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…)
Until Hot Toys decided to turn their uncanny gaze her way, I don’t think we’ve ever gotten a good collectible representation of Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa (Hot Toys/Sideshow, $204.99 SRP). Sure, there have been plenty of figures and statue that come close – and a multitude more that were horrifyingly inaccurate, but Hot Toys 1/6-scale take, depicting the rebel leader as she appeared in Star Wars: A New Hope, is the gold standard. Take a look at the photos below and see for yourself – they’ve nailed it. I just hope they tackle her various looks from Empire, Jedi, and The Force Awakens.
The second season of Star Wars: Rebels (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$45.99 SRP) not only doubled down its connections to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, it tripled and quadrupled them with Mandalorians, Darth Maul, and Ahsoka’s tale. Bonus materials include “Rebels Recon” featurettes, a featurette on references and easter eggs, and a look the journey of Ahsoka and Vader.
Shane Black knows how to craft a buddy action-comedy, and that’s exactly the kind of skill that makes The Nice Guys (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) such a delight. The fact that it stars a sparking Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling as a pair of mismatched detectives trying to find a missing girl while dodging both bad guys and each other certainly helps out, too. Bonus materials include a pair of featurettes.
It’s not the best John le Carre adaptation, but The Night Manager (Sony, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$40.99 SRP) really shines in the performances from Tom Hiddleston and Hugh Laurie in what is most definitely an engaging spy thriller that hits enough notes to elevate it to the upper tier.
A live action take on your animated take on The Jungle Book (Walt Disney, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP)? Directed by Jon Favreau? Okay, Disney. Whatever. You’re drunk. But wait. Shockingly enough, the final result is actually a delightful flick. I mean, come on – Bill Murray as Baloo? Who thought that would work! But it does! I don’t know what to think anymore. Bonus materials include an audio commentary and a trio of featurettes.
The remake of the original film was a forgettable mess, but the first season of Ash Vs. Evil Dead (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) all of the bloody swagger and gory good time that made the original franchise such a memorable cult favorite, and all due credit for that must go to the return of the mighty Bruce Campbell as the titular goofball. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and featurettes.
I haven’t quite decided what’s more remarkable – that we’ve already had nineteen seasons of South Park (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$42.99 SRP), or that Matt & Trey have managed to keep it as smart and funny as they have. Sure, I don’t agree with every position they take on a topic, but there are certainly more hits than misses. Bonus materials this go round include their usual mini-commentaries, -plus deleted scenes, #SocialCommentary, and a trailer for the upcoming Fractured But Whole game.
A few months back, Doc Hammer (of Venture Bros. fame) giddily told me about the miraculous existence of a bluetooth device that perfectly re-created both the look – and more importantly the function – of an old school Star Trek: TOS Communicator (Thinkgeek, $149.99). Well, he wasn’t just delusional – the folks at The Wand Company have actually managed to craft such a bluetooth device that is every bit as accurate as a prop replica as it is an honest-to-goodness bluetooth device for your phone that allows you to flip up the antenna and make/answer calls. It even comes pre-programmed with a few sound bites from the original crew, if you weren’t already having enough of a nerdgasm. The first thing I did when I got mine? I called up Doc and we talked for over an hour on them. Like nerds. Giddy, giddy nerds.
As much as the products inside, stores can hold a place in our emotional landscape. For music lovers, none hold more nostalgic pull than the late Tower Records chain. From its fascinating founding and rapid rise to its tragic demise, Colin Hanks’ documentary All Things Must Pass (MVD, Not Rated, DVD-$24.95 SRP) is an emotional journey worth taking.
I don’t mind that some of quite legendary Warner films have been relegated to their specialty direct order catalogue, because I’m just delighted they’re finally getting the high definition treatment they deserve. Case in point is the high-def debut of the Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall classics Key Largo, Dark Passage, and The Big Sleep (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP each). If that weren’t enough, they’ve also released Hitchcock’s The Wrong Man (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), Liam Neeson in Michael Collins (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP), and Christopher Guest’s A Mighty Wind (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$21.99 SRP). Cheers and kudos, Warner Archive! MORE!
If you want proof of just how deep the well is at the Warner Archive Collection, look to their release of a quartet of titles from the Hong Kong studio Golden Harvest – Big Bullet, Blade Of Fury, Downtown Torpedoes, and Pedicab Driver (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$21.99 SRP each) – and all 4 are packed with the action and martial arts you’d expect.
