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…)
In all of the premium format figures that Sideshow has put out over the years, I don’t think any have quite captured wicked malevolence quite as disturbingly as their Premium Format Joker ($349.99). Which, I suppose, is rather fitting, considering that the psychotic crown prince of crime is a cornerstone in Batman’s rogues gallery, and this piece rather accurately captures a rather iconic Brian Bolland feel in its depiction of the madman, with devilish rictus and frightening gaze in spades. The tailoring of the suit is perfect, and the base features sculpts of the Joker’s henchmen from The Killing Joke. As if the standard head portrait weren’t insane enough, the Sideshow exclusive swappable head is wearing a hat and an expression that will give you nightmares. It’s a beautiful piece, to be sure, but one I’d recommend putting close to your Batman figure, just to be sure.
The 50th anniversary celebration of Doctor Who rolls on with another pair of brand-new-to-DVD releases that fans have been clamoring on about for ages. First up is a tale from the era of Patrick Troughton’s 2nd Doctor, The Ice Warriors (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), which introduces the fearsome Martian warriors in frosty style. The other release is a bit of forgotten history, as Scream Of The Shalka (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) was a series of animated shorts meant to introduce and feature the 9th incarnation of the Doctor – played by Richard E. Grant. Yes, that’s right. This project is largely forgotten because it canonically was overruled by the 2005 return of the show to live action, which established the 9th Doctor as Christopher Eccleston. As usual, bonus materials on both discs are copious and wonderful.
You know, it’s not just kids that need to be entertained on a rainy day, or during a long car trip. Thankfully, Brandon Bird has filled that gaping whole with an activity book geared towards adults – Brandon Bird’s Astonishing World Of Art (Chronicle Books, $14.95 SRP) – which includes activities like learning how to draw Tom Hanks, Law & Order coloring Valentine’s, make-your-own Gary Busey scarecrow, and Mr. T coloring pages. Oh, and much, much more.
Sam Mendes exec-producing lush adaptations of four of Shakespeare’s historical plays, packed with performances from Patrick Stewart, Jeremy Irons, Ben Whishaw, John Hurt, Tom Hiddleston, Julie Waters, Richard Griffiths, and more? What is this slice of yes, please? The Hollow Crown (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), which features Richard II, Henry IV: Part 1, Henry IV: Part 2, and Henry V. Bonus materials include making-of featurettes.
Who knew Steven Soderbergh would be able to make a biopic about Liberace’s companion in the garishly camp entertainer’s declining years into a compellingly cheesy flick, but that’s exactly what he did with Behind The Candelabra (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) – aided by entertaining performances from Michael Douglas and Matt Damon. Bonus materials include a making-of featurette.
It’s not another season set – which can’t come fast enough – but at least you’re able to get a quick fix of Finn & Jake with Adventure Time: Jake The Dad (Cartoon Network, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), which collects 16 stories including Jake & Lady Raincorn’s puppies. If that weren’t enough, the disc also comes packed with your very own Jake hat. Now THAT is math.
Having chatted with Dominic Monaghan years ago and found him to be quite a wonderful gent, I’m delighted that he seems to have found a genuine delight in hosting the BBC’s extreme animals show Wild Things, which sends him cavorting around the world like a latter-day Steve Irwin. You can watch him cavort in a pair of releases – Wild Things: Deadliest Critters & Wild Things: Creepy Crawlers (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each).
In the age of the internet, you’d think a massive volume like Leonard Maltin’s 2014 Movie Guide (Plume, $25.00 SRP) would be a relic of a hard copy past, but there’s still something satisfying about flipping through its 16,000+ capsule film summaries and perhaps landing on a film you never knew existed, and it sparks an interest to see the film in question. So, for that, the continued existence of this guide is justified.
The first season was bonkers enough, but the second season of Grimm (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.98 SRP) manages to up the bonkers factor significantly as Portland detective Nick Burkhardt has fully embraced his legacy as a Grimm just as he must face an ancient evil bloodline linked to the mysterious Captain Renard. And it’s all delightfully bonkers. Bonus materials include an extended episode, featurettes, webisodes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Get the awful taste of the US Top Gear out of your mouth with another wonderful new special from the UK original – Top Gear: The Worst Car In The History Of The World (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95 SRP) in which – you guessed it – Clarkson and May try and narrow down a foul field and crown an awful victor.
