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…)
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 The Bob Newhart Show: The Complete Series (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$129.99 SRP). That’s right – you can now get all 142 episodes in one super-box, packed with audio commentaries and a bonus disc sporting the original version of the pilot, a reunion featurette, the 1991 19th anniversary special, a gag reel, and more. THIS is why Shout Factory is one of the best companies out there. Now, if only they could get their hands on Sgt. Bilko, I’ll be a very happy chappie.
For Doctor Who fans, Mark Gatiss’s docudrama An Adventure In Space And Time (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP) is a brilliant love letter to the franchise, its creators, and its fans, as it tells the tale of the show’s humble origins as a simple kid’s show that managed to make all of the right decisions – including the casting of the irascible first Doctor, William Hartnell – to become an institution. Bonus materials include a making-of, deleted scenes, recreated classic Who scenes using vintage cameras, and a bonus DVD with the first Doctor’s inaugural story, “An Unearthly Child”.
After quite a long wait, the fine folks at Criterion have given another quirky Wes Anderson curiosity a high definition upgrade with The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP), and it both looks and sounds as snazzy as you were hoping. The massive clutch of bonus features should be familiar to fans of Criterion’s DVD release, including an audio commentary, the making-of documentary “This Is An Adventure”, an Italian talk show interview, an intern video journal, interviews with the cast and crew, a Mark Mothersbaugh interview, deleted scenes, still galleries, a conversation between Anderson and his brother, and Seu Jorge performing Bowie songs in Portuguese.
With a script from the Coen Brothers and a fun cast including Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz, and Alan Rickman, it’s surprising that Gambit (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$30.99 SRP) has made barely a ripple, as it’s a little confection of a con comedy, with an art curator (Firth) deciding to snooker his abusive media tycoon boss (Rickman) by getting him to purchase a fake Monet. Give it a spin.
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 Rawhide (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$39.98 SRP), starring Eastwood as trail boss Rowdy Yates.
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. Super Duper Alice Cooper (Eagle Vision, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP) is that documentary, and it’s an exhaustive, engaging piece, peppered with contributions from contemporaries like Elton John and John Lydon, in addition to rare footage. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, additional rare footage, and interviews.
There’s no denying that Parts Per Billion (Millennium, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP) is a downer of a film. Considering it deals with humanity on the verge of extinction after a biological disaster, there should be little surprise in that. But thanks to a cast that includes Frank Langella and Gena Rowlands, it’s a fascinating character piece about how a trio of couples cope with the looming specter of death.
For anyone who doubted that we’d ever see the rest of it, Warners has released The New Adventures Of Superman: Seasons 2 & 3 (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP), featuring 32 episodes produced by Filmation from 1966-1970. That just leaves the fourth and final season and it’s a wrap.
Catch up on the sixth and penultimate season of True Blood (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) before the final season premieres, as Sookie Stackhouse prepares to confront her parents’ killer at the same time the Louisiana governor calls open season on vampires. Bonus materials include audio commentaries and featurettes.
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 We Always Lie To Strangers (Virgil Films, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP). It doesn’t change my opinion of the place, but it does allow me to understand why it became the powerful Ozarks oasis that exists today.
Even though outside success means that the days of Adam, Blake, and Ders are probably numbered, enjoy the merry misadventures of Workaholics (Comedy Central, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$22.98 SRP) in its fourth season. Two words: Renaissance Faire. Bonus materials include deleted/alternate scenes and outtakes.
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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I had worries that 
Yeah, I love me some novelty cameras, and the 
It’s an embarrassment of riches from the fine folks at Fantagraphics as they deliver not one, but two fantastic comic collections for aficionados to dive into. Not only do we get the 15th volume of 
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, Spike Lee returned to New Orleans for a follow up to his documentary When The Levees Broke. The equally powerful return is documented in 
The arrival of the Handmade Films library in high definition continues with both a hard-bitten action flick and farce – Neil Jordan’s 
Not only great films make it to Blu-Ray – sometimes you get catalogue releases like the one-two punch of 
MGM cranks up their on-demand program (similar to the programs already in place over at Warners and Universal) with a clutch of obscure catalogue titles including an early turn from William Shatner in 
I’m sure that the Jack Black-starring bastardization of 
Take another show off the uncompleted list as the 6th & final season of 
If all of that story and character just seemed like filler to you, you’ll probably want to pick up 
Picking up where Douglas Adams and zoologist Mark Carwardine left off 20 years prior, Stephen Fry steps in for his good friend as he and Carwardine revisit species on the verge of extinction in 
Everyone needs a good spork – and to have it be heat-resistant and made of a touch polycarbonate material? Well, that’s just icing on the sporky cake. In other words, pick up a 4-pack of 
Sparkling fresh and looking better than ever, Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion masterpiece 
If your only exposure to 
At least Grover is present to balance out the furry red monstrosity in 
Just as Matt Smith’s first year as the Doctor comes to a close, a quartet of classic Doctor Who adventures hit DVD for the first time. From the William Hartnell years, we get 
