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…)
The magic wonder-wand has touched Glen Larson’s original, non-grimdark tale of galactic refugees on the run from the Cylon empire, giving fans Battlestar Galactica: The Definitive Collection (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$149.98 SRP). Not only has every episode been remastered, but fans also get the option of watching it in either the original 1.33 or newly created 1.85 widescreen ratios. Both options look great, and the set lives up to its “Definitive” claim, as it also includes Galactica 1980 and Battlestar Galactica: The Movie. Bonus materials include a commentary o the pilot, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
Pulled from the sequence in Iron Man 2 where he has to save himself from being poisoned by his original design, the Tony Stark with Arc Reactor Creation Accessories (Sideshow, $199.99) gets bonus points for not being another of the 50 bazillion Iron Man suits featured in the films, and also for being a pretty good likeness of Robert Downey Jr. As for accessories – you know, outside of Tony’s ever-ready sunglasses – the biggies are the arc reactor, arc reactor core holder, and the pretty keen prototype for Captain America’s shield.
He may have been one of the stiffest, most awkward hosts ever to have risen to television prominence, but it was on the strength of his legendary (and soon-to-be-legendary) guests that he became an icon, and those incredible guests are why The Best Of The Ed Sullivan Show (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$59.95 SRP) is a marvelous time warp. The 6-dvd set contains dozens of appearances from across the show’s 23-year run, including Elvis, The Beatles, Bobby Darin, Carol Burnett, The Smothers Brothers, and many more. Bonus materials include exclusive interviews with guests and the only surviving on-camera interview with Ed and Sylvia Sullivan.
For those that missed the boat on the stellar prop replica put out by Master Replicas ages ago but wanted something more robust than the plastic alternatives currently available, Thinkgeek’s Star Trek Phaser Remote Replica (Thinkgeek, $149.99) is exactly what you desire. As a screen-accurate reproduction of both the Type I and Type II phaser as featured in Star Trek: TOS, it’s pretty darn spot-on. That it also functions as a universal remote control is just downright super science. And glorious. Yes. Glorious super science.
Amazing we got to his centennial before getting a near-definitive documentary on a legend, but better now than never comes Magician: The Astonishing Life & Work of Orson Welles (Cohen, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), a wonderful snapshot of the man and his remarkable work.
In the fallow period between the end of the Smothers Brothers’ show and the paunch of Saturday Night Live, the only destination on your dial to catch the hippest music and comedy acts was NBC’s Friday night staple, The Midnight Special (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Now, you can relive a healthy clutch of episodes via this 3-disc set, featuring a line-up of acts including Van Morrison, Santana, Heart, Jim Croce, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, and more.
The 75th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s final UK film, Jamaica Inn (Cohen, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) features a brilliant new 4k restoration and a brilliant performance from Charles Laughton. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a video essay, and the 2014 re-release trailer.
I loved to draw when I was a kid, and I would often find myself doodling beloved cartoon and comic characters. It should come as no surprise, then, that I own many dog-eared and much-loved “How To Draw” books released over the years by the folks at Walter Foster. For years, they’ve had Learn To Draw Mickey Mouse And His Friends (Walter Foster, $9.95 SRP), which featured step-by-step instructions on how to draw the modern versions of Disney’s core characters – Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, and Daisy. Ah, but now they’ve plussed it with a brand new hardcover collector’s edition, Learn To Draw Mickey Mouse & Friends Through The Decades (Walter Foster, $19.95 SRP), which shows you how to draw those selfsame characters at various points in their graphic evolution, from the earliest black & white designs from 20s all the way to the modern era, as well as including other rare artwork. Both titles are great.
As someone who has observed firsthand the kind of downward mental spiral the befalls Julianne Moore’s character after she’s diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s as the titular character in Still Alice (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), it’s remarkable how much subtlety and nuance Moore brings to her portrayal of a linguistics professor, mother, and wife who slowly feels herself slipping away. Bonus materials include featurettes and a trio of deleted scenes.