It’s not a classic, but with the final season of Leverage (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), I find I’ll miss this dependable workhorse of a show, starring Timothy Hutton as the head of a team intent on leveling the playing field for those whose lives are destroyed by the rich and powerful. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
When so many of Warners’ attempts at bringing DC superheroes to TV and film in recent years have been such colossal embarrassments, it should come as little surprise that I had virtually no expectations for the small screen take on their emerald archer, The Green Arrow. And yet, somehow, after a shaky start, Arrow (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$69.97 SRP) has settled in as a mostly competent take on billionaire Oliver Queen, who in this telling comes home after being marooned on a remote island with a mysterious agenda that includes fighting crime in Starling City. With a bow and a whole lot of arrows. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
A modern-day prequel to the Norman Bates character of Hitchcock’s classic Psycho? Surely, such madness can not possibly work… And yet, somehow, Bates Motel (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP) works, largely on the strength of Freddie Highmore as young Norman and Vera Farmiga as his overbearing and very damaging mother Norma. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a Paley Center panel discussion.
For this week’s BBC fix, how about the 8th season of those whoduniters Dalziel & Pascoe (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP)? Or if you want your crime drama even darker, perhaps the 8th season of Waking The Dead (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP)? Both are most definitely fix-worthy.
The History Channel has your Halloween viewing covered with a pair of spooky releases that, admittedly, are all complete BS, but then so much on the History Channel is nowadays that it makes sense for them to present fiction as fact. Fear Files (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP) looks at hauntings, vampires, and the history of Halloween, while Haunted History (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) examines haunted locales around the US.
While last week I spotlighted the original U.S.S. Enterprise 1701, this week I wanted to share the refit version from the motion picture series – the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-A (Diamond Select Toys, $60.00 SRP)… Specifically, the version from Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. The fine folks at Diamond Select Toys have done a superb job of capturing the screen-accurate look of that original model in their electronic “Starship Legends” series, featuring accent and nacelle lighting, plus a selection of original sound and dialogue clips from the film. As with all of the other ships in this series, you have the option to either use the display base, which connects to a hole on the bottom of the ship, or swap out that hole-bottom plate for a hole-less version perfect for hanging up in aerial display.
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
##
Hey! Not only is 
I’ve become almost a broken record when singing the praises of the high definition restorations Disney is doing for the Blu-Ray releases of their classic animated titles, but they remain consistently top-notch, and such is the case with the positively great-looking 
To praise the beautiful lyricism of a Studio Ghibli film seems almost to be a bit redundant, especially when it’s always consistently true – case in point being the latest import to the US, 
I know the wait has been painful, but you can get your John Luther fix with 
Fans will have to wait a bit longer for the next complete season set, but you can make the wait a bit easier with 
It’s taken me a few years to get warmed up to 
Combine magicians and heist movie tropes and you’ve basically got a nice little weekend’s entertainment in 
It’s always sunnier when another season of 
A genre classic makes its long-awaited high definition debut with the arrival of the original version of 
The folks at Mill Creek prove once again that they are wizards at providing the most entertainment for your limited budget with another quartet of their multi-film collections – the 12-movie 
To try and sum up the many, many things wrong with 
I’m sad to say, but I’ve never been more happy for a show to end than I have been for 
Heya, music fans! How about this week’s soundtrack roundup? You’ve got the compilation of songs and score from 
It’s rather fitting that you can actually spend an actual Friday the 13th watching the high definition debut of all 12 films contained in the 
And if watching that new season of Luther has you primed to watch some more of the BBC’s patented character-based crime drama, try giving a spin to 
Hey, sure, let’s turn Leonardo DaVinici into a sexy warrior for the forces of truth and enlightenment in a dark age. That’s basically the premise of 
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any crazier, the fifth season of 
If you’ve been smurfing to see some classically animated smurfs, then the Halloween themed 
The long, tragic, and often bloody road traveled by Starz’ original sword and sandals series finally comes to an epic conclusion with 
Sometimes you get the sense that the BBC is willing to try just about anything to get an ongoing genre franchise going, which is probably why the first season of their take on 
Set in the transition from the stratified Edwardian class system to the societal breakdown and chaos of WWI, Tom Stoppard’s 
From the high concept, low payoff folks at JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions comes 
Sports, suburbs, and comedy collide once again in the fourth season of 
It’s always interesting to see where a show goes when it’s expanding from source material, particularly when Stephen King is the source. Based on The Colorado Kid, by its third season, 
While I have great affection for the flawed remake starring Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft, the original Ernst Lubitsch 
There have been many books that purported to present the definitive history of the original Star Trek. Much like Roshomon, many presented a perspective on the show’s genesis. But we’ve finally got the overview that incorporates all of those memories plus original memos, documents, and interviews and places them in a comprehensive context – 
