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…)
There have been quite a few attempts to get a definitive, or at the very least accurate, sculpt of Harrison Ford in his iconic role as that most memorable to adventuring archeologists, Indiana Jones. Some have come close, but not even the mighty Hot Toys was able to crack it with their take on Indy from Raiders. Ah, but Sideshow, with their brand new 1/6-scale Temple Of Doom Indiana Jones ($229.99) has finally done it. The head sculpt is the best Harrison Ford we’ve ever gotten, and that’s including the numerous takes on Han Solo, as well. Thankfully, the costuming is just as spot-on, capturing the ragged, late-in-the-film sleeveless version of the character, ready to take on Mola Ram on the suspension bridge as the villain tried to reclaim the Sankara stones. And yes, you do get those three stones, plus the machete that Indy uses to cut the rope bridge, a pair of whips (coiled and uncoiled), his pistol, a satchel, and his trusty fedora. If that weren’t enough, the exclusive edition packs in an additional trio of Sankara stones, crafted of translucent plastic to give the look of the stones glowing.
From the “New Bacon-ings Burger” to the “Baby You Can Chive My Car Burger” and dozens more, The Bob’s Burgers Burger Book (Universe Publishing, $19.95 SRP) manages to take all of those wonderfully groanworthy background puns found on Bob’s dry-erase board in every episode and turn them into actual, honest-to-goodness, you can totally make these burger recipes, courtesy of Cole Bowden. There’s also plenty of show-worthy linking material and artwork from the creator Loren Bouchard, and the show’s writers and artists. Get this book. Get it.
When I was a kid, one of the things I always wanted to have was a Darth Vader Mask (Thinkgeek, $119.99). Now, thanks to Thinkgeek, I’ve been able to realize that childhood dream dark lord of the sith-ing it up. The most surprising thing? Just how massive the screen-scale mask is. Almost ludicrously so. It certainly drives home just how large a man actor David Prowse had to have been in order to pull it off without it looking ludicrous. Which it does on me. But who cares? It’s a Darth Vader mask! I may even be wearing it as I type this! I’m not. But I might be.
While I tend to gravitate towards their more comedic work, like The Hudsucker Proxy and O, Brother, Where Art Thou?, I can still appreciate the Coen Brothers’ more solemn, reflective works, like Inside Llewellyn Davis (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), their somber ode to New York’s early 60’s folk scene. Now it’s gotten the Criterion treatment, with a brand new audio commentary, a conversation between the brothers and Guillermo del Toro about their process, documentaries, and more.
It’s not an instant classic, but I don’t care – I love seeing Amy Poehler and Tina Fey on screen together, and Sisters (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) delivers on that magic, as they play a pair of sisters intent on one last house party after they find out their parents are selling their childhood home. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted/extended scenes, and a gag reel.
While he was a major focus in Ken Burns’ epic Baseball documentary series, there was more than enough left to craft the new documentary Jackie Robinson (PBS, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), from humble beginnings to his legendary career and continued influence to this day. Bonus materials include featurettes and outtakes.
Caught between his mentor and his friends, Robin is in the unenviable position of being the focal point of the latest DC animated feature, Justice League vs. Teen Titans (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP). This is certainly an adult take on the material, so best kept away from young Teen Titans Go! fans. Bonus materials include featurettes (including a look at the upcoming adaptation of Batman: The Killing Joke), and a pair of bonus cartoons. Oh, and if you buy the gift set, you get a nifty Schleich Robin figurine.
It’s an acceptably creepy horror film starring Game Of Thrones‘ own Natalie Dorner, which is enough of a reason to give The Forest (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) a spin if you’re in the mood for either of those things. The titular forest is creepy, too. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, storyboards, and galleries.
Keen on a musical kaleidoscope this weekend? Give a gander and a listen to Johnny Winter With Dr. John: Live In Sweden 1987 (MVS, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP, CD-$11.99 SRP), which features a concert pairing of the two titans, now available on both DVD and CD.
