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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While Criterion has been releasing the features that he helmed himself, a similarly wonderful and much-needed restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s earlier work at other studios has been neglected over the years, even though there have been plenty of releases of the material. Finally, though, a definitive edition of both 
The period covered in 
And because this is the holiday season, and you know you want to give the gift of Peanuts, Fantagrpahics has made it very easy with a pair of perfect gifts. 
The 4th volume of The Dona Rosa Library, 
Going in to the theater, I truly didn’t know what to expect from the updated though still a period piece 
I admit, I was underwhelmed by 
Director D.A. Pennebaker’s iconic Bob Dylan documentary 
No additional amount of footage could make 
While what does make it out and onto the silver screen is magical, there’s plenty of magic that exists solely in the early creative process that gives birth to films from Toy Story to The Good Dinosaur, and it’s a special peek into that room that fills the pages of 
It’s been quite a long while since I took a gander at some of the wonderful little catalogue gems the Warner Archive has been carting up from the dark depths of their vault, so here’s a rundown of some of those titles you should check out. There’s the forgotten animated gem 
The real surprise, though, is how many high definition releases the Warner Archive has been delivering to fans, often for mush-requested titles that many (myself included) had given up hope of ever getting. So, now we’ve got Neil Simon’s 
The Warner Archive has also continued emptying the vaults of nearly everything produced by Hanna-Barbera, which now includes 
It’s been a long time coming, but 
Based on the notorious titular college study, 
Zac Efron stars as an aspiring DJ who gets swept up in friendship, love, and betrayal when he crosses paths with a famous DJ (Wes Bentley) that could be the key to his success in 
The first two seasons were groundbreaking, but the third season of 
The chronology of the Terminator films is a bit of a mess. And by that, I mean it’s confusing. And every installment in the franchise has made it even more confusing, full of time travel paradoxes and nonsense that make the best way to really enjoy 
Largely overlooked, unjustly so, now’s your chance to check out Nicole Kidman as the titular 
The 3rd season comes to an intergalactic climactic head in the final 12-episode arc contained in 
Part of their Secrets Of The Dead series, PBS’s 
While the heat of the game has cooled a bit, there’s still a bit of charm and fun to be found in the animated offerings based on it, with 
There’s quite a bit of endearingly goofball magic lost when you age Dora the Explorer up to tweenhood for 
The magic wonder-wand has touched Glen Larson’s original, non-grimdark tale of galactic refugees on the run from the Cylon empire, giving fans 
He may have been one of the stiffest, most awkward hosts ever to have risen to television prominence, but it was on the strength of his legendary (and soon-to-be-legendary) guests that he became an icon, and those incredible guests are why 
For those that missed the boat on the stellar prop replica put out by Master Replicas ages ago but wanted something more robust than the plastic alternatives currently available, Thinkgeek’s 
Amazing we got to his centennial before getting a near-definitive documentary on a legend, but better now than never comes 
In the fallow period between the end of the Smothers Brothers’ show and the paunch of Saturday Night Live, the only destination on your dial to catch the hippest music and comedy acts was NBC’s Friday night staple, 
The 75th anniversary of Alfred Hitchcock’s final UK film, 
I loved to draw when I was a kid, and I would often find myself doodling beloved cartoon and comic characters. It should come as no surprise, then, that I own many dog-eared and much-loved “How To Draw” books released over the years by the folks at Walter Foster. For years, they’ve had 
As someone who has observed firsthand the kind of downward mental spiral the befalls Julianne Moore’s character after she’s diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s as the titular character in 
Take a collection of musicians including Elvis Costello, T Bone Burnett, Marcus Mumford, and more, add in a batch of recently discovered Bob Dylan lyrics, and as those artists to set them to music – that’s exactly the remarkable process 
While it’s not necessary to read 
The wonderful work that Criterion has been doing with their restoration and high definition release of the Charlie Chaplin library continues with the release of one of Chaplin’s later works, 
The story behind Star Trek‘s adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s script for the now-legendary episode The City On The Edge Of Forever, and Ellison” intense dissatisfaction with the changes the staff made to his vision, is well-known within the fan community. Thanks to IDW, those fans can now experience his version with the graphic novel adaptation of 
It’s a shame that 
Only the BBC could produce a show like 
You can never have too many books exploring that legendary galaxy far, far away, so just try to refrain from devouring 
Listen, I shouldn’t have to sell you on watching a film called 
