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…)
I’m still not entirely sure I understand everything that happened in the 6th season of Doctor Who (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP), but you have to admire the narrative chutzpah that showrunner Steven Moffat brought to the table as we dealt with the Doctor’s march toward death and the unraveling story of River Song. The 6-disc set contains all 13 episodes plus the Christmas special, plus newly-filmed additional scenes, audio commentaries, Confidential featurettes, the Comic Relief sketches, prequels, monster files, and trailers.
Having a high capacity external battery source handy is always a good thing, which is why the New Trent iCruiser Power Pack ($79.99) is pretty darn nifty, as the rechargeable battery provides hours of power with overheat/overcharge/over-discharge/short-circuit protection.
Borne of dozens of cable TV viewings in my youth, Three Amigos (HBO, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP) is one of those comedies that holds a warm place in my heart, much like Trading Places, Blues Brothers, Caddyshack, and Vacation. So yes, it’s nice to see it in high definition, looking great, and even sporting newly discovered deleted scenes, a cast interview, and a cast reunion booklet celebrating the film’s 25th anniversary.
As the big screen feature makes its debut, I’m a little disappointed that we’re only getting the first season of the fun, and faithful, animated Adventures Of Tintin (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$19.93 SRP) instead of the complete run. The 2-disc set contains 13 episodes, and is well worth giving a spin.
Has it really been 10 years since the debut of the original – and still far superior – version of The Office (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP)? It must be, because there’s a brand new 10th anniversary special edition set available, sporting both seasons and the Christmas special, plus brand new episode introductions, extended interviews with Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant (and celebrity fans), the Comedy Connections documentary, and the original pilot. If that weren’t enough, the set also ports over all of the special features from the original set. So yeah, a must have.
I’m baffled as to why the beautiful Prep & Landing (Walt Disney, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) shorts are only making their seasonal debut on standard DVD and not in glorious high definition Blu-Ray, but at least they’re available, along with bonus materials including elf training reels, commercials, and more. But please, Disney – high definition. Stat.
It could be a lot shorter, but My Fair Lady (Fox, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is one of my favorite film musicals, owing mainly to the charming chemistry between Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn. Now, it’s made its way to Blu-Ray, all spruced up and looking and sounding loverly. Bonus materials include a making-of documentary, featurettes, an audio commentary, alternate Audrey Hepburn vocals on the songs, and more.
I couldn’t shake the feeling while watching JJ Abrams’ Super 8 (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$44.99 SRP) that I was watching an homage to classic Spielberg films so slavish as to be completely off-putting in how it tries so hard with an effort that keeps shoving itself in your face. Say what you like about Spielberg’s button pushing ways, in the films that made him a legendary director, that button-pushing came from a genuine place. It’s as if Abrams doesn’t quite understand what he’s trying to capture (the same problem his lamentable Star Trek had). For a point of comparison, see how effortlessly yet completely Attack Of The Block captures the feel of a classic John Carpenter film. Well, at least this had a halfway interesting train crash. Almost balanced out the lens flare. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a deconstruction of the train crash sequence.
It’s no great shakes, but kids will probably enjoy the 4th film in director Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids trilogy, Spy Kids: All The Time In The World (Anchor Bay, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP). The film introduces a new pair of kids (with supporting roles given to the old guard) taking on a maniacal villain (Jeremy Piven) bent on time-based world domination. Ricky Gervais even shows up. As a talking robot dog. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
For all of the little princesses in your life, Disney has released a new special edition of the direct-to-video Beauty And The Beast: Belle’s Magical World (Walt Disney, Rated G, DVD-$29.99 SRP) and the high definition debut of the holiday-themed Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP).
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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Jon Pertwee’s 3rd Doctor finally escapes his banishment to Earth and travels into space in the new-to-DVD adventure 
When I was a kid, so very long ago, hand-propelled paper airplanes were perfectly fine. For today’s kids, something more is needed – such as 
I love how the DVD revolution has made it possible for just about every TV show you can imagine to wriggle out of the woodwork and get a release. Case in point – the complete run of 
I think the announcement of its arrival in a definitive high definition collection was both a surprise and a delight to diehard fans, but I’m sure the latter outweighs the former now that they can lay their grubby little paws on their very own copy of 
One of the most iconic movie musicals ever produced makes its high definition debut in grand style, as 
It’s flawed in many ways and suffers from an inadequate budget for its lofty concept, but there’s quite a bit of charm that makes Neil Gaiman’s 
It was brilliant seeing League Of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton in the grim and gritty crime drama 
Celebrate its 25th anniversary with a brand new special edition of Sam Raimi’s classic schlock horror film 
If you’re a history buff, you’ll probably be as fascinated and gripped by the remarkable color footage you’ll find, presented for the first time in high definition, found within the 
For the kids in your life, this week brings 
MGM has dipped into their library for a trio of titles to get the high definition treatment, including the original, much much better version of 
