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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Those fans that have only experience the butchered editions of weird and wonderful The Mighty Boosh that have been running on Adult Swim need to run – not walk – to their favorite DVD emporium and snag copies of the new-to-the-US unexpurgated editions of The Mighty Boosh seasons 1-3 that have now been collected into the massive 
During my mother’s recent cancer battle, she spent her final week at home. While at home, I set up a pair of 
After 10 years spent off the air, wandering the wilderness of feature film development, the crew of the mining ship Red Dwarf return for a brand new adventure in 
The most brilliant parodies always come from a place of deep understanding – and often affection – for the particular thing being parodied. Such is clearly the case with Peter Kay’s brilliant send-up of reality talent competitions whose full title – deep breath – is 
The Warner Bros. Archive Collection does it again, this time releasing 
Really, the nifty on-demand catalogue service The Warner Archive Collection is the only way we’ll get the short-lived and rather mediocre but fascinating sci-fi series 
I was one of the Disney fans who marveled at the clarity that the restored Platinum Edition of Snow White revealed, making the film look like it was made in the last 10 years – not 70 years ago. Well, the new high definition Diamond Edition of 
You can have your fancy, expensive, often bizarre, more faithful, Tim Burton-directed version of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, but I will always, always love and prefer 
I’ve gotta say – I really & truly love the amazing, unique, and altogether nifty pop art books that Abrams Comicarts have been putting out – their entire selection of which is worth a look see. Case in point is the new 
Oh, and also from Abrams, have a look-see at 
Originally created for IMAX theaters, 
After a lapse in copyright that allowed it to move from Warner Bros. to Paramount, 
Slowly but surely, we’re catching up on the releases of Gordon Ramsay’s excellent cooking show, 
You know, I’m not entirely sure it hasn’t been forever since the last season release of the still-classic, still-hilarious 
I have nothing against the Shannon Doherty years of the low-rent “reality” candid camera frightfest 
Even though I find the show the dramatic equivalent of beige paint drying, I still find Patricia Arquette watchable in 
Reflect on an incredible body of work by a much-missed actor with the new 
It’s quite rare when I actually enjoy a romantic comedy, only because the plot developments are as obvious as a truck on the side of your ear, so it really comes down to a decent enough script and a good clutch of actors to pull the whole thing off. With 
Does anyone actually enjoy 
As you might expect, the soundtrack to Drew Barrymore’s roller derby flick 
I really have no other ammunition with which to recommend the CG-animated special 
At the end, the show was a shadow of its heyday high, but the cast of 
Sam Raimi decided to abandon the tepid Spider-Man movies and return to form with the schlock-happy horror of 
Will Ferrell’s big screen take on the schlocky Sid & Marty Krofft Saturday morning classic 
I can’t tell you just how much I really, really don’t like the live action 
I think the final product has been a mixed bag, with none shining too terribly brightly, but if you’re keen on buying the recent animated direct-to-video movies starring your favorite Marvel Comics superheroes, you can now get the whole lot in the 
It’s frustrating that 
I’ve never been a fan of Oliver Stone’s violent social commentary 
Before you gawp at the live action flick, take in the classic animated version of Maurice Sendak’s 
Do people still watch 
If you’re not able to drop the cash for the more expensive Spotlight collections, or just want a nice sampler, then you’ll want to check out 
I tried desperately to avoid obvious swimming metaphors to talk about this title, but in the end, I lacked enough willpower to refrain from saying you should dive right in to the 
Sensing it had been far too long since a new release and that brand awareness might be slipping, MTV has dug through the hall closet to scrape up enough material to fill 
I certainly tried, but I could never find enough of a toe-hold to get interested in 
Many have wondered why some of the flicks being tackled by the folks at Cinematic Titanic weren’t addressed during their Mystery Science Theater run. Personally, I’m glad they weren’t – because it would deprive us of the top notch, stellar writing that a fully engaged and broken in Cinematic Titanic is now giving viewers, which comes from years of additional experience. It’s as if movie riffing has gone Bionic, and they’ve got full kung-fu grip, to boot. If you don’t believe me, check out their latest offering – a wretched waste of celluloid called 
Kick off the new year in a classy way with a pair of new special editions featuring Audrey Hepburn’s legendary star turns in 
With all of the stuff that comes in for feature in the shopping guide, being able to take good photos of said collectibles is definitely a plus. The best way to get a good photo is to construct a light box… But who has the time for that? That’s right – none of us. So your best bet is to pick up the handy 
The UK Channel 4 series 
As with most of these documentaries, there’s much to find fault with in so sweeping a project as 
Never ones to let a re-release go un-re-released, The Weinstein Company dusts off Jackie Chan’s 
Relive all of the absurdity found in each in every episode of 
You know that Blu-Ray has finally arrived as a format when you can purchase a snazzy, high definition copy of a cinema classic like 
I had high hopes for 
There’s a turgidness to director (and co-writer) Ed Harris’s western 
The residents of the Springfield Retirement Castle will be delighted with the arrival of the complete second season of Andy Griffith’s top flight southern lawyer, 
Mysterious abound as we plow through the quartet of episodes features in the second volume of 
The third installment is on the way, which means you can now partake of both of the previous installments of Kate Beckisndale doing something or another in both 
The classic tale of love & power gets a pretty decent update in 
Brad Garrett’s middling sitcom ‘
In the era of elevated morons like Joe the Plumber, a film like 
They still insist on releasing the 80’s Alvin & The Chipmunks series in unsatisfying single-disc collections, the latest of which focuses on the boys female counterparts, 