They certainly didn’t think it was going to be the end of the road, but at least they filmed a version of the finale that gave Castle (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP) and its supporting cast a proper bit of closure after a rocky eighth season. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, and “The Great Escape” escape room featurette.
Shondaland’s bedrock Grey’s Anatomy (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP) keeps chugging along, with the 12th season finding everyone mired in a constant miasma of drama, but then that’s what you expect. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a gag reel.
As iconic as the original miniseries was, the modern take on Roots (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) could easily have been a disaster for no other reason than feeling like a redundancy that falls short of its predecessor. Instead, it manages to be a powerful piece that stand as a worthwhile updating for modern sensibilities, often managing to pull even fewer punches than the original. Bonus materials include a documentary on the history of the material dramatized in the miniseries.
Over the years, The Doctor has adopted many new and updated versions of his trusty multitool on Doctor Who, and of course that means a new toy version, as well. So, as the last season introduced yet another new iteration, you can now get your mitts on The 12th Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver (Thinkgeek, $29.99), full of flashy lights and multiple sounds. It’s just all kinds of spiffy.
There’s a bit of Marley & Me to the emotional arc of Me Before You (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP), about a relationship that is as celebratory as it is complicated, buoyed by ace performances from Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin. Bonus materials include a featurette, outtakes, and deleted scenes.
I love that every month the folks at Olive release another batch of catalogue titles I feared would never make the transition to high definition. This month’s clutch includes Otto Preminger’s Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon (Olive, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), the original American Ninja (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), and the religious comedy Saved! (Olive, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP). As for bonus materials, American Ninja features an audio commentary and a making-of featurette, and Saved! sports a pair of audio commentaries and a pair of featurettes.
Like dancing? Like hip-hop? Like dancing and hip-hop? Then watch a pair of young lovers try and pull off their dream of a hip-hop version of Romeo & Juliet at a prestigious South African school in Honey 3: Dare To Dance (Universal, Rated Pg-13, Blu-Ray-$22.98 SRP). Bonus materials include audio commentary, extended dance sequences, deleted scenes, and featurettes.
Spend a few hours in Shondaland catching up before the new season’s debut with the complete fifth season of Scandal (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$45.99 SRP), as the season finds the Oval Office up for grabs and Olivia Pope is prepared to grab it. Bonus materials include an extended episode and bloopers.
Pull up a hay bale and commence to chewin’ your straw for an evening in with the 14-disc Hee Haw Collector’s Edition (Time Life, Not Rated, DVD-$199.95 SRP), which bundles together a trio of previously released collections into a single mega-set packed with more corn than a can from Del Monte. Bonus materials include favorite sketches, guest performances, interviews, and more.
If John Waters were to make a German film about a student who rents a bunker room from an odd family only to be sucked into a truly bizarre drama, then it would be Der Bunker (Artsploitation Films, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$22.99 SRP). It’s a quirky little fairy tale worth a spin. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
Fans waiting for the big screen iteration currently being concocted can whet their whistles by dipping into the complete season releases of Power Rangers: Megaforce and Power Rangers: Super Megaforce (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP each). Bonus materials include a featurette and a Zord gallery.
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
##
I have been waiting ages – AGES – for Steven Spielberg’s epic misfire 1941 to make its way to a proper high definition release. Heck, considering the old DVD wasn’t even anamorphic, even that would have been a better treatment of a film that, for all its messiness, I truly enjoy. Just when I was about to give up hope, along comes the new 
Although the story is rather flat and doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny, 
It’s been over 10 years since the release of Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller’s definitive oral history of Saturday Night Live, years featuring plenty of new castmembers and scores of new sketches. With that in mind, as well as the show’s 40th anniversary, a newly updated and expanded edition of 
Every bit as pulpy as the name implies, the first season of 
While the special is fun in the same manner of their first go round with the legendary comics universe, 
In one of those, “Wait, this wasn’t out on Blu-Ray yet?” moments, the Farrelly Brothers’ 
The eleventh season of 
Those gloriously wonderful folks at Shout Factory have rescued yet another beloved but neglected classic television show from the pits of neglect in the form of 
For Doctor Who fans, Mark Gatiss’s docudrama 
After quite a long wait, the fine folks at Criterion have given another quirky Wes Anderson curiosity a high definition upgrade with 
With a script from the Coen Brothers and a fun cast including Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, and Alan Rickman, it’s surprising that 
Hard to believe there was a time that Clint Eastwood was the star of a TV show – and one that ran for eight years, at that – but now you can witness the end of that era with the release of that eighth and final season of 
It was only a matter of time before a documentary was made about the life and career of Vincent Furnier, the preacher’s son better known to the world as Alice Cooper. 
