Tag: black widow

Weekend Shopping Guide 9/26/14: Meet Some Friends Of Mine

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…)

Matt Stone & Trey Parker show no signs of flagging in the seventeenth season of South Park (Comedy Central, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP), as it contains the truly epic “Black Friday” trilogy, which is the show at its social pop commentary best, The 2-disc set contains all 10 episodes, plus the standard clutch of mini-commentaries and deleted scenes, plus a new #socialcommentary feature, with behind-the-scenes tweets from the official @SouthPark account.

The soul stealers at Hot Toys continue their magical miracles with their latest take on Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow (Sideshow, $189.99), this time portrayed with her updated look in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While the costume has seen only minor changes over the course of her three figures (dating back to Hot Toys’ take from Iron Man 2), the biggest change is in both her maturing head sculpt and different hairstyle, accomplished once again by astonishingly well-realized rooted hair rather than a sculpt. The figure has the usual complement of extra hands and wrist gauntlets (featuring her “widow’s bite” lasers), plus a pair of pistols ad a cell phone. And did I mention again how eerily realistic she is?

Some of the freshest, funniest sketch work being done on TV can be found in the third season of Key & Peele (Comedy Central, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), as the duo tackle everything from paintboobs to PB & J. The 2-disc set contains a best of seasons 1 & 2 special, “The Van & Mike Show”, and a gag reel.

It seems the US is taking a page from the UK’s longstanding policy of quickly releasing episodes to home video prior to a big season box set with the drop of Doctor Who: Deep Breath (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which sports the feature-length debut of modern Who‘s 8th season and Peter Capaldi’s Doctor. To make the impulse purchase a little sweeter, the BBC have added in a behind-the-scenes featurette, a prequel, “The Real History Of Science Fiction: Time” documentary, and last year’s live special in which Capaldi was announced as the Doctor.

If there’s one reason and one reason alone to watch the BBC’s The Musketeers (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.96 SRP), it’s to catch the mighty Peter Capaldi in his turn as Cardinal Richelieu. And really, isn’t that enough? Bonus materials include a quartet of featurettes.

A landmark science fiction anime gets the high definition treatment it deserves with the 25th anniversary edition of Ghost In The Shell (Anchor Bay, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which means if you’ve never seen its mind-blowing craziness, now is the perfect time to do so.

It definitely grew on me, and by the end of its first season, I was looking forward to spending time with the crack ensemble of Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Universal, Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP). The 3-disc set contains all 22 episodes, plus deleted scenes.

Sure, it’s not the Belushi/Aykroyd black comedy I was hoping for, but the Seth Rogen/Zac Efron Neighbors (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) still has its comedic moments, many coming from Rogen aging into the role of one-half of a young couple (with Rose Byrne) whose quiet suburban life in their new home with their newborn child is ruptured when a college fraternity moves in next door, fronted by frat boy Efron. And then they go to war. Of course. Bonus materials include an alternate opening, deleted/alternate scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.

It’s as lowbrow as most Chuck Lorre comedies, but there’s no denying the appeal of leads Allison Janney and Anna Faris in Mom (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$44.98 SRP), which finds Faris as a newly-sober single mom thrown up against her own mother (Janney) as comedic sparks fly. The sole bonus feature is an often-funnier-than-the-show gag reel.

For those of you who still watch the seemingly neverending pandering emptiness and truly wasted ensemble cast of Big Bang Theory (Warner Bros., Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$44.98 SRP), the seventh season is more of the same, including a decided increase in guest stars and wacky t-shirts. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes, the 2013 Comic-Con panel, and a gag reel.

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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September 26, 2014
Weekend Shopping Guide 8/9/13: Sleeping In Light

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…)

Sadly out of circulation for nearly 15 years, there’s nothing that stirs up good memories of a much-missed television show quite like a beautifully produced book, which certainly applies to Babylon 5 At Twenty: A Visual Celebration (B5 Books, $134). Running at 256 pages and measuring 12″x12″ on museum-quality paper, the slipcased hardcover contains 753 behind-the-scenes production images detailing everything from sets and costumes to make-up and candid moments. All with running commentary from creator J. Michael Straczynski. I’m not going to wade into the whole B5 vs Star Trek debate, because I love both series dearly, but what becomes abundantly clear – and what this incredible tome displays so well – is the remarkable world Babylon 5 was able to convey on a relative pittance compared to the much larger budgets of Trek. If you act quick – and I do meant quick – you can head over to B5Books.com and snag what remains of the first printing at a ridiculous discount that you’ll be kicking yourself later if you’re fool enough let pass by. So yes – Go get it. And then revisit one of the finest serialized science fiction shows ever to grace the pop culture firmament.