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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All kudos, salutations, exaltations, hurrahs and huzzahs to Darrell Van Critters for assembling a long overdue and absolutely brilliant tribute and celebration of 
To say that 
After mainly focusing on shorts-based released for their DVD line – most likely due to ease of rights issues – the fine folks at Rifftrax have been increasing their feature-length releases, with a pair of brand new ones to ring in the new year. If you’re in the mood to extend your holiday celebrations, there’s the disturbing 
Fox has opened up their vaults again, going all the way back to the high definition debut of one of the very first Academy Award winners, 1929’s 
The surprise announcement that his younger brother is getting married sets off a chain reaction of bitterness and recrimination between the long-divorced but still very angry parents of Carter (Adam Scott), a man who is still caught in the emotional maelstrom of that dissolution in 
Watching Kevin Bacon be Kevin Bacon is the real reason to watch the spotty 
The perfect antidote to the grating US version is a dose of the original power trio in their latest season with 
By the time we get to the third season of 
If you’re in the mood for a prestige mystery that manages to maintain it’s edgy drama throughout, try 
As the new episodes have slowed to a trickle, the Spongebob machine keeps on rolling by introducing a character-centric collection – 
Just in time for the debut of the fifth season (naturally) comes the complete fourth season of 
It’s largely disposable entertainment, but 
Every once in awhile, The History Channel manages to set aside their godawful “reality” programming in favor of something truly enlightening and, dare I say, classy, like 
Get your final fix of the period police drama 
The supernatural Three’s Company that is the US remake of 
Only a handful of releases of the long-running BBC series remain with the release of 
When you can watch the story of a woman on the coast of Scotland who crafts fishing lures that are renowned the world over for both their efficacy and their beauty and be absolutely enthralled, THAT is the mark of the true power of a well-crafted documentary. So do give a spin to 
It’s a new year, so howzabout a new round-up of soundtracks currently available for your listening pleasure? We’ve got Howard Shore’s 
What made the comedy of Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind work so well was the actual musicianship of its principal trio, who’ve decided to take center stage as themselves for 
Having seen it’s uber-cool, nerd-pleasing beauty firsthand as it illuminated my hotel room for both myself and Doc Hammer, I have nothing but praise for the 
Though often viewed as a lesser light when compared with the juggernaut that is Mary Poppins, I’m quite fond of Disney’s 70’s, post-Walt stab at recapturing some of that magic – 
One of the films that I’ve been anticipating a high-def release for is Robert Altman’s 
Long before he had to scream over the bombastic production of the US Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares, Gordon Ramsay was more straightforward, less caricatured, and more helpful with struggling restaurants in the original UK 
After a disastrous, catastrophically bungled second season fumble, 
Not as beloved as the original iteration, there are still fans that are waiting for the fourth volume of 
Ever wondered 
It’s a slow recovery, but the 5th season of 
Though Sherlock Holmes is the only one that has remained a household name, there were plenty of other detectives found in Victorian literature – 13 of which are featured in 
The fourth season of 
More classic Doctor Who hitting DVD with the release of a Sylvester McCoy adventure, 
Bringing a little slice of their True Life Adventures into the digital age, Disney Nature has crafted a new documentary that pulls together a globe-spanning menagerie with high definition-ready exotic locales for 
WWII buff? You’ll want the Ultimate Collections box set of 
The drama and intrigue on not-so-sleepy Wisteria Lane continues in the 5th season of 
How do you know Halloween is fast approaching – at least by studio standards? The Halloween DVDs are already coming out. Disney has repackaged their previously available 
I’ve dipped back in occasionally (like when Dana Snyder guested), but have never really gotten swept up in 
This past season, JJ Abrams returned to TV with 
You know, it’s a shame that the network couldn’t see fit to give 
I’m always delighted when a show that I have zero expectations about blindsides me by being a nice little piece of television. Such is the case with 
It’s unfortunate that 
The previous iterations with a hoot, and I’m glad that Sony is continuing to release some offbeat catalogue titles from the vaults under their “Martini Movies” banner. The latest batch includes a young Michael Douglas in 
With Amy Poehler in the lead and surrounded by a seasoned comedy cast, it makes it all the more unfortunate that 
It’s a shame that Nickelodeon’s other big live action kid-friendly sitcom, 
Hope is in the air that this isn’t the end, but the release of 
Over the years, I’ve hunted and hunted for a good set of portable laptop speakers that are a) actually portable, b) provide good sound, and c)don’t require any outside power supply (including batteries). My current favorite that matches all of those criteria is the 
Fans of Disney animation – both its process and history – will want to tear into the lavish hardcover 
As a complimentary volume to that, might I also suggest 
If anyone was wondering why Bryan Cranston won an Emmy for his role as a sad sack, trying to make ends meet chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides – to hell with it – to use his knowledge to make crystal meth with one of his former students, watch the first season of 
Every once in awhile, someone hits on an idea for a documentary where you just have to sit back and go, “Brilliant!” and then enjoy the heck out of it. Such is the case with 
It’s a 50/50 proposition with kids shows (which, because of my nephews, I’ve been forced to watch a lot of these past few years). Either they’re really good, or they’re abysmal. One that manages to a fun half hour is The Mighty B!, which is co-created by Amy Poehler (who provides the voice of the titular feisty girl Bessie, using a voice fans of UCB will find familiar). The first Mighty B! release – 
Years after the release of the first two seasons, Sony has decided to allay fears it had given up the ghost by releasing the third season of 
Another classic has made its way to high definition with a port of the deluxe special edition of William Friedkin’s 
I’m just this close to over the dopey, one note aww-shucksism of Michael Cera, but he manages to make it work for 
There’s nothing like spending a Saturday afternoon kicking back and watching a 70’s car chase classic like 
Bring a little Hong Kong action to your weekend with Derek Yee’s 
Want a nice primer of a few classic British series? Try 
Although it tries to be Porky’s, Risky Business, and American Pie for today’s kids hoping to sneak into an R-rated sex comedy, 
With the new edition of the musical tearing up London’s West End, take a gander at the BBC’s recent dramatic take on Dickens’ classic 
If you keen on a cheap thriller this weekend, then you’re probably thinking of something like 