There’s no denying that 
For anyone who doubted that we’d ever see the rest of it, Warners has released 
Catch up on the sixth and penultimate season of 
It’s become a go-to joke for a yokel paradise, but the story behind the Redneck Vegas, Branson, Missouri, makes for a fascinating story in the documentary 
Even though outside success means that the days of Adam, Blake, and Ders are probably numbered, enjoy the merry misadventures of 
As nearly every extant Doctor Who story has made its way onto DVD, the BBC has decided to dip back into their original DVD releases and remaster/expand them into special editions, the latest of which is a story from Peter Davison’s 5th Doctor era – 
The fine folks at Thinkgeek know you can never have too many figural representations of Doctor Who‘s faithful robotic canine companion, so they’re offering an exclusive Mego-scale 
Now that the announcement has come down, the 7th season of 
Oh, 
I don’t watch it as religiously as I once did, but when the trio of Clarkson, May, & Hammond are on their game, as they are through most of 
If you want to see Charlie Sheen have a quirky meltdown in a film that feels like a pale Wes Anderson flick, look no further than the second directorial turn from Anderson’s frequent co-writer Roman Coppola, 
The folks at Scholastic continue to put out brilliant little animated adaptations of charming children’s books with their Scholastic Storybook Treasures line, the latest installment of which is 
This week’s kid-friendly release is a brand new volume of Nick, Jr.’s Team Umizoomi, 
There’s a delightfully dada quality to 
BBC Earth releases a trio of their brilliant and beautiful documentaries to high definition with the Blu-Ray release of 
I’m a sucker for “Art Of” books for animated films, meaning 
Based on a long-running UK drama, 
It doesn’t really hang together as a film, but 
Brian Bonsall was moving front-and-center as Tina Yothers’ hair grew ever larger in the sixth season of 
The kids can pile into the Magic School Bus with an all new eco-friendly release – 
About as far from Frasier Crane as you can get, Kelsey Grammer returns as powerful and embattled Chicago mayor Tom Kane in the second season of 
There are few comedies as gut-bustingly funny as The History Channel’s miniseries 
A long, long, long time ago, at the birth of DVD, one of the earliest releases was a cult classic musical comedy that happened to have had its original downer ending reshot and replaced with a happy ending right before it was originally released in theaters. For the DVD, a black & white workprint of the original ending – which featured spectacular practical miniature effects as the film’s monsters took over the world – was included. And then the DVD was pulled, the original ending was removed, and the film was re-released on DVD, making the first DVD release a collector’s item. Over a dozen years later, that ending has been completely restored and finished off for the 
Thinkgeek time! Worried you or those around you may have had a bit too much to drink? Or want to stop yourself before you get into bad territory? Well, you can estimate your blood alcohol level with the 
I don’t know what I was expecting from the documentary 
While many an armchair collector will snatch up animation cells as some sort of investment, or will cover the idea that they own what is actually seen in the final product, I am a much bigger fan of original production art – the true expression of the artist’s craft, while cells are merely a tracing of that spark. A lot of that very beautiful original production art, from sketches and layouts to model sheets and doodles, is captured in the beautifully conceived 
Disney in the 70’s was an awkward company, desperately trying to maintain the magic post-Walt while churning out a massive amount of live action family films. A few, like Bedknobs & Broomsticks, combined live action, animation, and music in an attempt to repeat the alchemy of Mary Poppins. One attempt that is flawed but is a dear, dear favorite of mine is 
I haven’t really been taken with a Wes Anderson film since Rushmore, as each of his subsequent efforts come across as increasingly affected in attempt to capture a Hal Ashbyian ideal. That said, the most enjoyable film so far has to be 
The 4th season’s heady, happy high of founding Sterling Cooper Draper Price goes darkly sour as Don Draper drifts into an abyss all his own in the wheels within wheels 5th season of 
It’s not the most appealing character design, but while Pixar’s intent is to pull the heartstrings as much as entertain, Dreamworks’ 
Spinning off from Tim & Eric, John C. Reilly’s daft, disturbing creation Dr. Steve Brule gets his very own series and very own DVD release with 
