of the script’s plot and character shortcomings and decided to have some fun with a couple of actually quite showstopping action set pieces that are really the only reason to take the time to give the disc a spin. Bonus materials included a bonus short, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
I feel bad for Dwayne Johnson. Supposedly, he always dreamed of playing a certain hero of Greek myth. It’s just a shame that when he finally did, it was the painfully dull and thoroughly forgettable Hercules (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$54.99 SRP), which at least manages to look nice, even if that’s all it really has going for it besides the enthusiastic Johnson. Bonus materials include deleted/extended scenes, an audio commentary, featurettes, and more.
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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