If you have any inclination that you might want to have one of the collectibles being released by Sideshow and you know what’s good for you, you’d best sign up for their newsletter or risk losing out on a piece during the increasingly all-too-brief window before they’re sold out. Case in point is the recent Hot Toys release of The Avengers-specific Black Widow ($189.99). As you can see from the photos below, the portrait of actress Scarlett Johansson is eerily lifelike, which makes the exquisite tailoring of the leather suit icing on the cake. So I must stress again – Get these collectibles while you can. You’ll regret it mightily if you don’t.

I’ve long beat the drum for the brilliance of The Thick Of It (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$79.98 SRP), recommending it to my fellow Americans as a rare slice of satirical brilliance brought to life by a stellar cast. And the timing of the long-awaited US release of the entire series just so happens to coincide with the announcement that star Peter Capaldi – who plays the foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker – just so happens to be the new Doctor in Doctor Who. Ah, coincidence. Regardless, pick up this set and watch it all. Twice. Then again, for good measure. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes, outtakes, and more.

Having become used to gritty, grimy VHS versions and only slightly better DVD versions over the years, to see the absolute, sparkling clarity Disney has accomplished with their new high definition catalogue restorations of The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, and Oliver & Company (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$36.99 SRP each). These truly are the definitive versions of these films – the restoration is just that impressive. All 3 carry over the bonus features from their DVD releases, while also managing to add some newly found alternate opening, finales, and storylines.

With the documentary West Of Memphis (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), filmmaker Amy Berg presents the powerful story behind the fight to save an innocent man from Arkansas’ death row, uncovering new evidence surrounding the murder of three boys and the trio of teenagers wrongfully imprisoned for the crime. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, Toronto Film Festival footage, deleted scenes, and more.

It gets campier as the years go by, but there’s still a B-movie charm to Wes Craven’s big screen adaptation of DC Comics’ green avenger, Swamp Thing (Shout Factory, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$26.99 SRP). The new high definition edition gets loaded with bonus features, including audio commentaries, interviews, featurettes, the trailer, and galleries.

When you view the brand new high definition restoration of Cleopatra (Fox, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) and see in glorious detail the visual excess on screen, it’s not surprising that the epic very nearly bankrupted the Fox studio. In this modern age of computers making anything imaginable an easy reality, to see the old-school physical scale on display is truly a marvel, even if the film itself is a bit of a dud. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, archival footage, and more.

No matter how much I try, even by its 3rd season, I just can’t understand the appeal of Top Gear USA (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). The trio of hosts have none of the wit and quirky charm of the UK originals, which makes the whole affair feel terribly artificial. But hey, there must be fans, or it wouldn’t still be on, right? Bonus materials include audio commentaries, interviews, extra scenes, and featurettes.

It’s back to the backwoods with the 3rd season of Duck Dynasty (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP), as the real life soap opera of the Dallas of duck calls keeps on rolling. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, webisodes, mash-ups, and music videos.

The releases seem to be coming fast and furious as we get Gunsmoke: The Ninth Season – Volume 1 & Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP each). Both 5-disc sets contain 18 episodes of James Arness’ marshal Matt Dillon doling out the frontier justice.

With the rambling Beat nature of it all, it’s damned hard to realize an adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road (IFC, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), but Walter Salles makes a decent go of it with Sam Riley & Garrett Hedlun taking on the roles of Sal & Dean, and Kristen Stewart adding another emotion as Marylou. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a trailer.

Bronies the world over will be planning a movie night with the release of the first feature-length pony outing My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (Shout Factory, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.97 SRP), which recasts all of the pony characters into oddly disturbing humanized versions in an alternate dimension. Yup. Bonus materials include a featurette and karaoke songs.

Fans of a good ol’ British mystery? Look no further than the seemingly lovely villages of Midsomer County to find a thinly veneered undercurrent of murder in Midsomer Murders: Set 22 (Acorn, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99 SRP). The set contains a quartet of cases, plus a behind-the-scenes conversation.

Expand your Star Trek prop shelf and feature film cosplay with the very first toy realization of the Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan Communicator (Diamond Select Toys, $45.00 SRP). Not only does it feature lights and sounds, but also sound clips of Admiral Kirk, Spock, Khan, and Lt. Uhura. Yes, even “KHAAAAAAAAN!”

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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August 9, 2013
Opinion In A Haystack: THE AVENGERS Review

THE AVENGERS ““ Review ***SPOILER FREE***

In the western world, in the culture of Hollywood, we have made films the apex of a property’s existence. When any creative, artistic or entertaining endeavor reaches a certain level of popularity, respect, profits or prestige we turn it into a film, or possibly threaten to turn it into a film, if its isn’t already a film itself. So we’ve grown up salivating for certain things to come to fruition. Impossible things. For better or worse many of those things in my generation, due to new technology powered by James Cameron’s ego, have come into being as live action romps of varying degrees of success.