While not a classic, 
After Anne Hathaway was a princess but before she was a Catwoman, she was the titular star of the fairy tale 
If you’ve ever wanted to know exactly why anyone would choose to cooperate with the rise and run of the Nazi regime, 
Long before he became Bond, Daniel Craig starred as an Inspector investigating the mysterious murder of a body found in the titular 
And for this week’s soundtrack pick, we get a brand new, expanded edition of John Carpenter’s original score for 
This week also brings a pair of classic TV releases from the CBS vaults, with the second volumes of both 
Did you know there was a high-spirited western starring Dean Martin and Brian Keith? Neither did I, but once I found out about 
It’s a shame that 
Even when a series gets cancelled, it’s still a safe bet that you may very well see a DVD release, particularly if the show made it a full season – as NBC’s take on the John Grisham novel 
You can’t get further from 24 than Keifer Sutherland’s touchy-feely role in the goopy sci-spirituality mess that is 
Bill Murray’s big breakout theatrical comedy gets a face lift and a high definition debut with the release of 
You’d think it’s be hard to get excited about cups, but how about cups that dry lightning fast? I know! Well, then, get excited about the 
While there may be the occasional element that seems dated, Hal Ashby’s deliciously black comedy of unconventional love 
The more I see of it, the more I’m impressed with just how much of a lovely 50’s cinematic feel the Patrick Troughton years of Doctor Who seem to have. Case in point is the 2nd Doctor story 
It’s been years and a lifetime since Jimmy Fallon last put out an album, at the height of his SNL success – and the maturity in both style and substance shows in 
Setting the stage with stellar releases of both Modern Times & The Great Dictator, Criterion releases another Charlie Chaplin classic in high-def with 
Watching the fifth season of 
I still find the film odd and slightly off-putting, but the visuals are fascinating and the music is fantastic, which makes the newly-restored high definition debut of The Beatles’ 
It’s not my favorite Danny Boyle flick, but I do find much to enjoy in 
Opinion on the film itself may be divided, but there’s no denying the memorable design work up on the screen, the evolution of which is documented in 
It’s not as much fun as the first film, nor the sublime joy of Moffat & Gatiss’s BBC series, but 
It certainly couldn’t be worse than the mediocre first attempt at a big screen outing for Marvel’s flaming-skulled avenger, but it’s still a pleasant surprise that 
Leave it to HBO to make destination viewing out of a film about the 2008 financial crisis, which is exactly what they’ve done with 
I have no affection for sports, but 
Perry the Platypus and the O.W.C.A. take on the nefarious Dr. Doofenschmirtz in the new collection 
Based on Joe Kelly’s recent comics storyline for the Man Of Steel, 
Get the ol’ soap-a-dope going with a trio of first season releases from ABC – 
Say goodbye to Turtle – because you know you never really cared about anyone else – with the 8th and final season of 
The trio from the one and only original return with the complete 18th season of 
This week’s of batch of reality TV releases features the back-to-back releases of the domesticated KISS frontman plodding along in 
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 
I think it largely disappeared from theaters, which is a shame, because 
Want a little bit of quick, cheap work area light with the convenience of USB? Then the 
If you enjoyed the Ricky Gervais podcast, the animated versions made from those recordings and presented as 
After a smattering of single-disc releases, the long-awaited second volume of 
When I first saw 
The fourth season of 
Like most Ron Howard films, I found 
It’s in re-watching it that I fully understood just how mannered and poor man’s Wes Anderson (which, really, should be left up to Wes Anderson) Sofia Coppola’s 
ABC Family’s 
Yeah, Family Guy‘s Star Wars parodies are largely inferior to Robot Chicken‘s, but that’s largely due to the former’s shoehorning of their characters into the roles, instead of being allowed to just play with the universe as it exists. Thankfully, they’ve come to an end with the 3rd and final installment, 
It’s a daunting proposition, revisiting a film that defined the 80’s with the simple phrase “Greed Is Good”, and I’m not entirely sure Oliver Stone succeeds with 
For fans eager for its release the wait for the complete high definition release of 
The idea of carrying on a TV series in comic book form – written by the showe’s creator and writers – is actually a pretty good idea. Sadly, 