Take a collection of musicians including Elvis Costello, T Bone Burnett, Marcus Mumford, and more, add in a batch of recently discovered Bob Dylan lyrics, and as those artists to set them to music – that’s exactly the remarkable process Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued (Eagle Vision, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) documents.
While it’s not necessary to read Before Tomorrowland (Disney Press, $12.15 SRP) before you see Tomorrowland, doing so certainly helps to make sense of the backstory behind the creation of the distant interstellar colony featured in the film, and the secret society of geniuses that created it.
The wonderful work that Criterion has been doing with their restoration and high definition release of the Charlie Chaplin library continues with the release of one of Chaplin’s later works, Limelight (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), where he stars as a fading vaudevillian (and also is the only film featuring both Chaplin and Buster Keaton). Bonus materials include interviews, a video essay, a documentary, an archival recording of Chaplin, two short films, an outtake, and a pair of trailers.
Diamond Select and Art Asylum continue their stellar work releasing Star Trek‘s various iconic ships of the line with their beautiful scale replica of the U.S.S. Excelsior (Diamond Select, $60 SRP). First glimpsed as a state-of-the-art rival to the Enterprise in Star Trek III: The Search For Spock, the ship as it’s represented in this model eventually came under the command of Captain Sulu in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, and as such, the usual complement of sound effects here features 10 phrases spoken by George Takei’s Sulu, and a trio of ship SFX. There’s also a nifty light feature on the nacelles. The ships are really great, and a perfect addition to any shelf, desk, or table.
The story behind Star Trek‘s adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s script for the now-legendary episode The City On The Edge Of Forever, and Ellison” intense dissatisfaction with the changes the staff made to his vision, is well-known within the fan community. Thanks to IDW, those fans can now experience his version with the graphic novel adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s The City On The Edge Of Forever: The Original Teleplay (IDW, $24.99 SRP). While many of the elements are similar in a funhouse mirror kind of way, it’s a fascinating exercise and a unique tale well told, and given a brand new life.
It’s a shame that American Sniper (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP) is as off-puttingly strident as it is, because it is a strong piece of filmmaking from director Clint Eastwood, anchored by Bradley Cooper’s performance as the titular solider who has trouble re-assimilating to civilian life after two tours in Iraq. Bonus materials include a pair of making-of featurettes.
Only the BBC could produce a show like Call The Midwife (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$44.98 SRP), about a midwife from a privileged background who joins an order of nursing nuns in poverty-stricken East London in the 1950s. Nearing the 1960s in the show’s fourth season, social change approaches as new nurses arrive on the scene.
You can never have too many books exploring that legendary galaxy far, far away, so just try to refrain from devouring Ultimate Star Wars (DK, $40 SRP), a massive tome exploring the characters, creatures, locations, technology, and vehicles with photos, art, and information. Nerds! You know you want it!
Listen, I shouldn’t have to sell you on watching a film called Icetastrophe (Alchemy, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP), about a small town and a meteorite that threatens humanity. And it’s a low-budget cheese-fest. How does that not sell itself? Seriously!
It’s certainly not a classic, but there’s certainly laughs to be found in the first season of CPO Sharkey (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP), a largely forgotten 70s sitcom that starred Don Rickles as the Navy’s caustic answer to both Sgt. Bilko and Archie Bunker, with an often un-PC bent. The bonus features are limited to a single Tonight Show clip, but it’s a real gem, as it features Johnny Carson dropping in on the set of Sharkey to have words with Rickles.
Better late than never comes Breaking Bad: The Official Book (Sterling, $19.95 SRP), which is the perfect companion compendium to a modern television classic. With in-depth looks into every episode and character plus exclusive insights from the cast and crew (plus a brand new interview with creator Vince Gilligan), it’s definitely an addictive read.