And speaking of Star Trek, explore the golden age of trading cards with Abrams ComicArts’s 
Hey! Are you an Adventure Time fan, desperate for some kind of book to keep you company? Then, HEY! Get 
Every so often, I’ll get a lovely surprise in the mail from John Swartzwelder (the brilliant writer behind 59 episodes of The Simpsons). I’ve said it before, and I shall continue to say it as long as he continues to write them – If you’ve not yet read his series of brilliantly comic novels starring dim detective Frank Burly, than you do not deserve to be literate. So yes, do catch up, and also pick up the latest – 
After publishing quite wonderful volumes collecting the Mickey Mouse newspaper strips by Floyd Gottfredson in black & white, the fine folks at Fantagraphics have released the first volume in glorious color – 
For more years than I can recall, the amiable scholars at Twomorrows have been publishing a wide range of magazine and books chronicling every nook and cranny of the comics, creators, characters, and companies fans know and love. Earlier this year, they took that love and scholarly approach to the next logical step, by launching a must-have document of four-color history in the 
While it started on somewhat shaky ground, now that we’ve arrived at the third season of 
To expect anything from Baz Luhrmann but a bloated technicolor extravaganza is to have a poor memory of his filmic inclinations, so it should be no surprise that his take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 
I have no problem summing up my experience of watching the Oscar-winning drama 
Find out the ultimate punchline when a vampire, a werewolf, and a ghost cohabitate in the fifth and final season of the original UK version of 
Make a rip-roaring adventurous mashup between A Bug’s Life, Fern Gully, and Fantastic Voyage and you get the appropriately named 
Time has not made 
If you’ve got kids in your life, do them a favor by giving them the gift of the latest pair of Scholastic Storybook Treasures releases – the Mo Willems collection 
I’m not as terribly big fan of Disney’s cash-grab direct-to-video sequels from a few years back. Some of have been tolerable, most atrocious, and very rare is one that is somewhat good. The Peter Pan sequel 
It’s refreshing to see Keifer Sutherland in a more nuanced and adult portrayal of a post-9/11 world in 
What the Warner Archive has perfected, particularly with its animated releases, is a very clever and utterly successful manipulation of nostalgia which makes purchasing their releases inevitable. They know they have us with the Hanna-Barbera collection releases of the complete 
This week’s TV sets bring both NCIS series and the still sparkling courtroom tales of Alicia Florrick. First up, we’ve got 
I’m not entirely sure what happened to David Zucker, but the man behind sublime spoofs like Airplane! and Police Squad is almost entirely absent from the ham-fisted 
It’s no Tango & Cash, but what 
It’s still not my cup of tea compared to the sublime Sherlock, but it seems CBS’ own take on a modern Holmes, 
After a shambling second season, hopes were high for the third season of 
One of the marks of a good documentary is it makes you care about a subject you hadn’t considered giving a second thought to, and that’s certainly the case with 
Due to its relatively low production budget, 
If there’s something that Thinkgeek excels at, it’s offering up items you never thought you needed. Case in point is 
Kick your celebrations of Doctor Who‘s 50th anniversary into high gear with a trio of releases, starting with the very first high definition release of a classic Doctor serial with 
Keep the Who party going with a new special edition of the 3rd Doctor story with the space maggots, 
And finally (until next month, anyway), there’s 
A few years back, William Shatner produced a wonderful little documentary called The Captains, in which he had candid conversations with the other actors who have held that rank in the Star Trek franchise. To follow that up, he’s gone back and cut extended versions of those interviews with Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew, Scott Bakula, and Chris Pine – plus himself – for the expanded 
After being unceremoniously cancelled, it seems rather fitting that HBO is only giving a non-high definition release to the second (and now final) season of 
The second season of 
Raymond Burr takes his final cases in the second volume of the 9th and final season of 
I gave it the ol’ college try for its first few weeks, but I could never get into the groove of 
Sadly out of circulation for nearly 15 years, there’s nothing that stirs up good memories of a much-missed television show quite like a beautifully produced book, which certainly applies to 
I’ve long beat the drum for the brilliance of 
Having become used to gritty, grimy VHS versions and only slightly better DVD versions over the years, to see the absolute, sparkling clarity Disney has accomplished with their new high definition catalogue restorations of 
With the documentary 
It gets campier as the years go by, but there’s still a B-movie charm to Wes Craven’s big screen adaptation of DC Comics’ green avenger, 
When you view the brand new high definition restoration of 
No matter how much I try, even by its 3rd season, I just can’t understand the appeal of 
It’s back to the backwoods with the 3rd season of 
The releases seem to be coming fast and furious as we get 
With the rambling Beat nature of it all, it’s damned hard to realize an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s 
Bronies the world over will be planning a movie night with the release of the first feature-length pony outing 
Fans of a good ol’ British mystery? Look no further than the seemingly lovely villages of Midsomer County to find a thinly veneered undercurrent of murder in 
Criminally unavailable on DVD in any proper and suitably loving presentation until now, the loveable chaps at Shout Factory have released 
And what better Jack Benny chaser is there than 
The art of animation reduced down to its most primal level is the magic to be found in 
While the show in many ways hasn’t aged very well with very uneven seasons, kudos must once again be paid to Paramount for the absolutely stunning restoration and high definition remastering job they’ve done for 
After the abomination of the first film, it’s with great relief that, while not a particularly good film, 
Toddlers can take another ride on The Magic School Bus with a pair of new releases – 