The Warner Archive Collection certainly has been going full bore when it comes to their catalogue releases, and have ramped up things considerably on the animated side. I mean, I don’t think anyone ever expected they might one day be able to purchase a complete series set of Hanna-Barbera’s short-lived 
You wouldn’t think a comedy like 
Who wouldn’t want a radio controlled robot you can fit in the palm of your hand? I know! Well, the dream you never thought you had has come true with the line of 
Launched in the wake of Raiders Of The Lost Ark and clearly playing in the same ’30s adventure sandbox, 
It’s only in hindsight that you realize the entire season you spent watching 
It’s a shame that we can only get it divorced from the Jim Henson Hour, within which it was originally presented, but it’s worth picking up 
While most of the attention went to Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, the other magician film, 
Abandoning the 2-disc half-season sets in favor of the single disc episode collection familiar to fans of Spongebob, 
Many doubted it would happen, but it turns out that Larry David did return for a 7th season of 
For those keeping score, the 
Proving once again that their purpose is to really dig into the vaults and release titles that otherwise wouldn’t get a DVD release, the Warner Archive has added the 
On the heels of the success of Hercules and Xena, Warners waded into the fray with 
How many of you remember that 
Tween & teen girls are the intended audience for the extended edition release of the Disney Channel movie 
Talk about a show that just limped along to the end – you can now own the 6th and final season of 
First and foremost, take a moment to celebrate the glorious demise of the ill-conceived American version of Spaced with the news that this July brings the release with the original Britcom that put Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jessica Hynes, and Edgar Wright on the geek map. Loaded with bonus features from not only the UK release, but also exclusive to the US edition, this is a must-have set. Keep an eye out at your favorite online retailer or DVD emporium.
By the third season of 
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 a gem, and he’s managed to keep the plate spinning with his latest tale of slow-witted detective Frank Burly, 
With a new Indy flick in the offing, it was a foregone conclusion that we’d see some form of re-release on the original trilogy – and so we have with the 
Cinema geeks rejoice! Universal has seen fit to collect 10 of their catalogue’s most genre-tastic titles into one box set – 
As much as I liked the “official” history found in the deluxe tome To Infinity And Beyond, it’s nice to have a complementary, unauthorized book about the early days and rise of Pixar to balance out the picture, and David Price’s 
The movie’s not yet in theaters, but everything I’ve seen of Kung Fu Panda has made me keen to do so. It’s taken awhile for rival studios that the way to fight Pixar is not to make knock-off Pixar flicks, but to realize the same thing that Warners did in their heyday – leave the heart to Disney and focus on the comedy instead. If you want to whet your appetite for this flick, look no further than 
I wasn’t alive to experience firsthand growing up in the 50’s, but I’m certainly aware of the shows and celebrities that made up the pop culture diet of that generation. If you’re as interested as I am in that period, you’ve got to get yourself a copy of 
It’s been 10 years since the passing of the Chairman of the Board, and Warners has seen fit to celebrate his passing with a quartet of box sets celebrating Frank Sinatra’s cinematic legacy – 
Everyone’s favorite sleuthing antiquities dealer returns in the complete third season of 
It’s not like I would have paid to see it in the theater, but 
The fourth season of 
Just when my nephews have nearly burned out the previous release, along comes 
One of my nephews is fast approaching the one-year mark, and getting him to sleep is quite a feat with all that teething going on. We’ve found that a big help in the seemingly never-ending battle is Nickelodeon’s 
The off-color puppets are back with 
Have you ever picked up a book and thought “This is an idea that was a long-time coming…”? I thought that very thing when I thumbed through 
You’ll weep, you’ll awww, you’ll get plenty of points from your significant other if you pick her up a copy of the new 
Like According To Jim, 
Surprisingly enough, Sean Combs acquitted himself quite well in last year’s TV adaptation of 
One of those programs that will always grab my attention if insomnia or boredom has me scanning channels at 4 in the morning is anything with forensic examiner Dr. Michael Baden. An all-new edition of