Scott Glenn has always been an actor capable of holding my attention in anything he’s in, and he remains so as a serial killer hiding out in a small town as The Barber (Arc Entertainment, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$20.99 SRP). But when the son of a detective – who took his own life in frustration at his inability to solve the case – arrives in town, his carefully constructed cover is jeopardized.
Rescued from the mists of time, the classic newspaper strip adventures of the man of steel and the dark knight detective continue with Superman: The Silver Age Dailies 1963-1966 (IDW, $49.99 SRP) and Batman And Robin: The Silver Age Dailies And Sundays 1968-1969 (IDW, $49.99 SRP), which is the second of three volumes collecting the strip that was relaunched to coattail the success of the TV series. Oh, and while you’re at it, pick up the deluxe Superman: Sunday Pages 1946-1949 (IDW, $49.99 SRP), which are presented in all of their large format glory.
If, like me, you still mourn the passing of quality history-based content on The History Channel, the photo and info-dense World War II: The Definitive Visual History (DK, $40 SRP) is just the comprehensive coffee table paperweight for you. Presented by the Smithsonian, it covers the entire conflict, from the Blitzkrieg to the Atom Bomb.
It’s a bit frustrating that Nickelodeon still hasn’t given their beautiful new Ninja Turtles series proper high definition season sets like Cartoon Network has been doing for Adventure Time, because the show certainly deserves it. Until then, we’re getting standard definition single-disc releases like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Pulverizer Power (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), which features a trio of previously-released episodes featuring the titular misbegotten young man, who eventually winds up becoming Mutagen Man. And, in a weird curveball, they’re also dropping a 3-episode single disc release from the 2003 series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Search For Splinter (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP).
Fish out of water culture clash comedy is always fertile territory, and Greg Poehler’s Welcome To Sweden (E1, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP) is a sharp, witty venture into that territory focusing on Poehler’s Bruce, a New Yorker who follows his Swedish girlfriend home. The show smartly builds its characters first and hangs the culture comedy on it. Give it a spin.
Well, I mean, the best you can say for the direct-to-video animated special Batman Unlimited: Animal Instincts (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP) is that it’s an unapologetically middling confection intended mostly to sell toys, and also has the good sense to cast Dana Snyder as the voice of The Penguin. So, it has that going for it. Bonus materials include DC Nation shorts, 2 bonus cartoons from the DC Comics Vault, and a Penguin featurette.
History buffs with fond memories of parking in front of the pre-Aliens and idiots heyday of The History Channel will lose themselves in Historic Tanks & Battles Of WWII (Eagle Vision, Not Rated, DVD-$17.98 SRP), a 3-disc collection of documentaries that are just what the title says.
A Russian family man tries to extricate itself from under the thumb of a corrupt mayor in the gripping import Leviathan (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), but his attempts to fight back with the help of an old friend has unintended consequences. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a featurette, Q&A, and deleted scenes.
When 3 soldiers – one Lebanese, one Israeli, and one American – are accidentally trapped together when a lockdown mechanism is triggered in a secret base, the trio are forced to either work together or die together in the dramedy Bordering On Bad Behavior (Inception, Not Rated, DVD-$26.98 SRP). And it stars Tom Sizemore. You can’t go wrong with Tom Sizemore. Right?
Kiddies can learn their math skills with Team Umizoomi: Meet Shark Car (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring a quartet of episodes focusing on numbers, shapes, measurements, and more. And with that out of the way, they can tackle niceties with Max & Ruby: Sharing & Caring (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP). For just entertainment value, the kids can then dive into Bubble Guppies: The Puppy And The Ring (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), Team Umizoomi: Umi Space Heroes (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP), Dora’s Explorer Girls: Our First Concert (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$12.99 SRP), and Dora The Explorer: Dora Saves Fairytale Land (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP).
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends both human and furry star in various canine-themed tales in Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best In Show (Fox, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring a trio of four-legged tails.