And speaking of MGM dipping into their library, they’ve also unleashed a new clutch of titles from their MOD Limited Edition Collection, including the Morey Amsterdam comedy 
It doesn’t hold a candle to the original UK series, but the first season of the American 
Underappreciated in its day and largely overlooked today, if you’ve yet to see the short-lived Michael Mann series 
It was only a matter of time before History Channel fond a way to make a spin-off from their popular Pawn Stars, and the one they chose was to focus on the gent that show had doing restorations on the antiques brought to the show. So with 
I was one of the many that was concerned the Harry Potter franchise would stumble and fall at the finish line, as it wrapped up J.K. Rowling’s sweeping tale with a two-part version of her final book. Thankfully, 
I’m a sucker for better portable electronics solutions, which is why I like the Quirky 
If you’ve ever known the cult joy of discovery in watching the likes of The Mighty Boosh and Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace and have yet to experience Matt Berry & Rich Fulcher’s 
You know Disney is clearly throwing their weight behind 3D releases of their catalogue when they drop four titles in a day, all of them upgraded to multi-disc definitive editions containing not only brand new 3D discs, but also the Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital discs. Really, this is the version to buy, even if you don’t yet have a 3D television set. So what films have dropped? You can get 
It’s a shame that they didn’t see fit to give it a proper restored release rather than an MOD Warner Archive Collection release, because 1934’s 
Often overlooked due to its flashier contemporaries like The Godfather, Francis Coppola’s 
While it’s not the 1935 film starring Charles Laughton as the overbearing Captain Bligh that I love so much, the high definition release of the 1962 version of 
One of those much-beloved flicks from my childhood, owing largely to dozens of captive-audience viewings on early cable TV, has arrived in high definition. Now I can see the cast of 
More of the Miramax catalogue makes its way to high definition with the release of the largely forgotten but worth seeing 
They’re not as well-polished as the theatrical shorts, but the cartoons contained in 
Warners has decided to drop a trio of festive holiday catalogue titles just in time for your cold winter viewing pleasure – the sequel 
They’re not revelatory tracks, but for Beatles completists, there’s always been a fascination with the tunes they recorded in the early 60’s with Tony Sheridan, which have been remastered in both mono and stereo form for the 
Intentionally crass comedy is a balancing act that either provides the highs of The Hangover and Bridesmaids or the lows of 
If you’ve ever wondered how the states comprising the United States got their various borders, loon no further than the History Channel program 
Even 25 years and numerous pop culture jokes later, David Lynch’s 
Up to a certain point, 
More classic Nickelodeon animation from the fine folks at Shout Factory arrives with 
Get the full at-home 3-D experience of their theatrical releases with the new 3-D editions of 
If your kid is both a LEGO and a Star Wars fan, then they’re probably in need of a place to put all of those piles of bricks. Well, with the 
I don’t see it as quite the abomination that some purists have made it out to be, and it’s not like Pixar hasn’t done sequels before, but the best I can say about 
While it’s not the feature-laden special edition I was hoping for, I’m still delighted that we’ve gotten one of my favorite holiday flicks, 
Even if you’re not terribly curious about the entertainment industry, there’s no denying that 
Join Victoria Justice and the kids at Hollywood Arts High School for more singing, dancing, and ventriloquism in 
Much like the film it gets compared to most often, 
We’ve left the summer behind and I didn’t see a single firefly. I recall the summers of my youth being filled with fireflies. Well, I can alleviate some of that nostalgic disappointment with the electronic 
Often overlooked, the artistry that exists behind the action is explored and given a chance to shine in the latest installment of Disney’s incredible art series 
While it’s not the release of 1941 I was hoping for, I suppose it is nice to have beautiful high-definition editions of Spielberg’s dinosaurs via the 
Disney’s 
I’ve seen plenty of documentaries, and very few of them are as entertaining as 
If you’re not watching Idris Elba’s new series, then pick it up with the second release, 
There might have been an interesting film to be had with the idea of presenting exactly why fans feel so betrayed by George Lucas’s handling of the Star Wars franchise over the past 15 years, but 
Now only do you get 20 regular episodes in the 5th season set of 
Get your man flick fix this weekend with the high definition release of 
It’s been a few months, so it makes sense that we’re getting the second volume of the first season of 
If you’re only familiar with Craig Ferguson from the Late Late Show, you’ll probably want to check out just what a stellar stand-up comic he is, as well, via his newest special 
As much as I’ve loved all of the laptops I’ve had over the years, my one major disappointment has been just how pitiful the sound quality is from the internal speakers. After trying numerous external speaker solutions and never being happy with the results, I’ve finally found one that fills the room with nice quality, high volume sound – the 
There’s so much to like about 
As much as Tim Burton wished it otherwise, his more faithful treatment of Roald Dahl’s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory can’t hold a candle to the simple charm and overwhelming chemistry of Gene Wilder in 
It’s a bit awkward to feature products that feature my boss, one of which I was actually the producer on. So let me simply say you should most definitely pick up the extended cut, 2-disc special edition of the stand-up special 
Though ostensibly a film about all of the actors who have held the rank of captain over the long life of the Star Trek franchise, William Shatner’s 
Strike another title from the list of movies we’re waiting to make their high def debut with the arrival of Martin Scorsese’s 1991 remake of 
Raro Video has decided to make one of Federico Fellini’s final masterpieces, 
I remember the original Robotech DVD releases from years (and years!) ago, which at the time were the best presentation of the series fans could hope for. Well, the new 