Well as far as “things” go, The Avengers is most certainly one of those “things” for me. The good news being that I went completely ape-“fecal matter” for the movie. I sang the praises of Sir Joss Whedon in my Cabin In The Woods review not long ago, and here I’m not even sure that singing is going to do him justice. The man is having a good year, so good in fact that his career is probably going to take a different path from now on. Avengers most certainly has the potential to skyrocket him into the big leagues of Hollywood Event Filmmakers like Michael Bay or Stephen Sommers, but the good news for us is that, unlike those guys, Whedon makes sure to take care of character and story first. However, once those are locked he will let loose on the action spectacle with the best of them. He has the potential to be, and I apologize for saying this, a “thinking man’s Michael Bay.” If you remove all the storied history of the characters involved with the Avengers that is what it boils down to: a Bay film where you actually care what happens amidst all the silliness and explosions. Joss Whedon: Man of Emotional Explosions.

Unlike Cabin though, Avengers is “A Joss Whedon Film,” written and directed in full. I’ve been yapping to everyone who would listen that my main satisfaction with this movie is that it truly feels like a comic book script, as in, a script written with the intention of being drawn, inked and printed for Marvel to distribute. It’s very comic-book-like. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, I don’t know really. I suppose if my hand is forced to explain I would say that is has that ever so sacred balance of comic book reality, physics, logic, and tone without ever delving into being stupid or silly. It’s not cynical of its own source material, this movie is proud to be sopping wet with comic book mythology and atmosphere. At no point does it shy away from the exaggerated world of comicdom. It’s as big, awesome, and faithful to the source art form as Joss Whedon is a fan of that art form himself.

The reason Avengers fires on all cylinders is balance. Whedon is no stranger to the group dynamic in his writing and it most certainly shows here. Thor, Banner, Cap, Stark, Hawkeye and Black Widow all share the screen with things only slightly tipping towards Iron Man. However, that isn’t a problem, this is Iron Man’s film and it makes perfect sense. Cap is still reeling from his 70 years under the ice, his rise to leadership is not cemented especially considering this is an “origin” story of a team. Not to mention, that as far as the public is concerned Tony Stark and John Favreau’s triumphant first Iron Man film is responsible for this whole gargantuan undertaking in the first place. It’s impossible to deny Downey’s presence as well, with a character as “large” as his version of Stark on screen it’s going to take at least two films for the cream, or in this case the Captain, to rise to the top.

It’s an impressive achievement on Whedon’s part as well that Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow not only have presence in the film but actually prove themselves useful and interesting in the face of being over shadowed by a super soldier, a demi-god, a genius billionaire, and the ultimate engine of destruction. Tom Hiddleston proves once again that he was perfectly cast as Loki, at every turn, even when he’s losing he is deep in character without flinching. Chris Evans gives a convincing take on a recently unfrozen and confused Captain America. Chris Hemsworth probably has the most unsung hardship of the entire group as he succeeds in playing Thor with an undercurrent of shame and disappointment in his adopted brother Loki and the horrors he is bringing about on earth. Fans might complain that Thor doesn’t get as much time to strut his powers this time around, but he is mentally focused on his brother and the plot unfolds as such. I think once we get a Loki-free Avengers flick we will truly see Thor cut loose. (Also, I still say that Hemsworth is quite possibly the best casted superhero role ever. The guy just exudes Thor at every turn. Just my opinion.)

Oh, and Sam Jackson knocks it out of the park playing Nick Fury as”¦well”¦Sam Jackson.

There were two huge standouts of the film for me. First is Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson. His screen time isn’t long but the little he gets he sells hard, going so far as to give his character a lot of heart and a lot of balls. Second is Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Now, I admit right here and now that I am a lifelong Hulk fan. The comics, the TV show, the movies, I love the Hulk in all his forms, always have. As a credit to Whedon and Ruffalo I would go as far as saying that with the exception of Bill Bixby, Rufalo might be might favorite live action Banner ever. This is the first time in this new era of cinema tech we get to see the green guy “smash” as a hero instead of a menace and it is incredible (sorry.) That is especially a compliment considering Ruffalo did all the motion capture himself. When Hulk is unleased in this film, especially in the last third of the movie, it takes the “awesome” to a whole new level of incredible (sorry again.) However it isn’t just the smashing that wins me over, it’s Ruffalo as Banner. Much like Bixby, Ruffalo is playing a Banner who was been to hell and back and has begun to live with the curse instead of trying to fight it, this movie particularly furthers that very narrative. Of course all the buzz Hulk is getting from audiences and critics for Avengers is due to the smashing, I’m just saying for the rest of us who love the character this movie has other things to offer as well. Hats off to the design team too, the green guy has NEVER looked more accurate, and just plain perfect, to the source material than he does here.

Thanks for reading and for the love of Thor: STAY AFTER THE CREDITS!!!

May 4, 2012