I guess it all had to end eventually. Sadly, 
The budget-conscious folks at Mill Creek, mindful of just how precious your hard-earned money is, have dropped another clutch of reasonably-priced catalogue films and documentaries – the Charlton Heston narrated series 
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 – 
And, if you’re keen to find out more about Harry, look no further than the newly released biography 
Another few months have gone by, which means fans are spoiled by yet another wonderful collection from the fine folks at Shout Factory with 
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 
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 – 
It usually takes quite a well crafted movie to get me to watch a film about sports, and that’s certainly the case with 
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 
The Infamous Five have been trading powers as we open 
The pulpy guilty pleasure returns with the second season of 
The BBC’s nature documentary division returns with another pair of must-see releases, this time in the aquatic predator realm – 
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 
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 
How about some kid-centric release? Nickelodeon has a pair with 
While the last season was a bit shaky, the final season of 
While the bulk of Mel Brooks’ catalogue has been available in high definition, there’s been one title that’s been devastatingly absent – until now. The fine folks at Shout Factory have pulled out all the stops to give comedy fans a brilliant special edition of 
Directed by a young John Landis and crafted by the even younger Zucker Brothers, 
Those expecting a farce might be pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the comedy to be found in 
Already a quirky little gem, Fred Armisen & Carrie Brownstein’s 
While the original animated adaptation was never terribly great, nostalgia made me leery of the new animated reboot of the Ninja Turtles. Well, my fears have been wiped away by the fun, funny modern take which perfectly preserves all of the necessary elements to the Turtle mythos. Want proof? Look no further than the latest episode collection – 
Taking the same sensibility once focused on Star Wars and applying it to the superheroes and villains of the DC universe? Sold. Luckily, that pre-sale was proven correct with the hilarious 
It’s not the equal of the beautifully executed Avatar, but there’s still plenty to recommend in the premiere volume of 
A victim (Noomi Rapace) seeking retribution for a crime blackmails a professional killer (Colin Ferrell) into aiding her plan for revenge in the tense thriller 
Take a soaring high definition view of the northeast United States in the Smithsonian Channel’s 
This week’s TV release from Paramount bring one old and one new. For the new, we get the complete first season of 
I realize now I read a Neil Gaiman story for the places you shouldn’t go but must, the innocence gained in innocence lost, and the light lurking about in the darkness. All of those elements are woven into the fabric of 
Daleks! You can never have enough Daleks! Small ones, big ones, plastic ones, metal ones – even inflatable ones. Measuring an impressive 47″ tall and available in a variety of colors, the gents at Thinkgeek are stocking an 
If the 4th season was Walter White extricating himself from the dangerous position he had gotten himself into, the first half of 
Hey hey hey! Another childhood favorite gets the deluxe special edition treatment from the fine folks at Shout Factory with the debut of 
As much as can be said for the uneven show, the 3rd season of 
The lasagna-loving tabby is back with a whole new fixation in the latest collection of episodes – 
A comedy about an aging magical double act whose friendship since childhood splinters when a new stunt-based act comes on the scene? You’d think there’d be plenty of comedy to mine with a cast that includes Steve Carell and Steve Buscemi as the duo and Jim Carrey as the stunt performer, but except for Carrey’s inspired turn, The 
And now, your comedy album round up for this week brings 
Inspired by actual events, 
Still reeling from an attempt on his life, Detective Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise) begins the march towards closure in the final season of 
When it comes to affordable entertainment, no one beats the economy-priced fare from the folks at Mill Creek. The latest batch of titles are an eclectic mix, with standard DVD releases of the SyFy Channel miniseries 
While Disney has been slow in releasing their A-List animated films like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, they’ve been doing quite a bang up job of cranking out the rest of their animated features. Coming down the pike this week are a trio of recent films – 
If I were still a kid, I would probably never leave the 
Lisa Kudrow returns as the dysfunctional online therapist Fiona Wallace in the complete second season of 
I’ve always been fascinated to peek behind the curtain to see the nuts and bolts of filmmaking, so how about a clutch of tomes that do just that? You’ve got Sam Raimi’s recent journey to the world of L. Frank Baum in 
While the remake was all well and fine, nothing will match the power of Glenn Ford in the original 
After spending the first half of the 1970’s in fractured form, the original line-up of the Beach Boys came together, released an album, and were the spotlight of the television documentary 
For a comics fan, there are few things in life more delightful than opening up a parcel from the fine folks at Twomorrows Publishing and finding a new clutch of wonderfully interesting tomes to dig into – the latest of which is the 2nd volume of 
Catch up with the slackers of TelAmeriCorp in the third season of 
I think the key takeaway of 
Eiljah Wood and Jason Gann return as a man and his dog in the complete second season of the still delightfully weird 
Births, babies, and romance are all to be found in the second season of 
From the writers of The Hangover comes the college version of a trio of friends getting lost in a night of bacchanalia in 
I can’t say that 
Star-studded and with so much potential, sadly 
It’s not hard to believe that the folks behind the golden age of Rhino Records are behind Shout Factory, as their releases in the last year have further cemented them as the company bringing out the most brilliant catalogue celebrations that absolutely must be added to any right-thinking fan of pop culture’s collection. The latest? 