Why hello, MGM Limited Edition Collection. What new MOD treats do you have from deep, deep in your catalogue for us? How about the Phil Silvers film 
As a LEGO product, it retains much of the wonderful humor they’ve brought to the various established licenses they’ve touched, but the fact that 
It’s not wall-to-wall laughs, but there’s enough wit and strong enough performances that I did enjoy watching 
The days of any real history programming airing on The History Channel seem almost a fever dream by this point, as The House That Chumley Built delivers a trio of new reality series seasons – 
The fine folks at Shout Factory continue to bring out-of-print episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 back into print for desperate fans with the release of two new discs – 
As titles go, 
The classic Nickelodeon animated catalogue is coming fast and furious from the fine folks at Shout Factory, with the latest being 
Color me shocked that the ho-hum relaunch of 
Now that we’ve reached a point where nearly every extant classic Doctor Who story has been released, the BBC have very nicely decided to go back and revisit many of their early releases and make them bona fide special editions. The latest to get the treatment is the Tom Baker story 
Who wants regular old boring ice when you can have ice from an 
Although I originally watched the re-teaming of Tristram Shandy‘s Michael Winterbottom, Steve Coogan, & Rob Brydon in its original 6-part television form, the feature version of 
I was a huge, instant fan of 
Honestly, 
It’s a little bit Strangers On A Train, Throw Momma From The Train, 9 To 5, and I Love You To Death, and I wasn’t expecting to like 
I know at times I shared some of the frustrations that fellow gamers had with the title, but overall I enjoyed the massive love letter that Epic Mickey was to classic Disney animation. That’s probably why I enjoyed exploring the design process of the game via 
You’ve never seen evil quite so chilling as when it’s in the form of an 8-year-old little girl, as it is in one of the great suspense films of all time, 
Kudos to David Boreanaz for the continued success of 
It’s been 10 years, but Aqua Teen Hunger Force is still going strong. Of course, it’s now calling itself 
Listen – 
Nothing like the getting a film you’ve desperately wanted on Blu-Ray from a given director dropping alongside a misfire from said director to really set up the cognitive dissonance. I’m ecstatic to finally have Tim Burton’s 
You know me. You know I love multi-tool gadgets, just for their design awesomeness in secreting away a bunch of tools in a simple, straightforward, often practical form. Such is the case with the 23 tools found in the 
I admit, I wasn’t entirely sold on the idea of the return of Pee Wee Herman. I wanted it to happen, but feared that after all this time and an awful lot of water under the bridge, the charm that made the show so iconic could not be recaptured. Well, my fears vanished when watching 
It walks a fine line of quirkiness, but Richard Ayoade’s 
With the release of both the deluxe 
And while you’re watching the animated versions cavort, why not see how the real live felines act and interact with the Disneynature documentary 
If you’re a fan of the era and creators that truly solidified Marvel as the premier comic book company, pick up a copy of Pierre Comtois’ excellent overview 
For the past few years, when I’ve wanted to show off the incredible quality of Blu-Ray – and my massive TV – I’ve popped in the BBC’s landmark nature documentary 
The show’s overcome a rough start and solidified into a quirky delight, but the main reason I’ve stuck with 
What’s the easiest way to tell a series has caught on? The obligatory special edition re-release of an already existing release, this time being the new edition of the first season of 
While it’s not as abysmal as Back In Action, 
It’s not exactly high brow cinema, but I have a fondness for the farce 
It doesn’t hold a candle to actually seeing him live, but you can get a pretty good, and pretty enjoyable sense, of the tour-de-force fun with 
I’m not sure I fully appreciate the material generated for and presented on Hit Record’s 
The story behind 
When I was a kid, during visits to her house on Long Island, my aunt used to occasionally play us her favorite song – Bette Midler singing “The Rose”. Since then, and because of seeing Better be pretty damn funny during appearances on Johnny’s Tonight Show, I have an affection for The Divine Miss M, so much so that I actually got a kick out of her bombastic, camp, yet joyously showbizzy return to the stage in 
I don’t particularly think anyone was clamoring for a new installment in the Scream franchise, but 
Besides the obvious double entendre in the title, 
I know I had misgivings at the time, but it’s not until all these years later, revisiting it for its high definition release, that I realize just how cloyingly caramel apple sweet 
How do you know a new season of Beavis And Butt-Head is on the horizon? You get the release of 
Gabriel Byrne returns as therapist Dr. Paul Weston in the 3rd season of 
Following on the heels of the incredible Citizen Kane presentation on Blu-Ray, another legendary piece of cinema gets a stunning delivery in high definition – William Wyler’s epic 
If you’re up to mischief, there’s no better way to manage it than with your very own 
Made on the cheap after the failure of Fantasia and on the eve the US’s entrance into the second World War, 
The remake looks 4 kinds of awful, so it’s good that we can go back and relive the 80’s charm of the original 
Every time I’ve heard a story about a lion in the suburbs, I’ve been curious about what other exotic – and dangerous – pets may be lurking in suburbia. Well, 
The kids and hipsters alike will want to snap up 
Set in the 1950’s, 
Yeah, I think it about time we finally get to meet the titular mother of 
If your kids are not quite old enough for Jack Sparrow but love all of the pirate material in Peter Pan, they’ll probably love 
If you’d like to see a “historical” dramatization with shaky history and an unpalatable agenda at work, look no further than 
Scholastic continues to produce their outstanding line of Storybook Treasures Read-Along DVD sets, with the latest must-have collections for anyone with a young reader in their life being 
It took me a second to realize the figure on the cover of 
Much has been made about 
You can never have too much Bender, so how can you not want the 9″ 
While you’re awaiting the next full season box set, satiate your thirst with the latest single disc release 