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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Have you noticed which much-desired films have been largely absent on Blu-Ray until now? Don’t worry – I’ll tell you, because that gross oversight has been rectified in wonderful fashion with the 15-film 
Thinkgeek time! You can never, ever have too many USB ports. You know this to be the case. That’s why something like the 
Shout Factory continues to prove themselves the ideal company when it comes to releasing classic television series, and kudos to Sony for turning over titles from their library, as it gives us remarkable definitive collections like 
You know the holidays have arrived when the new-to-high-def catalogue releases start becoming holiday titles, which is exactly what we’ve got with the 
I’m not a fan of Brendon Small’s off-putting egofest, but I know there are lots of people out there excited to hear that 
Sadly, 
There are hundreds, if not thousands of films released in the last 20 years that did not make a big enough splash at the box office or on VHS that hopes for an eventual Blu-Ray release would seem to be rather dim, at best. Flying in the fact of that with an incredibly economical package is the clutch of new double feature Blu-Ray discs from Mill Creek’s distribution deal with Buena Vista – 
By the 5th and final season of 
After being pressured into reading the books by the taskmaster John Hodgman, I quickly became a fan of George RR Martin’s sprawling fantasy series A Song Of Ice & Fire. It was with excitement and some trepidation that I awaited the arrival of HBO’s adaptation of the first book, taking its title as the title of the overall television series – 
You want to make all of those videos you’re filming with your tiny little iPhone look even better, right? Well, the 
It’s not one of their official 100th anniversary releases, but there’s certainly something to celebrate about the high definition release of Alfred Hitchcock’s 
The Universal 100th anniversary celebration continues with a quintet of catalog releases – 3 on DVD and 2 new-to-Blu-Ray. The trio of standard definition titles are William Powell & Carole Lombard in 
If you want a trip down memory lane but don’t feel like shelling out for a full season set, Paramount’s “Fan Favorites” line (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each) features single-disc “best of” releases from 7 different classic series, selected from across their full run. These series featured in this initial wave are 
The BBC are releasing the additional seasons from a trio of their dramas, dropping 
I’m still not entirely sure why a remake of 
Fans rejoice, for another new collection of true adventure comes to DVD with 
Those lovely nature documentarians at the BBC dive into the fascinating lives of whales and dolphins with 
In what has become de rigeur for any marginally successful film, fans of the film are getting a deluxe presentation of Ben Affleck’s Bostonian heist flick with 
Currently available as a Target exclusive, the complete second season of 
The sad thing is that 
I am a sucker for feature film restorations that bring a film back from the brink, and Paramount has done truly amazing work on the first feature film to win the Best Picture Academy Award in 1927, William A. Wellman’s World War I aeronautical masterpiece 
Every once in awhile, the fine folks at Thinkgeek conjure up a specially-produced item that strikes just the right geek nerve, and such is the case with the 
Only on Adult Swim could you have 
When you think you’ve tapped an idea out, why not go back to the beginning? That’s the premise behind 
If you’d like a clear view on just how conflicted the History Channel is when it comes to presenting fact and fiction, their latest batch of releases is a perfect representation. In the good column are the exploration of the last ice age, 
The Muppets of Sesame go superheroic in their latest DVD – 
It may be difficult on the wallet, but I like MGM’s batch dropping of high definition catalogue titles, particularly as this wave contains the Hitchcock films 
MGM has also released another clutch of their limited edition MOD titles, this time including the white water rafting Animal House flick 
Scholastic returns with another pair of Storybook Treasures releases – 
Not as noir-riffic as their take on Batman, Bruce Timm & Paul Dini still delivered a definitive version of the Man of Steel that trumps all but the original Donner film – and it can all be yours with 
If last year’s 20th anniversary set featuring the collectible Crow T. Robot figurine was anything to go by, I’d recommend snatching your copy of the limited edition 
It’s quite rare to encounter a new sitcom that I not only like, but swiftly fall in love with. Well, I can now add 
Get the bad taste of the US remake out of your mouth by re-watching the second (and final) season of the original UK 
I got exactly what I expected from 