If you’re life is as full of gadgets, computers, and doodads as mine, then chances are you use a lot of compressed air cans. Probably a ridiculous amount, really. So how about a solution that still provides a powerful burst of air but in a reusable fashion? That’s exactly what you get from the 
Growing up, our family had an RCA Select-A-Vision videodisc player. One of the massive videodiscs my father owned, and I remember watching, was the Paul McCartney & Wings concert film 
This month’s classic Doctor Who releases feature a pair of stories from the Jon Pertwee’s years as the 3rd Doctor – a special edition of 
It doesn’t hold a candle to Warner’s legendary Wizard Of Oz (which gets a restored 3D upgrade and theatrical release this fall), but Sam Raimi’s prequel-ish 
Yes, 
Former CIA operative Michael Westen is in hot pursuit of his old nemesis Anson Fullerton in the 6th season of 
Aaron Sorkin’s latest walk-and-talker, 
This week also brings a new clutch of TV releases from the CBS vaults, including the first volume of the 9th and final season of 
Picking up where Spielberg’s biopic ends, the historical reenactment of 
What time is it? ADVENTURE TIME! And it most certainly is, considering you can now get both 
Today’s modern tech world means a lot of touchscreens – phones, tablets, computers… Which means a whole mess of surfaces with increasing crud levels that are just, well, icky. Enter 
In an age where JJ Abrams’ abysmal take on Star Trek threatens to become the norm, it’s a delight to dip into the classic Trek-era stories crafted over the past couple of years by legendary comic writer/artist John Byrne, all of which have been collected together in the hefty hardcover 
It’s not as clever as Bridesmaids, but there’s no denying that 
It’s always dicey business when another non-Pixar CG-animated film comes down the pike, but I genuinely enjoyed the madcap verve of the astronaut-as-alien reversal in Planet 51, and I found myself enjoying the sequel, 
If you enjoy your juice in concentrated form, you can now pick up the entire first season of Cartoon Network’s 
Looking for a gift for Dad this weekend? How about the John McClane as Jack Ryan meets Bourne sequel 
Find out whether Dora can find a note in 
Episodes have been teased on prior DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Tim Burton’s original feature, but it took the fine folks at Shout Factory to deliver the complete four season run of the animated Saturday morning spin-off of 
In a gadget-filled life, things break. What makes repairing them awkward is that many companies have gone with proprietary fastening solutions for their gadgets and gizmos. However, Thinkgeek has got that covered with the ultimate gadget-fixer’s dream – the 
If you’re too impatient to wait for the complete season set later in the year (and really, who isn’t?), then you can get up to date on the adventures of the Doctor with 
Comedy releases this week? How about the CD/DVD combos 
Fans of historical trivia will have a lot to get exited about in 
I’m actually quite delighted that major studios have begun licensing some of their catalogue titles to other companies, including Fox’s recent pact with Anchor Bay that brings high definition releases of 
Robert Taylor stars as the titular mystery-solving western sheriff in 
Two things to ponder – 
While not in an accurate 1/4-scale, it’s still nice to be able to add NECA’s 
A few years back, we were gifted with the first batch of high definition releases from the fine folks at Studio Ghibli. And then? A long, long, terribly long, wait. But rejoice! Two of director Hayao Miyazaki’s best are finally here – 
Mel Brooks is an institution. And he also happens to be an institution in the midst of a well-deserved renaissance that includes the brilliant American Masters documentary 
The brilliant Ben Kingsley is not just on the big screen with Iron Man this week, but also starring in the taught thriller 
So far, all of the LEGO movies have been fun, but with 
For more years than I can recall, the amiable scholars at Twomorrows have been publishing a wide range of magazine and books chronicling every nook and cranny of the comics, creators, characters, and companies fans know and love. A few months back, they took that love and scholarly approach to the next logical step, by launching a must-have document of four-color history in the 
Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to pick up another new magazine from the folks at Twomorrows – 
Events have escalated in 
Get all high and mighty with 
I’ll say this for Steven Soderbergh’s thriller 
Granted, it’s no sophomore effort like Jason Bateman’s, but the complete second season of MTV’s 
For the show’s sixth season, they decided to move 
This week’s indie cinema spotlight falls on a pair of dramas – the pitch black comedy 
If you’re ready for another quirky procedural, try the complete first season of 
Hey hey, film music fans! It’s another soundtrack round-up, this week featuring Eric Neveux’s score to 
How the mighty have fallen. Were you even aware that Arnold Schwarzenegger releases a new film? You wouldn’t be the only one that didn’t know about 