It’s always a delight to see a loving restoration of a Technicolor age film make its way to high definition, and 
You know what? I’m not even going to attempt to tell you what Patton Oswalt talks about in his newest album, 
The high definition Lionsgate releases of the Miramax catalogue are still coming fast and furious, with another clutch of titles to fill those gaps in your collection, including the toilet bowl cautionary tale 
Ken Burns turns his documentary lens towards America’s drunkest “sober” hour, 
I could hours watching Darren McGavin star as Mickey Spillane’s bareknuckle gumshoe Mike Hammer – which makes the release of 
Here we are, with the penultimate 11th season of the long-running 
Oh, Warner Archive collection. Yet again, you unleash a clutch of titles the only a very few would ever think to ask you about, but at least they are now available to all. First you’ve got Michael Gough siccing his big cats on people in 
Yeah. I really can’t stand 
Oh, Danny Devito. Sure, the rest of the cast is ace and the show is funny, but I’m only really watching the 6th season of 
Billie Piper has one last go as high-class escort Hannah “Belle” Baxter in the 3rd and final season of 
The 200th anniversary specials focusing on the American Civil War continue with the documentary 
For a long time, I’ve looked to the original DVD edition of Orson Welles’ legendary 
If you’d like to organize your life a bit more like Dolores Umbridge, you can leave yourselves reminders and declarations via the 
Oh, 
It’s by no means a perfect film, and doesn’t reach the level of the first Iron Man film, but 
Speaking of Marvel films, another admirable effort makes its way to home video – 
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 
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 
I’m certainly not a member of the cult of 
Even over 25 years later, the Coen Brothers’ debut 
The 3rd season of 
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 
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 
While it’s nowhere near as polished as the most recent big-screen adventure, the 1992 
I think it’s about time for me to be quite plain in saying, as we come to the 7th season of 
You can certainly see a career ahead of him when you view the new high definition special edition of Wes Craven’s 
Try as I might, even three seasons in I still can’t get into 
I’m not much of a fan – no matter how many times I try – but I there are plenty who will eagerly devour 
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 
The mild, inoffensive comedy of it all is nothing compared to the fact that the 8th season of 
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 
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. 
While I’ve become quite a fan of him during his tenure as a Daily Show correspondent over the past few years, it wasn’t until 
Although I loathe JJ Abrams Trek refute, I’m a sucker for a prop replica such as the screen-accurate 
We’re over halfway done, and have moved into the last 20 years of the strip with the release of 
I’ve been waiting for ages – okay, to be honest, only about a year – for my absolute favorite episode of 
One of the loveliest cinematic experience I’ve ever had was during a trip to LA during which I partook of the recent 3D conversion of Tim Burton & Henry Selick’s 
If anyone is set to inherit the legacy of Carl Sagan when it comes to making the 
Lionsgate recently made a distribution deal with Miramax, which means that many titles not yet available on Blu-Ray are soon going to be coming fast and furious. The highlight of the first clutch of titles is John Favreau’s 
The bargain-friendly folks at Mill Creek are unleashing a massive clutch of multi-disc classic TV sets, including 
It was inevitable they’d get their shot at the big time, which brings us 
How about another much-requested Nickelodeon animated title courtesy of the fine folks at Shout Factory? This time, it’s the complete first and second season of 
Despite a stellar cast and a workable premise – a pair of average means parents desperate to get their pre-K daughter into an exclusive NYC private school – 
I know all of those involved in the production of the traditionally animated feature are quite proud of the word they’ve done, but there’s no getting around that 
After months of quickie single disc releases, fans will finally be able to pick up 
More Miramax catalogue titles are making their way to high definition via the Lionsgate deal, the newest being the Academy Award-winning 
I suppose the tween audience that still view it as a magically romantic event still in their future as opposed to an anticlimactic night of drama and angst probably love the goofy, rose-colored sweetness of Disney’s 
Oh, A&E. Now you’ve got people digging into repossessed storage units and calling it a reality series? Have we sunk so low as a culture that we’ll actually sit through a whole season of 
For all its desperation to make itself a loving homage to Spielberg, Super 8 is a crass wannabe next to Nick Frost & Simon Pegg’s alien road trip 
Adding to the mystery presented to viewers all those years ago, the introduction of River Song in the episode “Silence In The Library” found the enigmatic Dr. Song in possession of her very own Sonic Screwdriver, given to her by The Doctor in the future and an advanced version, no less. Now you can own your very own 
If you tend to think of Mickey Mouse as nothing more than a bland corporate spokesman, prepare to be both fascinated and delighted by the incredible comic strip adventures of the 30’s by Floyd Gottfredson, collected for the first time in 
Oh, they’re coming fast & furious now. What, you ask? More classic Doctor Who adventures – this time the Tom Baker story 
Let’s all forget about the American abomination and just re-watch the from-front-to-back enjoyable 16th season of the original UK 
Although only one of them was made as a period piece, enough time has passed that both 
If you’re a big fan of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett’s post-MST3K endeavor Rifftrax, you owe it to yourself to partake of the heightened energy of a pair of recent live show releases that were originally beamed to theaters around the country – 
With the recent resurgence in popularity of Nickelodeon’s 90’s line-up – or, at least Nickelodeon’s acknowledgement that there is a fanbase out there – it should come as no surprise that those fans will now be able to pick up the complete first season of 
I’ve made no secret of my intense hatred – borne of even more intense disappointment – in 
