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…)
It’s a little slow-going at times and uneven, but the good of The Fades (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP) far outweighs any deficiencies as it’s a clever take on ghosts and vampire mythology with a nice post-modern twist and an incredible performance from co-star Daniel Kaluuya as the pop-literate friend of our supernatural protagonist who’s faced with the end of the world. Bonus materials include interviews, deleted scenes, outtakes, and more.
Are you steampunky? Have you ever wished you could wear a tiny little folding telescope on your ring finger? So you could feel all steampunky and adventurous and ingenious? Well, Thinkgeek brings you Captain Jules’ Extraordinary Telescope Ring ($29.99), which is exactly what you need – a collapsible telescope (and compass!) that you can wear on your finger. Yeah. That’s cool.
I’m sure it’s just a personal hang-up of mine, but I’m not much of a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, especially as he’s somehow become the go-to guy for vintage biopics of egomaniacal men. The latest is Clint Eastwood’s otherwise nicely made J. Edgar (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which dives into the ultimately flawed grand personality behind the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, and his political kingdom of information.
Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson’s big Tintin film is about to hit home video, and the massive amounts of development and concept art that went into making it is presented in The Art Of The Adventures Of Tintin (Weta/HarperCollins, $39.99 SRP). And, if you get the book directly from Weta, you get exclusive replicas of the three parchment scraps that, when aligned, give the coordinates to find Red Rackham’s treasure. And for those with a fancy iPad, the publishers have put out an absolutely phenomenal app version of the book, with every piece of art enlargeable, interactive turnarounds, artist interviews, and even clips from the film.
And speaking of incredible behind-the-scenes books, now that the massive 8-film series has wrapped, you can explore all of the cinematic magic that went into making JK Rowling’s boy wizard come to life with Harry Potter: Page To Screen – The Complete Filmmaking Journey (Harper Design, $75.00 SRP). Comprehensive (and large), you get a look at everything it took to create the films, from casting and special effects to release – it’s all in there.
For years, Newmarket Press has been putting out some quite nice making-of and screenplay books for various films, and this Oscar season brings a pair of tomes from this year’s nominees. First up is Hugo: The Shooting Script (Newmarket Press, $19.99 SRP), the latest from director Martin Scorsese. Also available is a look behind Steven Spielberg WWI epic – War Horse: The Making Of The Motion Picture (Newmarket Press, $34.99 SRP).
I wasn’t expecting much, which is probably why I was pleasantly surprised by the working man’s revenge flick Tower Heist (Universal, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), which finds everyday folks (with the likes of Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Matthew Broderick, Gabourey Sidibe, and Casey Affleck) getting back at a Wall Street swindler (Alan Alda). Maybe that’s because this comedy is directed by the loathsome Brett Ratner. But hey, a decent flick every 10 years is understandable. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, alternate endings, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
You can watch Tudors and French Cardinals all you want, but in Italy the power center also had a family name, and it’s that powerful dynasty that’s the subject of Borgia Faith and Fear: Season One (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), as we look at the depraved Machiavellian center of the Catholic Vatican, Rodrigo Borgia.
It’s no Shrek, which I see as a definite plus for spin-off film Puss In Boots (Dreamworks, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$27.99 SRP), which finds Antonio Banderas reprising his feline lothario roll for a bit of a romp that finds him going up against the nefarious Jack & Jill. As usual for recent Dreamworks animated fare, the use of 3-D is rather enjoyable, and carries over well to a home theater presentation. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, games, and more.
Fighting the nefarious likes of Simon Bar Sinister and Riff Raff, the dated though still fun cartoons featured in the 10-disc Underdog: Complete Collector’s Edition (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$69.97 SRP) are worth introducing to the kids in your life. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, a featurette, and additional cartoons.
A pair of Showtime series are dropping their latest seasons with the arrival of post-prison new life in the Big Apple Weeds: Season Seven (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.97 SRP) and a post-confrontation Nurse Jackie: Season Three (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.97 SRP). Both sport commentaries, featurettes, gag reels, and more.