As nearly every extant Doctor Who story has made its way onto DVD, the BBC has decided to dip back into their original DVD releases and remaster/expand them into special editions, the latest of which is a story from Peter Davison’s 5th Doctor era – 
The fine folks at Thinkgeek know you can never have too many figural representations of Doctor Who‘s faithful robotic canine companion, so they’re offering an exclusive Mego-scale 
Now that the announcement has come down, the 7th season of 
Oh, 
I don’t watch it as religiously as I once did, but when the trio of Clarkson, May, & Hammond are on their game, as they are through most of 
If you want to see Charlie Sheen have a quirky meltdown in a film that feels like a pale Wes Anderson flick, look no further than the second directorial turn from Anderson’s frequent co-writer Roman Coppola, 
The folks at Scholastic continue to put out brilliant little animated adaptations of charming children’s books with their Scholastic Storybook Treasures line, the latest installment of which is 
This week’s kid-friendly release is a brand new volume of Nick, Jr.’s Team Umizoomi, 
Over forty years on, and 
Though we caught a glimpse of them at the beginning of The Motion Picture, it wasn’t until Star Trek III: The Search For Spock that the Klingons were place front and center as the cinematic baddie, with the main heavy, Kruge, being played by the legendary Christopher Lloyd. Also making its debut was the design for their ship, the 
I haven’t quite figured out their release methodology, but I’m delighted all the same that Fantagraphics has added another volume to their growing Carl Barks library with the release of 
It’s been so long since they came out that I’d forgotten just how much I liked the amiable East Meets West comedies starring Owen Wilson & Jackie Chan – 
The battle to overthrow the Observers begins in the 5th and final season of 
You have to dig through a lot of reality show crud in order to see them still operating under their name, but when something like the wonderful 
Well, the best I can say about 
You’ve got Brainiac, the miniature Kryptonian city of Kandor, and Supergirl in the latest DC Universe Animated movie 
What’s great about the Guillermo del Toro-produced 
With Baz Luhrmann’s big screen adaptation hitting screens, now’s the perfect time to partake of the BBC’s documentary 
In a bizarro move facilitated by the odd way in which the BBC once treated the creation of characters for Doctor Who, the character of K-9 is a free agent, which allowed for the creation of a kid’s show titled, appropriately enough, 
CBS continues to roll out their classic TV westerns, wrapping up the adventures of Paladin with the final season of 
And hey, for this week’s soundtrack releases, we’ve got E.C. Woodley’s score to 
If the first two years were awkward and the future brought diminishing returns, the 3rd season of 
And speaking of the season 3 finale, Paramount is also releasing 
Best known as a correspondent for The Daily Show, comedian Al Madrigal gets his first full-length stand-up special with 
The Warner Archive Collection continues to be a source of catalogue titles that would probably otherwise never see the light of day, but whose limited run availability delights a small but interested fanbase. Case in point is the complete first season of the 1960’s medical drama 
You could tell when watching The Sopranos that creator David Chase was a lover of music, and he gets to explore that affection with a love letter to those who share his passion in his directorial debut, 
Baz Luhrmann’s kinetic technicolor celebration of dance comes to Blu-Ray with the high definition release of 
Disgraced NYPD officer turned PI Mark Wahlberg takes on a case to follow the wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) of the mayor (Russell Crowe) who believes she’s cheating on him in the crime thriller 
Who could have predicted that the patron saints of stoner comedy would make their triumphant return in animated form, but that’s just what has come to pass with 
In years past, TV shows would rarely consider the afterlife of their run beyond a sale into syndication. The idea of a home video market for popular shows? Unheard of. With that in mind, music licensing deals were only ever made short term, which has left many a show in quite the deep financial pickle when the idea of bringing them to home video with their music intact. Years ago, the music was just changed to far cheaper tunes – leading to fan backlash. Eventually, though, companies decided to try and clear the hurdles – the first most famous example was Shout Factory’s Herculean handling of Freaks & Geeks. And now, the gents a Time Life have actually undertaken their own Herculean task and succeeded in clearing nearly all of the vintage songs (Dylan, Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and more) contained in the beloved Vietnam War drama 
It’s a rare gift to peer into the mind of a genius, but that’s exactly the gift that 
Hard to believe, but with the release of 
It’s an iffy proposition when a beloved classic gets a latter-day 3D treatment, but the team behind the multi-dimensional re-do of 
Rather surprising – pleasantly so – that the recent Art Of The Hobbit book has been followed up with a companion volume of sorts, in the form of 