If Pineapple Express was a stoner action flick, than the rather obviously named 
While Pixar and Dreamworks get most of the attention, let’s not overlook the equally enjoyable films from other studios that don’t get the attention, like Blu Sky Studios fun, funny tale of a domesticated macaw intent on returning to his roots in South America in 
I admit, there’s a fondness in my heart for 
Get your fix of manly-man movies in high definition with the release of both 
I’m a big fan of Berkely Breathed’s children’s book 
During that period when Hanna-Barbera was just crankin’ out feature-length specials of just about all of their characters, George & Jane Jetson’s eldest daughter got her own, featuring a witch, a teen idol, aliens, and even Elroy. And the folks at the Warner Archive Collection have made 
Oh, the 80’s was just packed full of mediocre animated series that inspired dedicated fans who’ve grown up to have disposable cash and a desire to relive their rose-tinted memories – Which is why we have 
It’s still not The Hudsucker Proxy, but I’m still happy about the high definition arrival of 
Get your literary drama on with a pair of releases from A&E sure to delight the higher-brows amongst you. The first is the 
Curious how timing works out such that the 5th season of 
See Brits survive a post-apocalyptic wasteland and make the journey to a distant planet to make a new start in 
My nephews will be delighted to see another volume of the Frosty Freezy Freeze fans and crime-fighting duo back for another batch of episodes in 
Some are fascinating, but I’m not one for re-living that horrible day, but from a historical perspective the documentaries collected in the 
If I were to choose the giant robot cartoon that left the biggest mark on my childhood psyche (after Transformers), it would have to be Voltron. Watching the 7 remastered episodes contained in 
In what amounts to a summer comedy storm, a pair of brilliant catalogue titles make their high definition debut looking and sounding better than they ever have – 
Over the years, the fine folks at Thinkgeek have done plenty of cool in-house products, but the one that evokes the most delightful gut response is the 
For years there was doubt they could even be licensed for release, but there’s cause for much rejoicing because the entire 5-film giant turtle run is being released in the box set 
While I could care less about the awful sequel 
I have to make a confession to you – as a child of the early 80’s, I collected Smurfs. I had a lot of Smurfs. I used to search high and low for certain Smurfs. I used to watch the cartoon. I was Smurfy. Well, now that Belgian artist Peyo’s little blue creations have hit the big screen, Abrams has released a lovely retrospective book, 
It’s a middle ground between the sophistication of the original animated Batman, Superman, & Justice League and the more juvenile Teen Titans, but 
As much as I enjoy Tracy Morgan as a comic performer on 30 Rock, the stand-up featured on his first stand-up special 
I enjoyed the small town eccentricity found in the first season of 
I could do without the revised director’s edition, but I am a fan of the original take of 
I thought the first film was goofy fun perfect for kids of all ages, but there were diminishing returns as the series went on, even though all 3 of Robert Rodriguez’s original Spy Kids films are entirely watchable. Now, you can own 
He’s a little bit older and the threats are a little bit tougher, but you still pretty much get what you’ve come to expect from the franchise in 
If you want to see a true comedy of awkwardness that far eclipsed the fictional show that brought it all about, watch as Everybody Loves Raymond creator Phil Rosenthal travels to Russia in order to help adapt a local version of the show in the documentary 
Many fans feel it was cancelled too soon, but perhaps they’ll be consoled re-watching the 4th and final season of 
The little red furry one decides to change his name by adding a “J”, which your kids can see happen (and learn, too) in 
Now that the troubled yet promising series has wrapped, the entire five season run of 
If you’re impatient and simply can’t wait for the full season set to come out sometime early next year, you can re-watch 
As versatile as the Apple cord may be from device to device, its universal length – long – can sometimes be much more than you need, or want, in a given situation. For those times, there’s 
They’ve been released separately, but now the 
You may not be able to live every day like it’s Shark Week, but you can at least spend a couple hours with 
Summer heat got you down? Don’t want to head out? Well, MGM has decided to unleash another torrent of new-to-high definition catalogue titles to make those sweltering days easier to pass – 
It’s not a full season set, but at least fans are getting a clutch of 10 2nd season episodes in the 2-disc 
If you want a perfect example of how an unnecessary regional version of s successful show can suck the very marrow from the concept and leave only a lifeless corpse, look no further than the first season of the US version of 
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t the least bit worried that George RR. Martin might be unable to keep all of the plates of his sprawling Song Of Ice & Fire series spinning with the arrival of the long-awaited 5th installment, 
If you’re not comfortable with the whole touch-activated thing and desire a measure of accuracy, then you might want to try the 
You know, it says it’s from Nickelodeon studios, but I find it hard to believe that 
I usually find Robot Chicken an uneven affair, but they always seem to bring their A-game to their Star Wars specials. While 
Oh, great that these classic Doctor Who releases are coming so fast, as we get the terribly unappreciated William Hartnell old west adventure 
As the cinematic Harry Potter-verse draws to a close, there’s a lot of products both official and unofficial that are being released to capitalize on all of the wizardry hubbub, but one of the most fun unofficial items has to be 
It doesn’t seem that long since the last series, but the spooks at 
After 15 seasons, 
Oh, Russell Brand. I really do like you as a performer, and was a fan long before the rest of the US even knew who you were, but this remake of 
A consummate lawyer who works out of the back seat of his car, Matthew McConaughey finds himself in a violent predicament when he takes on the defense of a young man accused of rape and murder in the entirely watchable thriller 
The third season of 