Lionsgate has just dropped a boatload of their catalogue titles into the high definition arena, with one big highlight for me. There was a time when it seemed 
No, I will not say it’s a good film, but there’s a lot of goofy fun to be found – at least my young nephew did – during 
A truly groundbreaking comic performer and television innovator that should be required viewing for anyone claiming to have an affinity for comedy gets a nice introductory set via 
If you go into 
Packed to the hilt with guest stars like Steve McQueen and Walter Matthau and hosted by its titular master of suspense, 
Maybe one day someone will find the closet that the real Robert Rodriguez has been locked in for the past few years. In the meantime, the Pod-riguez is delivering tepid kiddie cinema like 
If I had my druthers (which I do), I’d like to ignore that Torchwood ever existed as a Doctor Who spin-off and focus entirely on 
Animation makes the transition to live action with the made-for-TV 
Pull out all of the teeth of the original and make the sense of “Gotta keep the franchise churning” palpable, and you’ve got the not-terribly-interesting 
It’s a little bit House, a little bit Chicago Hope, and a little bit Grey’s Anatomy – it’s 
The lawyer with the golden briefs returns with the second volume of it’s 3rd season – otherwise known as 
I’ve become quite tired of Michael Cera, so I was pleased that 
In the mood for a middling little horror flick that’s at least an improvement over channel surfing? Wondering whatever happened to Thora Birch & Brittany Murphy? Well, you’ll find them both in 
What happens when you team up two of the most pigmentally-challenged humans on Earth and give them superpowers? You get Jim Gaffigan & Conan O’Brien (voiced by Gaffigan) in 
Guy Ritchie has been a scattershot writer/director over the years, but the film that put him on the map – 
When I interviewed Berke Breathed a few years back, I asked him if there would finally by a comprehensive Bloom County collection like the recently available Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts volumes. Breathed was dismissive of the idea, claiming that no one wanted to read the strip, that it was no longer relevant, and it just wasn’t going to happen. Well, a few years have gone by, someone talked a bit of sense into him, so we have the first, glorious volume of 
Ever wish you had the ability to switch something on and off with a regular ol’ wall switch? Like a lamp, or a game system? But without having to have the switch be on the wall? And have it be wireless? Well, now you can, with the 
I’m often baffled by their selection process, but the one thing the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame manages to impress with on a rather consistent basis is the musical performances of the inductees – and tributes from other artists who perform their work. With a roster that includes everyone from Paul McCartney and The Doors to John Lee Hooker and Little Richard, it’s an eclectic bunch, to be sure. For those who’ve never caught the ceremonies in the past – or just want to relive the music – Time Life has delivered an incredible collection across 9 volumes – 
Hitchcock’s classic 
Another strip which IDW has begun collecting is Bil Keane’s precocious kids via the 
A very close second to the original cross-country trek of the Griswold clan, I’m a big fan of 
It’s the holidays, which means some classic perennials are getting an upgrade and re-release just in time for seasonal viewing. Getting the high definition treatment is Frank Capra’s 
There are unique minds, and then there are uber-unique minds… Minds which create their own sphere of reality, daring others to step within the range of its influence and be swept away. One of those minds is Tony Millionaire, whose work has been given a must-have hardcover tome in 
Long, long after the release of the penultimate 3rd season and a poorly-packaged complete series box set, everything is made right with the release of 
More so even that ET, 
By its 3rd season, 
Whereas the live action film was a mess, I thought that 
You know that great Saturday Night Live book from a few years back – the one by Tom Shales that features dozens of interviews telling the tale of the show’s history in a remarkably candid way? Well, Author Mike Thomas has done the same thing for the legendary improvisational group which spawned many an SNL castmember – and comedy icon – with 
While it’s not the educational films I would have liked to have seen in the series (or Song Of The South), I welcome the Walt Disney Treasures release of both 
I’m not exactly sure what the concept is behind 
Bit by bit, we’re getting DVD releases of all of the various Saturday morning animated iterations of the DC superheroes, and the latest to get its time on plastic is the short-lived 
There’s nothing quite so electrifying as Muhammad Ali in interviews, even those when he was in the early years of his decline, and you’ll find plenty of them in 