For a book to get a foreword from David Letterman, you know it’s got to be special – and 
Mill Creek’s catalogue distribution deal with Sony continues to pay dividends for anyone in the market for a whole clutch of titles at rock-bottom prices, as they release both 
This week’s soundtrack round-up brings Lorne Balfe’s score for the videogame 
I run hot and cold on Quentin Tarantino, and while I think it’s overlong, I really enjoyed his spaghetti western homage 
David Tennant returns in the high stakes espionage thriller with 
If This Is 40 is a loud, tone deaf look at relationships, 
If you’ve yet to experience the fun to be found in 3rd Rock From The Sun, now’s the perfect time to do so, as the fine folks at Mill Creek have just released the final two seasons of the show – 
And speaking of Mill Creek, they’ve also released the second season of 
I could care less about sports, but I’m a sucker for a sports movie that makes you care about its characters, and that’s probably why – even 20 years after it was released – 
The BBC digs into their classy archives for the DVD release of their 1964 adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s 
Proving that they can go just in deep in pleasing fans as the already-established MOD Warner Archive Collection, Fox’s Cinema Archives drops 7 never-before-released catalogue titles starring Jane Withers – 
This week’s soundtrack spotlight falls on a pair of BBC productions – one nature, one science fiction, and both great. First up is Roger Limb’s complete score for 
It’s certainly not Pixar or even Dreamworks, but 
Running for a remarkable 28 years, we’re so very close to entering the last decade of seasons with the release of 
Find out the fate of Camelot as Morganna and Modred plot its destruction in the fifth and final season of the BBC’s 
There’s a delightfully dada quality to 
BBC Earth releases a trio of their brilliant and beautiful documentaries to high definition with the Blu-Ray release of 
I’m a sucker for “Art Of” books for animated films, meaning 
Based on a long-running UK drama, 
It doesn’t really hang together as a film, but 
Brian Bonsall was moving front-and-center as Tina Yothers’ hair grew ever larger in the sixth season of 
The kids can pile into the Magic School Bus with an all new eco-friendly release – 
About as far from Frasier Crane as you can get, Kelsey Grammer returns as powerful and embattled Chicago mayor Tom Kane in the second season of 
There are few comedies as gut-bustingly funny as The History Channel’s miniseries 
Beyond the broad strokes, the man that was Abraham Lincoln has largely been replaced by the myth, which has overshadowed the nuts and bolts politicking needed to govern during a time of immense turmoil. The human accomplishment is fully illuminated by Steven Spielberg’s most engaging film in years, as Daniel Day-Lewis brings 
In an age where the original Star Wars and Raiders Of The Lost Ark can look like brand new films, it’s odd to see just how much grain is present in the high definition release of 
There probably hasn’t been enough time to put the events in their proper context, but there’s no denying the power behind the methodology presented in the hunt for the world’s most wanted man in 
By today’s standards, 
It’s always wonderful to see classic noir films hit Blu-Ray, as the high definition really drives home the beautiful cinematography to be found in many, and that includes the new edition of Elia Kazan’s harrowing 
While not as sparklingly brilliant as Armando Iannucci’s The Thick Of It, his team’s take on the US political machine, 
Very few things in life are completely dependable, but danged if Shout Factory hasn’t proven just that with their continued (and regular) releases of the original riff-fest via 
Looking to increase your knowledge about a given pop culture topic? Then you’ll probably want to snap up a trio of titles newly releases by Applause books which provide a myriad of answers to frequently asked (and even infrequently asked) pop culture topics. First out of the gate in what I can only hope is an ongoing series are the 
It’s hard to top the 2003 editions of his films, but Criterion has been doing just that with another film from the Charlie Chaplin library, the latest being his controversial black comedy 
If you’ve yet to experience the quirky joy of the cases of country solicitor Peter Kingdom (Stephen Fry), rectify that oversight with the complete collection of 
Beloved and much-missed, the late legend Levon Helm was remembered with the appropriately powerful 
Howzabout a bit of a UK TV-on-DVD round-up for all of you Anglophiles out there? What’s odd is that our first UK release is actually the American version of a UK show, which makes its home video debut in the UK – MTV’s remake of 
Lego irreverence returns to a galaxy far, far away with 
The cases of Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Foyle make their way to DVD in 
The fundamental problem with 
The problem with 
The fine folks at Mill Creek continue to release a broad mix of titles and beyond reasonable prices, with new releases including TV titles like 
If for no other reason, watch the second season of 