Last week we featured Underground Toys’ collector’s set focusing on the villains of William Hartnell’s First Doctor, and this week we’ve got an action figure set which brings together a trio of Jon Pertwee’s with the Enemies Of The Third Doctor ($49.99 SRP). First and foremost, we get an Auton from the 3rd Doctor’s debut story, “Spearhead From Space”. Then we get the fallen Time Lord Omega from “The Three Doctors”, which just so happens to be coming out in a new special edition DVD very soon. Finally, we get the monstrous swamp-dwelling Drashig from “Carnival Of Monsters”. Here’s hoping they continue this line of collector’s sets with the other 8 Doctors… Though, granted, it might be a little hard to do with the 8th Doctor.
I’m not entire surely what Faustian deal the folks at Hot Toys and Sideshow Collectibles have entered into in order to keep delivering truly stunning 12″-scale collectibles, but each new one brings a fresh rounds of “oohs” and “aahs” for everything from the masterful sculpting to the pitch-perfect scale costume reproductions. The latest cinematic legend to get the platinum treatment of their deluxe DX line (with moveable eyes and more accessories than you can shake a stick at) is the 1989 Michael Keaton Batman ($239.99). From the rubber batsuit to the leather cape, the costume is exactly as you remember it, right down to the jagged-bottom bat symbol on his chest. The figure also comes with 3 different swappable mouths (closed, pursed, and bloodied), batarang, throwing stars, grappling guns, communicator, and more, plus a light-up base featuring the bat symbol. Incredible. I can’t wait to see their upcoming Jack Nicholson Joker.
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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Waffles. Who doesn’t love waffles. And Star Wars. Everybody loves waffles and Star Wars. So, how can you possibly resist a Star Wars Death Star Waffle Maker ($39.99), that allows you to cook up a delicious treat that looks exactly like the Empire’s ultimate weapon? That’s right. You can not hope to resist its awesome power. Don’t resist it. Give in to the dark side of the waffle.
It seems I’ve been waiting ages for it to get its turn, but the new high definition edition of Charlie Chaplin’s classic The Kid (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) is well worth the wait, as they’ve done a fabulous restoration job. The film truly has never looked better. Bonus features include an audio commentary, a video essay on Jackie Coogan, interviews, deleted scenes, newsreels, rare footage, and much more.
It was an odd, almost exquisite chore to sit through Danny Boyle & Aaron Sorkin’s meditation on the exhaustingly complicated Steve Jobs (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), as you can certainly appreciate what he was able to accomplish, but you also get a better sense of just what an awful human being he was, in many ways, which makes this less a celebration than a condemnation, albeit with great appreciation for his accomplishments. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and a featurette.
While Johnny Depp’s performance as notorious Boston gangster Whitey Bulger in Black Mass (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is pretty darn powerful, it’s difficult to get past the almost cartoonish make-up job that he’s been given, which gives the film an unintentional gonzo air. Which is a shame, really, because it’s an otherwise solid piece about Bulger’s manipulation of the FBI to rid himself of the Italian mob. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes, including one about the manhunt that led to fugitive Bulger’s eventual capture.
Take a trip down the mine and relive the harrowing true tale of the 33 Chilean miners trapped for 69 days far underground in The 33 (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), with a fine cast of largely unknowns led by Antonio Banderas. Bonus materials include a pair of featurettes and the theatrical trailer.
Olive films continues their fine tradition of releasing high definition titles from deep, deep catalogue with the Blu-Ray debut of the totally 80s Beat Street (Olive Films, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), the romantic drama Moonlight And Valentino (Olive Films, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), and Nic Cage & Samuel L. Jackson in Amos & Andrew (Olive Films, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP).
That’s it. The vaults are empty. The barrels have been scraped. It’s the Poppocalypse. We now have The Brady Kids: The Complete Animated Series (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) on DVD. With its dancing pandas. The 3-disc set contains all 22 episodes.