Really – it seems like there are an unlimited number of classic Doctor Who adventures. Are we even close to getting them all on DVD? They just keep coming and coming. Latest is an arc from the Peter Davison years – 
I know I should be swept up in its formulaic, rom-comminess, but there’s an unavoidable charm to Richard Curtis’s 
It may not be a very well-written or executed superhero cartoon, but I have find childhood memories of the episodes contained in 
It may not be as polished as the films of Pixar, but there’s a lot of charm and energy in the Ice Age series, and I was surprised to find out that there was still some steam in 
How do you make sure the DVD re-release of 
It’s certainly not the holidays without penguins, right? Right. Which makes 
In the vein of goofy babysitter flicks of the 80’s like Batteries Not Included and Spaced Invaders comes the kids & extraterrestrials romp 
It’s not the sharpest, most clever of political commentary, but there’s a certain closure to Will Ferrell’s Broadway outing 
The TV show releases are wrapped, which brings us to the first volume of 
As a tour guide into the work of Charles Darwin and his landmark theory of evolution, one couldn’t hope for a better, more engaging host than Sir David Attenborough, who takes by the hand on 
I admit, there was a schlocky appeal to the first Wrong Turn, and it’s always worth watching Eliza Dusku (well, except in Dollhouse – there’s nothing about that worth watching. But with Eliza long gone, there’s very little to 
It’s not only the picture frame that’s expanded in the third season of 
OK, there is something blatantly geeky about keeping your change in a bank that’s also an exact replica of the 
Much like Freaks & Geeks and Arrested Development before it, another brilliant but short-lived series comes to DVD, where it will hopefully be discovered by those who didn’t get to experience it during its first go-round. So what series am I celebrating this time? 
For years now, I’ve been reiterating that you should buy, post-haste, the comedic sci-fi novels of Simpsons writer John Swartzwelder. Every one so far has been the delightfully quirky literary equivalent of a fine gem, and the greatness keeps on coming with his latest tale of slow-witted detective Frank Burly, 
As much as I love RiffTrax, it’s with Cinematic Titanic that I feel like I’ve come home to the Mystery Science Theater experience that I fell in love with lo’ those many years ago. Awful movie? Check. Brilliantly, hilariously eviscerating comedy at said film’s expense? Check. An endearingly goofy conceit prompting the experience? Check. The folks behind MST? Check. So what’s their latest target? A cheesy vampire flick called 
For years it’s been available in a sub-par 4×3 version, but finally the first (and best) Sesame Street feature film gets so much-deserved respect with the newly-remastered, widescreen edition of 
When a comedian decides – at the age of 32 – to write his autobiography, it’s understandable to be a bit wary. But when that comedian is Russell Brand – and the tome deals in large part with his years of heroin and sex addiction – my curiosity is piqued. The book itself – whimsically titled 
Picking up where Casino Royale left off, 
What many people consider to be the worst Bond film – even though it’s technically not in the Bond canon proper – is Sean Connery’s last turn, 
Add another must-have title to the list of those that have finally made it to Blu-Ray with the arrival of 
Letterman, Leno, Conan, and Kimmel may get all of the attention, but the brilliant dark horse of late night TV is Craig Ferguson. Most don’t know that the lost of The Late Late Show was also a stand-up, but you can easily rectify that lack of knowledge by picking up his brand new stand-up DVD, 
Knowing its tortured production history, I had pretty low expectations for the Disney (non-Pixar) CG animated film 
While most catalogue high-def releases have focused on comedies and action flicks, the drama side of things gets serviced with a trio of new releases to Blu-Ray – 
If you walked out of Watchmen wanting to recreate the aural experience, there’s a pair of discs that fit the bill. For the songs featured in the flick, you’ll want 
Of the more recent crop of Disney animated flicks, one of the few I’d say is a classic on par with their golden age is 
It was occasionally a bit rocky, but I wound up enjoying 
Filmed in 1993, Rod Stewart’s stint on Unplugged was a rousing, rollicking jaunt through his back catalogue, with Ronnie Wood by his side. The CD has been re-released with a pair of bonus tracks as 
I’m delighted that Paramount has decided to stick with their remastered, 2-disc special editions they’ve branded as the “Centennial Collection”. The latest releases are Alfred Hitchcock’s 
I am not a teenage girl or an emotionally needy woman, so the 
Many nerds noted the absence of the comic book story 
If you want a bit of the great outdoors this weekend, you might want to check out a pair of new releases from Animal Planet. 