Shout Factory has cranked up their high definition genre releases with a pair of must-have cheese flicks – Roger Corman’s Star Wars pastiche 
Regardless of which side you fall on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the film 
If you’ve got a big, beautiful high definition television, there’s nothing like kicking back and just drinking in the beauty of the IMAX films 
Are you behind on picking up the DVD releases of Nickelodeon’s most popular preschool shows? Well, now you can catch up with 
I know there are plenty of fans, but I’ve never been able to make it through an episode of 
Tick another one off the most-wanted list as Wolfgang Petersen’s classic 
As if having it as an actual screwdriver or a flashlight weren’t enough, you can now get a pretty snazzy looking 
The kids can have their countless Elmo releases – for us big kids of the 70’s & 80’s, sets like 
Watch the second volume of 
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 
I can’t say that 
While waiting for the upcoming Blu-Ray collection of their classic toons, pass the time with 
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 theatrical edition Blu-Ray release last year did little but make the wait for 
In a world of travel where there never seems to be enough USB ports on your laptop for all of the devices you have to charge, having something like the relatively compact 
While it would more rightly be a better fit for The Discovery Channel, the first season of 
You get a sense that the golden age of A&E and The History Channel is long past when you see that there’s anther Dog release – 
Watching the “Why Is It” extended cut of the ludicrously messy 
As a child of the 80’s, I was well-steeped in the music video culture of the day, which makes something like the behind-the-scenes 
By now, fans know what to expect from Warners deep, dense, impressively comprehensive Harry Potter Ultimate Editions, which means the wait for the rest of the series to get the treatment has sometimes been quite a hard one to bear. Thankfully, we’re nearing the end with the release of 
Although they seem to be agonizingly slow in adding to their offerings – and I wish they’d really dive into the action figure side of things – the fine folks at have imported a pair of Doctor Who board game for the whole family. 
The BBC has kicked their classic Doctor Who release schedule into overdrive, very rightly taking advantage of the modern show’s growing success in the US, as a new month brings a pair of new releases. From the 5th Doctor Peter Davison’s era we get 
I admit, I was one of those who didn’t exactly anticipate the Coen Brothers’ take on 
Like the two previous films before it, the third Jackass film gets a 
Being part of a family of New Yorkers, I’d always hear many a story of growing up in the 30s, 40s, & 50s, but I never hear much about the sort of games city kids of that period would play – which is why I found the documentary 
If you don’t use drugs or live in Brooklyn but want to experience what it must be like, check out 
I run hot and cold on Norm Macdonald, but there’s no denying he has a unique comedic voice, which is well-represented in his Comedy Central standup special 
Shout Factory continues to re-release formerly out-of-print Mystery Science Theater 3000 titles for those who may have missed them during their first go-round years and years ago – The latest two being 
I enjoyed the quirky charms of the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and am happy that the sequel, 
MGM is becoming even more prolific than Warners when it comes to releasing their MOD catalogue titles. The latest batch includes such obscure titles as Michael Moriarty & Yaphet Kotto in 
And if that weren’t enough, MGM has also dropped the adaptation of the Spike Milligan memoir 
It’s not The Hangover, but Ed Helms more than elevates the amiable comedy 
I enjoyed the heck out of the first season of his chat and music show, so I looked forward greatly to diving into 
While we’re waiting for another full season set, pass the time with the latest intermediary single-disc clutch of episodes – 
If you give a Twilight-y take to the story of 
I’m not sure I’m entirely comfortable with the premise of 
Every few years, Elvira rises and a new clutch of fun presentations of truly horrible horror flicks surfaces, the latest being a pair of double feature releases under the banner Elvira’s Movie Macabre – 
I’m all for animated adaptations of classic Marvel comic book stories, which is why having some of the unfortunate material written by Marvel pariah Brian Michael Bendis adapted first cuts deep. The latest is 
Give your 3D TV (or computer) a little bit of art and a little bit of not-so-art with 
Much like Curb Your Enthusiasm proved a radical, welcome breath of fresh air from the standard sitcom, so too does Louis CK’s 
There’s something eminently enjoyable in seeing Liam Neeson stretch his action star legs in 
In a welcome move, Shout Factory has recently acquired rights to produce full-season sets of classic Nickelodeon series, including the complete first season of 
Fans can now pick up the second volume of the first season of Nickelodeon’s inexplicably popular Monkees pastiche 
The problems with Michael Bay’s 
We’re now up to the 4th season of 
While it’s not the much-desired fully-restored Blu-Ray editions fans have been clamoring for, Universal has released the original (best) Marx Brothers films as individual DVDs of 
Who doesn’t want to snuggle with a soft and fluffy blob of sentient fat? Well, if you’re a Doctor Who fan, you can do just that with the 
Though I always get it confused in my head with The Wind And The Lion, I’ve always had a fondness for Jon Huston’s ingratiatingly epic adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s 
Like Sgt. Bilko and The Simpsons, the late comedian Bill Hicks is far more revered in the UK than he ever was in the US, and it’s with that reverence that the wish-it-was-better-done documentary 
Everyone breaks down in the third season of Breaking Bad (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP), as Bryan Cranston’s Walt faces a difficult decision while dealing with a broken marriage, a dangerously reckless partner, and a price on his head. Bonus materials include a trio of uncensored episodes, audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Warners queues up another sterling high definition catalogue restoration with 
The great David Attenborough narrates another must-see nature documentary from the BBC, as their far-ranging cameras descend upon 