It’s certainly not a classic, but there’s certainly laughs to be found in the first season of 
Better late than never comes 
Scott Glenn has always been an actor capable of holding my attention in anything he’s in, and he remains so as a serial killer hiding out in a small town as 
Rescued from the mists of time, the classic newspaper strip adventures of the man of steel and the dark knight detective continue with 
If, like me, you still mourn the passing of quality history-based content on The History Channel, the photo and info-dense 
It’s a bit frustrating that Nickelodeon still hasn’t given their beautiful new Ninja Turtles series proper high definition season sets like Cartoon Network has been doing for Adventure Time, because the show certainly deserves it. Until then, we’re getting standard definition single-disc releases like 
Fish out of water culture clash comedy is always fertile territory, and Greg Poehler’s 
Well, I mean, the best you can say for the direct-to-video animated special 
History buffs with fond memories of parking in front of the pre-Aliens and idiots heyday of The History Channel will lose themselves in 
A Russian family man tries to extricate itself from under the thumb of a corrupt mayor in the gripping import 
When 3 soldiers – one Lebanese, one Israeli, and one American – are accidentally trapped together when a lockdown mechanism is triggered in a secret base, the trio are forced to either work together or die together in the dramedy 
Kiddies can learn their math skills with 
Strawberry Shortcake and her friends both human and furry star in various canine-themed tales in 
Beyond the broad strokes, the man that was Abraham Lincoln has largely been replaced by the myth, which has overshadowed the nuts and bolts politicking needed to govern during a time of immense turmoil. The human accomplishment is fully illuminated by Steven Spielberg’s most engaging film in years, as Daniel Day-Lewis brings 
In an age where the original Star Wars and Raiders Of The Lost Ark can look like brand new films, it’s odd to see just how much grain is present in the high definition release of 
There probably hasn’t been enough time to put the events in their proper context, but there’s no denying the power behind the methodology presented in the hunt for the world’s most wanted man in 
By today’s standards, 
It’s always wonderful to see classic noir films hit Blu-Ray, as the high definition really drives home the beautiful cinematography to be found in many, and that includes the new edition of Elia Kazan’s harrowing 
While not as sparklingly brilliant as Armando Iannucci’s The Thick Of It, his team’s take on the US political machine, 
Very few things in life are completely dependable, but danged if Shout Factory hasn’t proven just that with their continued (and regular) releases of the original riff-fest via 
Looking to increase your knowledge about a given pop culture topic? Then you’ll probably want to snap up a trio of titles newly releases by Applause books which provide a myriad of answers to frequently asked (and even infrequently asked) pop culture topics. First out of the gate in what I can only hope is an ongoing series are the 
It’s hard to top the 2003 editions of his films, but Criterion has been doing just that with another film from the Charlie Chaplin library, the latest being his controversial black comedy 
If you’ve yet to experience the quirky joy of the cases of country solicitor Peter Kingdom (Stephen Fry), rectify that oversight with the complete collection of 
Beloved and much-missed, the late legend Levon Helm was remembered with the appropriately powerful 
Howzabout a bit of a UK TV-on-DVD round-up for all of you Anglophiles out there? What’s odd is that our first UK release is actually the American version of a UK show, which makes its home video debut in the UK – MTV’s remake of 
Lego irreverence returns to a galaxy far, far away with 
The cases of Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Foyle make their way to DVD in 
The fundamental problem with 
The problem with 
The fine folks at Mill Creek continue to release a broad mix of titles and beyond reasonable prices, with new releases including TV titles like 
If for no other reason, watch the second season of 
Sure, it came in the wake of Pokemon madness, but every children’s series has a fanbase, and that includes one that will be thoroughly excited by the release of 
Based on the novels by Kerry Greenwood about a thoroughly modern Melbourne woman in the 1920’s who happens to be a lady detective, 
For your modern TV choices this week, how about the complete first season of 
Alan Silvestri supplied some of the most memorable scores of the 80’s – including those for the Back To The Future films – and he returns to score Dreamworks Animation’s new animation hit 
And speaking of soundtracks, this week’s soundtrack round-up includes Alex Heffes’ score for 
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 
It was seen as a strident, preachy end to The Little Tramp when it originally premiered, but the years have proven what lovely political stand Charlie Chaplin was taking with 
If you’re not wanting to spring for an expensive pad but you need to eliminate heat build-up under your laptop, try the 
It’s always a beautiful thing to see two actors at the top of their game, particularly when they’re both in the same film. 