Originally available as an exclusive pack in with Kung Fu Panda, the animated follow-up 
See just how fun, frolicsome, and positively risqué pre-Code Tinseltown was in the 
I’m not a terribly big fan, so the less I say about the CG animated Star Wars series the better. Suffice it to say, the first episode collection, 
I could say that the latest Cinematic Titanic offering, 
When I travel, I always have far too many electronics, far too many cords, and not nearly enough USB ports on my laptop to charge things. It’s always nice to have a backup plan, and the 
I’d say that reaching the 10th volume of the still-must-have collection of Charles Schulz’s groundbreaking strip is certainly worth celebrating – particularly when 
It seems that Criterion is systematically going back and revisiting some of their more popular catalogue titles and giving them rather stunning new high-definition transfers and some new bonus features, and the latest title to get the A+ treatment is Robert Altman’s 
Some may be watching slasher flicks this Halloween, but I will be celebrating All Hallow’s Eve by taking in the new Blu-Ray edition of Mel Brooks’s 
George Lucas managed to extend his death grip into another beloved franchise, clutching Steven Spielberg in one claw and Indiana Jones in the other, and managing yet again to produce a lame monstrosity instead of what should have been a triumphant return of a cinema hero. Such was the travesty of 
All of the focus is on his stellar performance in Iron Man, but another of Robert Downey, Jr.’s great turns is getting a new special edition DVD – his starring role in the life of The Little Tramp, 
I don’t think it was as strong as the first season, but I still enjoyed the second season of 
In the wake of the Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney Vault titles – those wonderful collections of text and reproductions of rare ephemera – we now get 
I’ll be perfectly honest with you – I was not a huge fan of The Matrix. I enjoyed the flick for what it was – a minor mind-f*** whose special effects and energy thankfully cancelled out most of its banal, overcooked pseudo-philosophizing and messianic overtones. But then came the sequels, which both – in quick succession – managed to top each other on the “Someone actually wrote this crap?” scale. Declining box office was proof enough – a fair number of fans who though The Matrix was the second coming (make your own jokes) left the theater feeling betrayed by creators who obviously had their grip locked firmly on something besides the story. Originally released in on standard DVD – and then the now-defunct HD-DVD – the 6-disc 
Packaged in a handsome lucite slipcase, the 
I caught an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! the other day, and if any show can rightfully claim the mantle of “Kiddie Show Beloved By Stoners”, it’s this intriguingly bizarre combination of music and costumed characters, If you doubt me, check out 
While you’re pining for the next Spongebob season set, get a quick fix of recent episodes with 
In the VH1 series 
In these troubled, troubling times, I recommend anyone with an open mind should check out the wonderful documentaries of Richard Dawkins, conveniently collected in 
Easily the film that cemented William Hurt as an actor to be reckoned with – and a bizarre one, at that – was his turn in 
Sweeping and epic in the most glorious, classic sense of the word, the foreign language 
If you’re the head of NASA’s multi-million dollar manned mission to Mars and you find out that to send the astronauts would result in disaster, what would you do? Well, if you were the head of the mission in the cult classic 
It was truncated due to the writer’s strike, but the eighth season of 
It may not be brilliant, but there’s certainly something loveable about any show that casts both Patrick Warburton and David Spade. 