Sure, it came in the wake of Pokemon madness, but every children’s series has a fanbase, and that includes one that will be thoroughly excited by the release of 
Based on the novels by Kerry Greenwood about a thoroughly modern Melbourne woman in the 1920’s who happens to be a lady detective, 
For your modern TV choices this week, how about the complete first season of 
Alan Silvestri supplied some of the most memorable scores of the 80’s – including those for the Back To The Future films – and he returns to score Dreamworks Animation’s new animation hit 
And speaking of soundtracks, this week’s soundtrack round-up includes Alex Heffes’ score for 
I can understand in a world where Bridesmaids has already come down the pike a comedy like 
When I first saw Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth with 
I was quite looking forward to the big screen adaptation of the legendary stage musical 
A cult film in the best sense of the word, 
With his Oscar win for Lincoln still fresh in people’s minds, it’s not surprising that the BBC is dropping a pair of releases spotlighting Daniel Day-Lewis with the straightforwardly named 
Shout Factory continues to be a savior for completionists hoping to get to the end of their TV show collections, with the release of 
Classic Doctor Who fans will probably want to check out the BBC’s 1986 production of 
How about this week’s soundtrack round-up? First up, you’ve got Bear McCreary’s score for 
It’s always been an awkward little film that doesn’t quite work, but like many of its 80’s film brethren, it holds a special place in that generation’s hearts largely by dint of endless repeats on cable – and now 
It’s a shame that 
We’ve gotten so close to having all of the extant adventures of the Doctor on DVD that we’re starting to see more and more special editions of previous DVD releases, upgrading the mastering on the episodes themselves, plus adding in more bonus materials than were available over 10 years ago. Both new releases are special editions – 
Push the awful Sylvester Stallone abomination out of your mind, as 
Anthony Hopkins never really pulls off his performance as the great 
While not in the upper tier of Disney classics, you can tick off another pair of modern Disney animated features (and their originally direct-to-video sequels) from the list of unreleased in high definition titles with the now-released 
And, as traditionally animated Disney classics go, it’s not one of their better efforts, but 
I know 
Another lovely little Scholastic Storybook Treasures volume drops with the 
A young woman’s relationship with her husband and her family is pulled into focus when her heavy drinking jeopardizes her job as a school teacher, leading to rehab & revelations in 
I’m not a fan of the pretension inherent in Cirque du Soleil, but there’s no denying some of the beautiful acrobatics and choreography that goes into their shows, all of which is fully on display in three dimensions with 
The BBC is unleash the thunder lizards with a trio of documentaries sure to delight kids and adults alike – 
TCM proves yet again what a bastion of film history they are by putting together the 
Jumping on the same bandwagon as Warners, Sony, and Universal, the fine folks at Fox have premiered their very own in-house MOD program to make their deeper catalogue titles available, all under the banner of the “20th Century Fox Cinema Archives”. The debut batch of titles include everything from musicals and comedies to drama and noir, and include 
There once was a show about a priest and a nun who solve crimes. And it ran for three seasons, starring Tom Bosley. You can now own the 3rd and final season of the 
Jay & Silent Bob – well, Jay Mewes & Kevin Smith, actually – take the stage in the land of blarney for 
Football fans can re-live the big event with 
I was afraid that 
Steven Spielberg’s 
Delayed for years and changed to avoid upsetting China, the largely unnecessary remake of 
In the mood for a high octane thriller this weekend? Then you’ll probably want to give a spin to 
Fans rejoice, as 
As witty and fun as their videogames, 
Mis-matched detective partners 
I had no expectations for 
Rejoice, fans of wit and sequential art, for the great Michael Kupperman has given us a second volume of 
What more needs to be said about the absolutely stunning visuals and insight contained in the BBC’s breathtaking nature documentaries? All of those superlatives and more apply to their latest, 
It may not be the same kind of highbrow fare as one might get from Pixar, but 
Surprisingly, Nickelodeon’s relaunch of the franchise is actually pretty snazzy, as you’ll find in 
Watching the documentary 
Above all else, 
When a pair of engaged young lovers (Gael Garcia Bernal & Hani Furstenberg) venture into the Georgian wilderness on a backpacking holiday with a local guide, an incident creates a rift between them that threatens to undo both their vacation and their life together in 
This week’s soundtrack selections? Brian Tyler’s limited edition score to 
In 
An unexpected and terribly fraught May-November romance develops between a respected older journalist and a young journalism student in 
Every so often, it’s lovely to see a straightforward look at a pair of people who need each other in unexpected ways, such as in