It’s not Pixar, but 
If you’re looking for pulse-pounding cinematic science fiction, you’re not going to find it in Andrei Tarkovsky’s 
If Apocalypse Now is the operatic version of the Vietnam War, then Oliver Stone’s 
If you’ve held off on picking 
Studios can latch onto just about any day and turn it into an excuse to release a special anniversary edition of one of their catalogue titles, and Warners has done just that with a pair of new-to-Blu-Ray titles ostensibly making their debut to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War – 
Long before Days of Thunder or Hal Needham, 
While Warners releases Grand Prix on Blu-Ray, Paramount digs up the Steve McQueen racing movie 
Previously available, for some reason you can now pick up a standalone edition of Sylvester Stallone’s 
Has the Royal Wedding already come and gone? So fast! If you’d like to relive all of the memories, the BBC has put together an overview of their coverage titled, appropriately, 
As kids growing up in the 80’s, I think we knew instinctively when something was a low-rent rip-off of a far more popular property, and that’s exactly what I felt about the Gobots, which were the bane of any kid hoping to get a Transformers figure from a clueless (often frugal) parent. Relive just how sad the rip-off was with Warner Archive’s release of the original miniseries 
While I wouldn’t say it’s a great, must-see film, 
I think the most endearing thing about Nickelodeon’s CG-animated series 
Have running out of ice roads to be anticlimactic on, the franchise has decided to further move the whole affair into artifice by dropping the drivers into crazy dangerous roads around the world with the first season of 
Via rare archival footage and personal interviews, the History Channel documentary 
You know, if they’d actually given half an effort to make 
Before he moved on to making big-budget blasé blockbusters, Ron Howard put his child actor past behind him as part of Roger Corman’s stable of actor/filmmakers, as the latest double feature release from the Corman Collection will enlighten you with 
It’s a bit bloated and unwieldy, but I have to admit that I have quite a fondness for Richard Attenborough’s biopic 
Got more kitchen utensils than space? Countertops and drawers at a premium? How brilliant is the 
Those wonderful purveyors of fine comic appreciation over at Twomorrows have decided to focus on the creator of the landmark comic series Bone with 
The animation isn’t the best, but what 
It’s no Broadcast News, but 
Oh, Warner Archive. I do so love how you’re releasing every marginal and obscure Hanna-Barbera cartoon in your vast library. So thank you for the a release like the set containing the complete runs of both 
It’s not as well put together as the UK original, but there’s certainly some interesting genealogical twists and turns to be found in the 1st season of the US 
It’s no Rocky, but there is a charm to 
Wrap up the second half of 
I find Clint Eastwood’s films can be hit-or-miss for me, with every great flick like Unforgiven matched by a disappointing one like Gran Torino. His stab at the supernatural, 
Hal-shark. Half-octopus. All schlock. Yeah, that pretty much sums up Roger Corman’s 
While my favorite remains The Great Dictator, there’s no denying that 
Kids love to spill drinks. I don’t for a minute think it’s an accident – I believe it’s all premeditated. You can undermine their evil plans with the 
Hot on the heels of the first season’s arrival comes the second season of 
Warner Bros. has done another spectacular restoration job on one of their catalogue gems, this time with the high definition edition of 1935’s 
As CGI and flash have come to dominate content in documentaries in recent years, there’s still something timeless and powerful in the direct, unvarnished simplicity of presentation in the seminal (and massive) 
Let us all take a holiday journey into the uncanny valley with Robert Zemeckis’s latest unfortunate excursion into motion capture awkwardness, 
A few years back, a rather unique and wonderful little animated series called Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted on Nickelodeon. It was full of adventure and populated by strong, interesting characters living in an expansive world and caught up in an epic story. Sadly, all of these wonderful elements were lost in translation to the live action 
While you’re busy waiting for the next season to come out on DVD, you can tide yourself over with 
Fully remastered, another holiday perennial makes is available this season with the release of Rankin Bass’s 
I’m still not exactly sure why the travesty that is Troll 2 has been gifted with a celebratory documentary, 
The books of Beverly Cleary were a favorite when I was a kid, and while some of the spirit has been toned down, there’s still some life in 
It’s not Blu-Ray, but 
Seeking to make the viewing experience a bit more interactive, Disney has developed the “Mickey Mote” accessory for use with their newest preschool DVD releases. Essentially, it’s a kid-friendly, Mickey Mouse-shaped remote that them to answer questions when in “Discovery Mode”. The first DVDs out of the gate – 
