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…)
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 The Adventures Of Tintin (Paramount, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$54.99 SRP) a fun watch, careening from one set piece to the next in a similar vein to Spielberg’s Raiders Of The Lost Ark. And really, the only way to watch this at home, if you have the capability, is in 3D – they did a great job of making the environments immersive, particularly during the big chase near the end. Bonus materials include making-of featurettes and much more.
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 LEGO Star Wars Droid Escape ($19.99) features C-3PO and R2-D2 with their Tantive IV escape pod plus a few Stormtroopers and a Speeder Bike to pursue them with.
Arrested development and the delusion that goes with it is front and center in Young Adult (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) when writer & one-time prom queen Mavis Gary (Charlize Theron) heads back home and determines recapturing her married high school boyfriend is the way to relive a past long gone. Theron is brilliant, but she’s matched by Patton Oswalt, a fellow classmate who slaps her with the reality stick. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, and more.
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 Doctor Who: The Three Doctors (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP), but also a new special edition of 4th Doctor Tom Baker’s Doctor Who: The Robots Of Death (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$18.99 SRP). Both are real crackers, and are loaded with the usual clutch of commentaries, featurettes, knick-knacks, rarities, and more.
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 Doctor Who: The Tomb Of The Cybermen (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP) and 4th Doctor Tom Baker’s first encounter with savage companion Leela in Doctor Who: The Face Of Evil (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP). Again, there’s loads and loads of great bonus material for both. So is THAT enough new Who for you?
Anyone who has had a loss that is at the same time sudden yet lingering will understand the power of a film like The Descendants (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), that even for its twist and the light it casts on the character who has gone into a coma after an accident, it still makes you feel for the lurch it places family her into. I really don’t want to give away much about the film, but suffice it to say she leaves a husband (George Clooney) and two troubled daughters to pick up the pieces. Just see it. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, interviews, and more.
It was only a matter of time before Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation Of Christ (Criterion, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) made it to the high definition realm in a beautifully put together edition, and it should come as no real surprise that it’s from the fine folks at Criterion. Not only does the picture and sound get a healthy bump, but there’s also an audio commentary, interview with Peter Gabriel, location footage, photos, and more.
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 Wallace & Gromit’s World Of Invention (Lionsgate, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP), a 6-part series that does just that.
The fine folks at Rifftrax have released a brand new pair of cinematic bombs made wonderfully hilarious – the dime store creature feature The Crater Lake Monster (Legend, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95 SRP) and the nickel store alien flick The Galaxy Invader (Legend, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95 SRP). Should you get both? Yes. You should get both. Right now.
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 American Pie, American Pie 2, and American Wedding (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP each). All 3 carry over all of the previous DVD special features, as well as adding a look at the upcoming sequel.
They’re certainly not up to the quality of the original, but there’s enough charm and storytelling competence to make both The Lion King 1 1/2 & The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (Walt Disney, Rated G, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP each) decent viewing, and will probably hold the attention of most kids. Both have just gotten a full high definition release, sporting featurettes, deleted scenes, music videos, and more.
The Warner Archive Collection has dug up a pair of Jim Brown rarities from the 70’s for your viewing pleasure. Tick Tick Tick (Warner Bros., Rated G, DVD-$19.95) finds brown starring as a southern sheriff caught in the middle of a breakdown in race relations, while The Slams (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$19.95) as a jailed criminal who needs to overcome quite a few obstacles to go over the wall and try and recover a hidden stash of cash before the demolition of its hiding place.
Yeah, I’m not entirely sure anyone is supposed to understand what’s going on in Tarsem’s big Greek mythology epic Immortals (Fox, Rated R, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), but it is a captivatingly beautiful thing to look at in 3D, particularly any scene where the gods are doing battle. It’s a crazy flick, but definitely worth a look-see. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, an alternate opening, and alternate endings.
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 Wizards (Fox, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), which arrives in high definition for a special 35th anniversary edition containing an audio commentary, featurettes, a TV spot, a gallery, and trailers.
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 Titanic: The Complete Story (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP). The documentaries in question are Death Of A Dream, The Legend Lives On, and Titanic’s Achilles Heel.
Michelle Williams certainly deserved her Oscar nomination for her turn as Marilyn Monroe in My Week With Marilyn (Anchor Bay, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which focuses on the memoir of Colin Clark, who as a 23-year-old 3rd assistant director formed a special relationship with the very fragile superstar while she was in London filming The Prince And The Showgirl with the Sire Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). A lovely little flick.
I’m not exactly sure what they were thinking with the overly-slick, utterly baffling new take on The Three Musketeers (Summit, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP). Well, I do know – they were trying to capture the same teenage audience that flocked to Twilight. And for them, this is probably a lovely bit of fluff. The 3-D edition contains an audio commentary and deleted scenes.
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 Happy Feet Two (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), as Wood’s Mumble returns with a son in tow. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes and more.
For Come Fly With Me (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) Matt Lucas and David Walliams have followed up their immensely successful run on Little Britain with a brand new series that weaves what are still essentially just recurring character sketches but with the conceit that all of these characters work and revolve around an airport, from ground crews to the rich airline owner. The set features all 6 episodes plus a behind-the-scenes documentary.
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 History Of the World In Two Hours (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP) attempts to do, from the stellar formation of the planet all the way up to today.
It’s still not my bag, but for those that enjoy Adult Swim’s Superjail (Adult Swim, Not Rated, DVD-$19.97 SRP), the complete second season set contains all 10 episodes plus a clutch of bonus materials.
In the Tom Baker 4th Doctor story “City Of Death”, our traveling Time Lord encounters an art dealer selling actual originals of the Mona Lisa to fund his time experiments. The seemingly-debonair Count Scarlioni played by Julian Glover, is actually a time-splintered alien named Scaroth, who is eager to prevent the destruction of his ship over primeval Earth – an event that not only flung him through time, but also happened to have jump-started life on Earth. So yes, the Doctor must stop him. The City Of Death Collector’s Set (Underground Toys, $38.99 SRP) contains the Doctor and Cunt Scarlioni – who also has a swappable Scarloth head. Oh, and there’s also a Mona Lisa. Just don’t try to sell it.
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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Many have wondered why some of the flicks being tackled by the folks at Cinematic Titanic weren’t addressed during their Mystery Science Theater run. Personally, I’m glad they weren’t – because it would deprive us of the top notch, stellar writing that a fully engaged and broken in Cinematic Titanic is now giving viewers, which comes from years of additional experience. It’s as if movie riffing has gone Bionic, and they’ve got full kung-fu grip, to boot. If you don’t believe me, check out their latest offering – a wretched waste of celluloid called 
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