Another month, another massive dip into the catalogue for MGM, as they deliver a new batch titles in high definition for the first time – Martin Scorsese’s 
I have to be honest with you – I’m not of the generation that became enamored with the man-child comedy stylings of Adam Sandler. That means I’m not the intended audience who will delight in the high-definition release 
Re-create your own NBC Mystery Movie Night with the complete 3rd season of 
The Warner Archive Collection dips back into the TV pool and pulls up another pair of releases that might not otherwise see the light of day – Part 1 of the first season of the classic 60’s procedural 
Warners has been releasing more and more of their obscure catalogue titles through the MOD Warner Archive, which is why it was a pleasant surprise to see 1933’s 
Of all the recent original animated movies to come out of Warners DC Universe imprint, the one of actually enjoyed and didn’t cringe at is the one starring ol’ Hal Jordan himself, 
The beginning of the 3rd season of 
Oh, James Cameron. I know you only produced 
Or you could spend this weekend plowing through 
If you’re sports-inclined, HBO has a pair of Blu-Ray releases that will delight Baseball fans – The documentary series 
I’m not a fan, but those who are will probably snap up the remastered 30th anniversary edition of the 
It’s not pristine, but Paramount has done a fantastic high definition restoration job on Sergio Leone’s legendary spaghetti western 
Got an mp3 player or phone and want to be able to easily access it while on an exercise bike or pushing a stroller or riding your old-fashioned wheelie bike? Try the 
Before George Lucas became GEORGE LUCAS and coming of age tales and nostalgia became a cliché, there was 
While the Stanley Kubrick library has been available on Blu-Ray for a few years now, it was inevitable that it would be revisited, and the first title to get an even more deluxe treatment is the 40th anniversary edition of 
And while you’re at it, be sure to pick up the DVD release of Malcolm McDowell’s powerful one-man show about his mentor Lindsay Anderson, 
You know those films that you can see once and, though you found it agreeable, you really don’t ever feel the need to see it again? Sydney Pollack’s adaptation of John Grisham’s 
From the famous to the lesser known, 
Back before they were adapted to live action for the big screen, or even live action for the small screen, I remember my elementary school class being ushered into the library to watch the animated version of 
Really, I could care less about the whole vampire thing. The only reason I watch 
Wade into the complete fifth season of the underrated 
You can tick another series off your lists, completionists, as the fine folks at Shout Factory release the final two seasons of Norman Lear’s classic sitcom – 
Just as the show was finally finding its feet, SyFy axed it – which made the second season of 
I have begun to loathe the History Channel, as it becomes a pathetic bastion of hare-brained reality series that don’t even try to apply a thin veneer of historical worth anymore. So what we get now is shows like 
It was seen as a strident, preachy end to The Little Tramp when it originally premiered, but the years have proven what lovely political stand Charlie Chaplin was taking with 
If you’re not wanting to spring for an expensive pad but you need to eliminate heat build-up under your laptop, try the 
It’s always a beautiful thing to see two actors at the top of their game, particularly when they’re both in the same film. 
It’s not Pixar, but 
If you’re looking for pulse-pounding cinematic science fiction, you’re not going to find it in Andrei Tarkovsky’s 
If Apocalypse Now is the operatic version of the Vietnam War, then Oliver Stone’s 
If you’ve held off on picking 
Studios can latch onto just about any day and turn it into an excuse to release a special anniversary edition of one of their catalogue titles, and Warners has done just that with a pair of new-to-Blu-Ray titles ostensibly making their debut to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War – 
Long before Days of Thunder or Hal Needham, 
While Warners releases Grand Prix on Blu-Ray, Paramount digs up the Steve McQueen racing movie 
Previously available, for some reason you can now pick up a standalone edition of Sylvester Stallone’s 
Has the Royal Wedding already come and gone? So fast! If you’d like to relive all of the memories, the BBC has put together an overview of their coverage titled, appropriately, 
As kids growing up in the 80’s, I think we knew instinctively when something was a low-rent rip-off of a far more popular property, and that’s exactly what I felt about the Gobots, which were the bane of any kid hoping to get a Transformers figure from a clueless (often frugal) parent. Relive just how sad the rip-off was with Warner Archive’s release of the original miniseries 
While I wouldn’t say it’s a great, must-see film, 
I think the most endearing thing about Nickelodeon’s CG-animated series 
Have running out of ice roads to be anticlimactic on, the franchise has decided to further move the whole affair into artifice by dropping the drivers into crazy dangerous roads around the world with the first season of 
Via rare archival footage and personal interviews, the History Channel documentary 
You know, if they’d actually given half an effort to make 
Before he moved on to making big-budget blasé blockbusters, Ron Howard put his child actor past behind him as part of Roger Corman’s stable of actor/filmmakers, as the latest double feature release from the Corman Collection will enlighten you with 
This really is a golden age for Doctor Who fans, as the DVD releases of classic storylines are coming fast & furious, with another quartet now available – the Peter Davison stories 
I’m a sucker for a specific task kitchen widget that also taps into childhood nostalgia, so you can imagine my delight at being able to put a homemade spin on corn dogs with the 
With the fourth volume of 
Prepare for Father’s Day with a pair of new-to-Blu-Ray catalogue classics from Fox – John Wayne in 
If you’re a big fan of Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett’s post-MST3K endeavor Rifftrax, you owe it to yourself to partake of the heightened energy of a pair of new live show releases, that were originally beamed to theaters around the country – 
I can’t remember the last time I was surprised by the end of a romantic comedy, as the resolution of the couple-to-be is pretty well set in storytelling cliché by now, so my enjoyment of a romantic comedy comes largely from the journey. 