I’ll be honest with you – the only real reason that I ever watched an episode of 
Indulge your schlock horror bone with the brand new Ghost House Underground imprint, formed by Ghost House Pictures founders Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, which debuts with 8 titles full of terror and gore aplenty (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). The launch titles include 
It could have been a hokey mess – and there is still some hokinees about – but 
His time in office may be fast coming to an end, but you can still watch the second season of 
Science nerds (like me) can geek out to the complete second season of 
It has been a long, long time since the release of the second season, but fans and interested parties can now partake of 
Terence Malick’s epic tale of Captain John Smith and the Jamestown settlement’s relations with the Native American populace, 
As much as I loved the first season of 
I’ve described in the past my utter delight in gadgets that magnify things – going all the way back to childhood – and the ultimate high-end version of that is the 
For criminy’s sake – it’s taken forever, but we in the US have FINALLY gotten a box set containing all of the various travel documentaries hosted by Python Michael Palin in the uber-wonderful 
I can’t even begin to express just how delighted I am with the 50th anniversary edition of Orson Welles’ classic venture into film noir, 
It’s hard to believe that we’re already up to the fourth volume of 
This makes the thirteenth or fourteenth time they’ve been released on DVD, but a trio of Alfred Hitchcock’s certifiable classics have been given remastered 2-disc special editions – 
Get all of your festive holiday specials with the 
Another of the classic – well, mostly classic – stop motion Rankin/Bass holiday specials makes its way to DVD with 
I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I am that – despite brilliant, newly remastered sound and picture – the new edition of Tim Burton’s 
Although the story is rather flat and doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny, 
It seems like there’s no end to the classic Doctor Who adventures still in the vaults, as we get not only a Tom Baker adventure with 
Of a more recent vintage, there’s the animated 
Although launched as a Doctor Who spin-off aimed at the teen market, I find 
As beautiful and memorable as it is, do not show 
Well, we’ve finally hit the wall. The eleventh season of 
Though I’m getting a bit tired of all of the South Park best-ofs that are coming down the pike, at least the 2-disc 
From years of watching it during my frequent Nick at Nite binges when the block first began all those years ago, I have the theme tune to 
There’s nothing like sparkling fresh Ray Harryhausen, and that’s exactly what you’ll see with the new 50th anniversary edition of 
Fill up your pre-Halloween viewing with the new Blu-Ray edition of 
Peyo’s little blue mushroom-dwelling creations are back in 
Not only does 
There have been dozens of releases featuring the numerous episodes that have moved into the public domain, but Paramount has finally put out the official second season set of 
Certainly on the “to give to my nephews” list this holiday season is 
Even over 20 years later, there’s no denying that Kathleen Turner’s performance in 
Most don’t think of the man in black when they think of the holiday season, but the 
Set in 1945 on a navy cargo ship far from battles in the Pacific theater, 
You know when a band puts out a lackluster EP of material that’s been sitting around, as a stop-gap instead of releasing a new album? That’s exactly what Michael Moore’s 
Has it really been that long since the last 
The ragtag band of global crimefighters led by Jim Phelps returns in the complete fifth season of 
A must-have from the vaults, be sure to pick up and give a spin to the 1945 adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 
Even the kiddies with their eyes normally glued to Nickelodeon can begin celebrating the holidays with 
I must admit, I was surprised that 
The only reaction that I got from M. Night Shyamalan’s