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…)
Last year, Sideshow made quite the splash with their absolutely incredible 1/6-scale R2-D2, from accurate detailing and a ridiculous amount of accessories right down to its impressive lighting effects. The only downside, however, has been the tortuously long wait for his persnickety companion. But that wait is now over. And was it worth it? Yes. Yes. A thousand times YES. The 1/6-scale C-3PO ($229.99) is, if not perfect, pretty damn near to perfect. The sculpt and paint job are spot-on to his appearance in A New Hope, including the forehead dent from the Tusken Raider attack (the Sideshow exclusive version include a swappable bonus arm stump from that tussle’s aftermath). He’s fully articulated right down to his fingers, and even the hydraulics on his arms slide. Best of all, though, is the light feature for his eyes, which is activated via a touch sensor on the back of his head. So yes, this IS the droid you’re looking for.
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.
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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Criminally unavailable on DVD in any proper and suitably loving presentation until now, the loveable chaps at Shout Factory have released 
And what better Jack Benny chaser is there than 
The art of animation reduced down to its most primal level is the magic to be found in 
While the show in many ways hasn’t aged very well with very uneven seasons, kudos must once again be paid to Paramount for the absolutely stunning restoration and high definition remastering job they’ve done for 
After the abomination of the first film, it’s with great relief that, while not a particularly good film, 
Toddlers can take another ride on The Magic School Bus with a pair of new releases – 
I guess it all had to end eventually. Sadly, 
The budget-conscious folks at Mill Creek, mindful of just how precious your hard-earned money is, have dropped another clutch of reasonably-priced catalogue films and documentaries – the Charlton Heston narrated series 
I’m still not sold on the exaggerated realistic character design they chose for Herge’s famous characters, but there’s enough verve and energy to make Spielberg & Jackson’s 
If you want a nice and easy geek-friendly LEGO set for kids who might not have the skill or patience to tackle the larger sets, the 
Arrested development and the delusion that goes with it is front and center in 
It seems every month is a holiday for fans of the Doctor’s classic adventures as we get not only a special edition of the 10th anniversary special with 
Ah, but that’s not all of the new classic Who you’re getting this week! Oh no, no, no! There’s also a newly restored special edition of Patrick Troughton’s tin-plated tussle with cyberdoom in 
Anyone who has had a loss that is at the same time sudden yet lingering will understand the power of a film like 
It was only a matter of time before Martin Scorsese’s 
It’s always a delight to get new Wallace & Gromit material, even if it’s in the form of interstitial around a spotlight on r3eal life gadgets and contraptions in 
The fine folks at Rifftrax have released a brand new pair of cinematic bombs made wonderfully hilarious – the dime store creature feature 
You know another installment of a film franchise is in the offing when the back-catalogue is dusted off for release, so it should come as little surprise that the forthcoming American Reunion brings the Blu-Ray debut of 
They’re certainly not up to the quality of the original, but there’s enough charm and storytelling competence to make both 
The Warner Archive Collection has dug up a pair of Jim Brown rarities from the 70’s for your viewing pleasure. 
Yeah, I’m not entirely sure anyone is supposed to understand what’s going on in Tarsem’s big Greek mythology epic 
Director Ralph Bakshi’s animated films are an acquired taste, and one I never have acquired. I can certainly see his passion, but the movies don’t speak to me. But there are plenty of people who have a special place in their heart for his fantasy film 
As this year marks the 100th anniversary of the legendary maritime disaster, it’s perfectly understandable that the History Channel is collecting together a trio of their best documentaries on the subject into 
Michelle Williams certainly deserved her Oscar nomination for her turn as Marilyn Monroe in 
I’m not exactly sure what they were thinking with the overly-slick, utterly baffling new take on 
Do you like penguins? Do you like them dancing? Do you like them talking with the voices of Elijah Wood and Robin Williams while they’re dancing? Did you like all of this when it was in an animated movie called Happy Feet? Then you’ll like the equally ingratiating 
For 
How do you compress 13.7 million years of Earth’s existence into one concise special? Seems like a tall task, but it’s one 
It’s still not my bag, but for those that enjoy Adult Swim’s 
I’ve been waiting a fair while for it to make its way on to Blu-Ray, if only to see if the many previous DVD restorations could be improved on. I’m happy to say that the new high definition transfer of Alfred Hitchcock’s 
If you want a stylus that keeps your smartphone or tablet clean as you touch, touch, touch away, then give a spin to the 
Too often, travel journalism tends to see the forest and not the trees, which is why I so thoroughly enjoyed Dom Joly’s 
It wasn’t exactly filmed with the highest budget, but the improved picture quality and sound mix brought to the high definition 
I’m a relatively young guy… relatively… But watching a 20-year-old like Bo Burham makes me equal parts impressed and bitterly jealous at just how powerfully creative he is at such a young age. I’m kind of pissed off about it, actually. Watch his latest Comedy Central special, 
It doesn’t hold a candle to The Six Million Dollar Man, but fans can now pick up the first season of spin-off series 
In the same spirit as their landmark nature documentaries of the 50’s, Disney has leapt back into the game in full force with DisneyNature, whose latest features go under the sea in 
It’s rare to find a whip smart comedy nowadays, but the very New York 
Really, the only one worth getting is the first one, but for high definition at so cheap a price, you might as well get the 
If you neglected to pick up the complete series set last year and have instead been going season by season you’ll be happy to know that Fox has decided you can now pick up what you’ve been missing to wrap things up – 
While I can really do without any child of mine seeing the 
Gabriel Byrne returns as psychotherapist Dr. Paul Weston in the second season of HBO’s 
I thought 
Gene Roddenberry writing a sex-fueled black comedy high school murder mystery? Starring Rock Hudson, Telly Savalas, and Angie Dickinson? That’s 
As election season heats up, give a spin to the 