In the 4th season of 
I wish it weren’t the case, but the eighth season of 
I am not the audience for 
While we’re still not to the season that contains my absolute favorite episode, if you’ve yet to pick up the stellar high definition sets of Rod Serling’s classic anthology series, you can at least start with the newly-released 
While Trading Places and 48 Hours remain the greatest of Eddie Murphy movies in my estimation, it’s a welcome addition to the high definition library to get 
While many studios have been dumping sub-par catalogue releases in massive Blu-Ray waves, MGM has decided to release a wave of many films buffs consider must-haves – 
More insidious than wartime physical injuries, the effects of what has been termed everything from shell shock to post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers is explored in the documentary 
Did you know that Jackie Gleason and Steve McQueen did a film together in the 60’s? Co-written by Blake Edwards? No? Neither did I, until the Warner Archive Collection made 
It’s always nice just to have a disc that you can put in and show off your fancy a/v setup at home – One that looks and sounds pretty darn spiffy. The high definition IMAX documentaries 
Now that we’ve got the full run of the Six Million Dollar Man on DVD, it’s left to 
MGM continues to drop almost a literal ton of catalogue titles via their new MOD (Manufacture On Demand) Limited Edition Collection program, including the David Niven sex romp comedy 
If the big screen live action outing of the Norse god of thunder has whet your appetite for more adventures look no further than the animated feature 
Universal drops a pair of newer TV shows on DVD this week, including the debut season of the Piper Perabo-starring CIA procedural 
The Warner Archive Collection continues to roll out long-forgotten animated oddities from the Hanna-Barbera library with the release of 
If 
It may just be the Atheist in me, but I’m tired of films about priests regaining their faith in the face of demonic presences. It’s like demons are God’s hitmen. So yeah, I was less than interested in 
I know there are many people I love and respect who love 
Hey! Doctor Who fans of both Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor and the Daleks can pick up a pair of action figure sets spotlighting the classic Baker stories 
I’m going to go as far as to say that my favorite film last year was Chris Morris’s brilliant balance between satire, comedy, and drama – 
I’m a sucker for movie vehicle replicas, particularly when they’re diecast and well done, which the 1:43-scale 
The unstoppable Ben 10 franchise continues with 
It seems that Disney/ABC hasn’t only been licensing their TV catalogue to Shout Factory, as Lionsgate also has a pair of series they’re continuing on DVD, as well as a first season entry. The returning series are the 3rd season of the Jim Belushi juggernaut 
A ghost, a vampire, and a werewolf couple looking to conceive a baby… Yeah, we’re talking about the third season of the original UK version of 
Based on Raymond Chandler’s The Little Sister, James Garner stars as the famous private eye in 
With all of the recent British Royal Family foofarrall, dive back into their distant past with 
When a shallow size zero supermodel dies in an accident and finds herself given the body of the recently-deceased Jane – a plus-sized attorney – you get Lifetime’s 
Roy Clarke’s long-running (and recently ended) series gets another classic release with 
If you’re in the mood for a traditional BBC period drama (you know the type), you can now pick up the complete collection of 
If you’re a movie fan and would like some nice background music to play while you’re slogging through your work day, Stephen Edwards’ 
Fill another hole in your Hanna-Barbera animation library thanks to the fine folks at the Warner Archive Collection, who have added 
Based on the best-selling books by Eric Hill, entertain your kids with the animated 
While I don’t think it was one of their better seasons, there was still much to enjoy in 
If you’re in to DIY and want to extend it to your electronic devices, you might have been stumped by the often proprietary screws they have. Well, be stifled no more with the 
DA Pennebaker’s seminal documentary 
Long before John Travolta became an alien joke, he starred as a sound effects man who believes he’s accidentally recorded a political assassination in Brian De Palma’s gripping if in consistent thriller 
In a change of pace from their recent nature documentaries, the BBC turns their high definition cameras on people for the series 
If you’re at all interested in the nuts and bolts that built the Hollywood Dream Factory, look no further than TCM’s excellent documentary series 
It’s hard to believe Sid & Marty Krofft’s iconic 
If you haven’t been buying them individually, catch up on one of the most beautifully executed astronomical documentary series ever aired with 
Years after the release of its debut season, the Seaver family gets their sophomore run out of the gate with 
If you have a youngster in your family, Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures line of book adaptations are lovely gifts to give. The latest is a collection celebrating Asian Heritage, featuring the story 
Before Earth’s mightiest heroes hit the big screen, Marvel has primed audiences with an animated series – and you can now get the first 13 episodes of the inaugural season via 
I wish I had half the energy that Stan Lee has. The man’s got more projects going than Spielberg. One of them is a reality show for The History Channel, 
They were originally released a few years back, but with leaner times and decreasing shelf-space, A&E has re-released 
Earth day may have just passed, but you can still explore the origins of the Earth and the potential consequences of our actions upon it in 
While it attempts to capture the charm and update a classic, the BBC’s new take on 
If you’ve ever wondered what special information the President of the United States might be privy to, you might get a kick out of the documentary 
Take one last look at the brutal members of some of the country’s toughest gangs in