In March of 2010, musical theater’s best & brightest assembled to celebrate Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday, recorded for posterity on 
One of Nipsy Russell’s finest roles (and one of Diana Ross’s most age inappropriate) comes to high definition with the release of 
It’s an interesting score, to be sure, but I can’t help but feel that composer Alexandre Desplat is just marking time with his score to 
It’s about time a tribute was put together for one of the landmark comedians of the last 30 years, and 
How about a whole bunch of TV series wrapping up their DVD releases? You’ve got 
Let me be perfectly blunt – History Channel… If you continue to produce unsubstantiated dreck like 
Now that we’ve reached 
I could say that the latest Cinematic Titanic offering, 
When I travel, I always have far too many electronics, far too many cords, and not nearly enough USB ports on my laptop to charge things. It’s always nice to have a backup plan, and the 
I’d say that reaching the 10th volume of the still-must-have collection of Charles Schulz’s groundbreaking strip is certainly worth celebrating – particularly when 
It seems that Criterion is systematically going back and revisiting some of their more popular catalogue titles and giving them rather stunning new high-definition transfers and some new bonus features, and the latest title to get the A+ treatment is Robert Altman’s 
Some may be watching slasher flicks this Halloween, but I will be celebrating All Hallow’s Eve by taking in the new Blu-Ray edition of Mel Brooks’s 
George Lucas managed to extend his death grip into another beloved franchise, clutching Steven Spielberg in one claw and Indiana Jones in the other, and managing yet again to produce a lame monstrosity instead of what should have been a triumphant return of a cinema hero. Such was the travesty of 
All of the focus is on his stellar performance in Iron Man, but another of Robert Downey, Jr.’s great turns is getting a new special edition DVD – his starring role in the life of The Little Tramp, 
I don’t think it was as strong as the first season, but I still enjoyed the second season of 
In the wake of the Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney Vault titles – those wonderful collections of text and reproductions of rare ephemera – we now get 
I’ll be perfectly honest with you – I was not a huge fan of The Matrix. I enjoyed the flick for what it was – a minor mind-f*** whose special effects and energy thankfully cancelled out most of its banal, overcooked pseudo-philosophizing and messianic overtones. But then came the sequels, which both – in quick succession – managed to top each other on the “Someone actually wrote this crap?” scale. Declining box office was proof enough – a fair number of fans who though The Matrix was the second coming (make your own jokes) left the theater feeling betrayed by creators who obviously had their grip locked firmly on something besides the story. Originally released in on standard DVD – and then the now-defunct HD-DVD – the 6-disc 
Packaged in a handsome lucite slipcase, the 
I caught an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! the other day, and if any show can rightfully claim the mantle of “Kiddie Show Beloved By Stoners”, it’s this intriguingly bizarre combination of music and costumed characters, If you doubt me, check out 
While you’re pining for the next Spongebob season set, get a quick fix of recent episodes with 
In the VH1 series 
In these troubled, troubling times, I recommend anyone with an open mind should check out the wonderful documentaries of Richard Dawkins, conveniently collected in 
Easily the film that cemented William Hurt as an actor to be reckoned with – and a bizarre one, at that – was his turn in 
Sweeping and epic in the most glorious, classic sense of the word, the foreign language 
If you’re the head of NASA’s multi-million dollar manned mission to Mars and you find out that to send the astronauts would result in disaster, what would you do? Well, if you were the head of the mission in the cult classic 
It was truncated due to the writer’s strike, but the eighth season of 
It may not be brilliant, but there’s certainly something loveable about any show that casts both Patrick Warburton and David Spade. 
I’ll be honest with you – the only real reason that I ever watched an episode of 
Indulge your schlock horror bone with the brand new Ghost House Underground imprint, formed by Ghost House Pictures founders Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, which debuts with 8 titles full of terror and gore aplenty (Lionsgate, Rated R, DVD-$19.98 SRP each). The launch titles include 
It could have been a hokey mess – and there is still some hokinees about – but 
His time in office may be fast coming to an end, but you can still watch the second season of 
Science nerds (like me) can geek out to the complete second season of 
It has been a long, long time since the release of the second season, but fans and interested parties can now partake of 
Terence Malick’s epic tale of Captain John Smith and the Jamestown settlement’s relations with the Native American populace,