We still haven’t seen them in their Mystery Science Theater iteration, but you can watch the original 
In 
After a long, long spell, Shout Factory has rescued another show that only got its first season released by Universal, delivering to fans 
It’s been a long, long road to get here, but with the release of 
The Warner Archive continues to release TV shows on demand that would otherwise have too-limited an appeal to merit a wide release, this time making available the complete first season of the Dylan McDermott-starring cop drama 
It feels like just yesterday that the last volume came out, but here we are with the 3rd volume of 
The epic films of David Lean are an essential part of any cinematic library, and the first to make the transition to high definition is the sweeping 
Robots are cool. So is brushing your teeth. Go with me on this… When you combine a toothbrush and a tiny little motor, you get the uber-cool 
I’m always leery of a new take on 
It’s been a few months and the new series has been hitting our shores, so hat means it’s time for another clutch of classic [Doctor Who] DVD releases. This time, we get a pair of Jon Pertwee adventures – 
Using the Poppinsonian maxim of a spoonful of sugar, Paramount has dipped into their catalogue for a trio of new-to-Blu-Ray releases, the first of which is the aforementioned sugar – 
Presented by Sir John Gielgud, 
While the new Blu-Ray edition of 
The comedy isn’t terribly nuanced, but there is a sucker punch level of laughs to be had from Leigh Francis’s grotesque creations in 
Universal dips into the vaults for the latest in the Backlot Series, 
You remember [The Santa Clause]? Where Tim Allen assumes the mantle of Santa Claus and family-friendly, heart-warming hilarity ensued? Well, replace Allen with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and make the former wrestler the titular mythical creature of 
Their marriage may not have been the happiest, but there’s no doubt that both Carole King and James Taylor knew how to write a song, which is evident on their recent reunion concert disc 
The films are good, but Universal’s new Blu-Ray/DVD flipper discs are still an unwelcome abominations – which is a shame, since the trio of catalogue titles – 
Recently re-released as a Blu-Ray special edition, the Colin Firth version of 
David Lynch’s adaptation of 
Set in a post-apocalyptic world where technology has failed and mankind is living by a thread after a plague sweeps the land, 
Featuring rare footage from his own personal collection, 
In the mood for a mildly entertaining romantic comedy with likeable actors that won’t cause upset and will quickly wash off after it’s all over? Well, then 
Remember that surprisingly chilling horror film a few years back about a team of female spelunkers who are hunted by subterranean creatures during an expedition gone wrong? You know, [The Descent]? Well, now it all gets a bit naffer with 
I’m not a fan, but there are plenty of kids who adore the little red monster and will probably happy tap along with 
A surprising and welcome arrival on DVD is the second volume collecting 
While not as funny as some of their previous television incarnations, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in the second season of 
Cross Doo Wop with [The Sunshine Boys] and you have 
It’s a bit disconcerting as you try and process the age difference in the 70’s-filmed [Honeymooners Specials], which brought the cast back together for one last spin as The Kramdens and The Nortons, but once you get into it, the old magic is there. 
Translated from its smash Broadway run and bringing Andy Griffith and Don Knotts together on screen for the first time, 
With Memorial Day right around the corner, Warners has dipped into the archives for some manly men classics to release as part of their TCM: Greatest Classic Films Collection. The first, 
By the time we reach the 
Tony Stark becomes a teenage superhero in Nickelodeon’s 
See a man do some incredibly foolish things to his body in the name of adventure in 
It’s another quarter of episodes to entertain the kiddies with 
It seems like there’s been a couple hundred editions released, but the new special edition of 
Like chocolate and peanut butter, Tim Minchin is one of those rare breed of stand-ups that have hit upon the sweet combination of comedy and music, and over the last few years he’s brought his nouveau-cabaret act to audiences that have explosively grown in size and loyalty in both Britain and his native Australia. He’s set his sights on the US next, so be the first on your block to be hip to a wonderful performer I can best describe as combining equal parts theatricality, musicianship, and glorious bombast. Minchin is the Meat Loaf of comedy. For an easy primer, pick up both his most recent DVD – 
Thinkgeek has just recently launched a brilliant new section on their website featuring a plethora of products aimed at proto-geeks from ages 0-10. I’ll be featuring a few items from there over the coming months, but I thought I’d start with one that the music lover in me can really get behind – called the Sweetpea 3, it’s essentially 
Humor in mainstream comics is a rarity, so it’s nice to be reminded of one of the genre’s truly funny classics with the Showcase release of Keith Giffen’s 
Someone described 
Another month, and another batch of new-to-Blu-Ray catalogue releases have come down the pike from Paramount. The best on the list is probably 
Erasure fans will be a half dozen kinds of giddy with the release of the 
The first documentary to take a look at the then fully-reborn Star Wars fan movement – you know, before actually seeing the prequels killed it all off – was 
It’s not exactly a visual feast, but the BBC’s now-classic adaptation of 
They’re trying to sell them as great films, but I think a better way to describe them is 80’s cable comfort food. Either way, the titles comprising “The Lost Collection” (Lionsgate, Rated PG/R, DVD-$14.98 SRP each) are 
Most of the classic MGM musicals library resides over at Warner Bros. – and they’ve been doing a fine job of releasing deluxe special editions of those titles – but there are a few that still remain with MGM, and a trio of them are getting a release – 
Go behind the walls and delve into its past with the Smithsonian Channel’s 
Buy your ticket for the eighth and final season of 
Oh, science fiction. You’ve suffered so many slings and arrows as a genre in recent years, and some of those attacks have even been knife blades to the heart of true classics that have had the misfortune to be remade. In that latter category, I offer you the wretched, abysmal, baffling and dull remake of 
