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…)
Simon Pegg, Edgar Wright, and Nick Frost wrap up their Cornetto Trilogy in epic fashion with The World’s End (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), as a group of friends return back to their home town in order to complete a legendary pub crawl, only to find their sleepy village is harboring a sinister menace. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
Here we are at the fully remastered high definition edition of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 5 (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$129.99 SRP), and while the quality is still high, the narrative cracks are beginning to show and will eventually lead to the running-on-fumes 7th season. But for now, the show is still firing, and even managed to pull in Leonard Nimoy for a big ol’ Spock cliffhanger finale. Bonus materials include brand new documentaries including a spotlight on the show’s music, plus audio commentaries, deleted scenes, episode promos, archival mission logs, and a gag reel. And speaking of that Spock finale, you can watch both it and the 6th season premiere in the feature-length cut of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Reunification (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), which sports an exclusive audio commentary, featurette, and deleted scenes.
It seems we’re in a golden age of witty, intelligent coming-of-age flicks, what with The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, The Way Way Back, and The To Do List (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), which stars Aubrey Plaza as a high school class valedictorian who sets her post-high school graduation sights on losing her virginity in the most methodical, studious way possible. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted/extended scenes, featurettes, and a gag reel.
Just in time for the forthcoming holiday regeneration of the 11th Doctor into the 12th, the BBC brings fans back to the very first instance our favorite Time Lord changed his appearance with the 1st Doctor William Hartnell’s swan song story The Tenth Planet (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$34.98 SRP). The still-missing fourth and final episode has been reconstructed in animated form, and the 2-disc set contains the usual bevy of excellent extras including an audio commentary, featurettes, and rarities.
The best thing I can say about We’re The Millers (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is that it wants nothing more to be a fun, funny little character comedy and accomplishes just that, with a game cast and the straightforward comic premise of a small-time drug dealer (Jason Sudekis) who convinces his oddball neighbors (Jennifer Aniston, Will Poulter, & Emma Roberts) to join him on a drug smuggling operation to Mexico as his fake suburban family. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, outtakes, and more.
There are no direwolves or Steve Buscemi, but HBO’s Treme (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) has soldiered on into its three seasons with the same overlooked dignity as the city at its center, as the post-Katrina redevelopment of New Orleans continues to come with strings attached. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, music commentaries, and featurettes.
The great thing about Clear History (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP) is that it’s one of those wonderfully absurd ensemble comedies that Larry Gelbart used to write… Think Barbarians At The Gate, and you’ve got this tale of a marketing executive at an electric car company (Larry David) who is publicly humiliated when he cashes out his percentage before the company goes on to make billions. Flash forward a decade and, living as a recluse on a small island, his new life is threatened by the one he left behind.
The highest praise I can give pure popcorn entertainment like 2 Guns (Universal, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) is that its evocative of the fast & loose unlikely buddy flicks of the 80s like Tango & Cash and 48 Hours, as Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg star as a pair of undercover federal agents forced to go on the run after a drug deal goes south, each unaware that the other is an agent. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and featurettes.
For any fan of music and the seemingly magical craft that goes into producing hits, the documentary The Greatest Ears In Town (Shelter Island, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) is a beautiful portrait of just such a genius – Arif Mardin. While you may not be familiar with Mardin by name, this doc illuminates that you certainly know the hits he’s produced from artists like The Bee Gees, Willie Nelson, Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, and many more.
While much of the bloom has been taken off Woodward and Bernstein in the years since their massive scoop, there’s still something empowering about the mythologizing the duo get in All The President’s Men (Warner Bros., Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), which is getting a brand new 2-disc special edition with the feature-length documentary All The President’s Men Revisited, plus additional documentaries, an audio commentary, featurettes, a vintage interview, and the trailer.
Fox has dropped another one of their periodic nuggets of catalogue gold with the high definition arrival of Joanne Woodward’s tour de force as the troubled housewife suffering from multiple personality disorder in The Three Faces Of Eve (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a Fox Movietone News clip of the Academy Awards, and the theatrical trailer.
If you’ve ever wanted to see a grim, disheartening, and thoroughly dour take on Superman, then Zack Snyder’s drab Man Of Steel (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) is the Superman for you, as it takes everything powerful, heroic, and uplifting about the cultural icon right out of the mix, leaving only a pale Batman wannabe with delusions of cosmic grandeur. If you think my dissatisfaction harsh, it’s not nearly as harsh as the film itself. Bonus materials include a clutch of featurettes.
Yes, yes – Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, and know there’s plenty of folksy charm to be had in the TV movie of Kenny Rogers The Gambler (Timeless Media Group, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.97 SRP), presented here in anamorphic widescreen. Heck, it’s even got Bruce Boxleitner. How can you not enjoy Captain Tron Sheridan?
Fans of the late, great Ernie Kovacs will want to pick up the straight-from-the-vaults-and-unseen-since-its-original-broadcast DVD debut of Here’s Edie (MVS, Not Rated, DVD-$49.95 SRP), the variety series starring Kovacs’ wife Edie Adams, which ran from 1962-1964. Guest stars include the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Duke Ellington, Spike Jones, Bob Hope, Bobby Darin, and more. Bonus features include musical sketches from the Ernie Kovacs shows, ads, and a booklet.
When Mother Goose has rhymer’s block, it’s up to Elmo to try and save the day in Sesame Street: Fairy Tale Fun (Warner Bros., Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), featuring Oscar as the Prince Of Nice and Big Bird lending a helping hand to Hansel & Gretel.
Kids can get their winter fix of Dora with Dora’s Ice Skating Spectacular (Nickelodeon, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which finds her going up against the Ice Witch to reclaim her friends’ stolen ice skates. And there’s a pair of bonus episodes to boot.
Following up on the super-massive release of the complete classic era of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comes the equally super-massive Power Rangers: Seasons 8-12 Collection (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$179.99 SRP), which brings things up to the near-present. The 26-disc set contains Lightspeed Rescue, Time Force, Wild Force, Ninja Storm, and Dino Thunder, plus an exclusive bonus disc packed with featurettes.
There are still people winging about 3D TVs in the home being a novelty, but when that novelty can give me nifty nature documentaries like Ocean Predators 3D, Fascination Coral Reef 3D: Hunters And The Hunted, & Polar Bears 3D: Ice Bear (Universal, Not Rated, 3D Blu-Ray-$26.98 SRP each), all of which are full of fascinating and immersive nature footage, then give me the miracle of modern novelty.
While I consider it to be the least of their efforts, I could still find something to like about Pixar’s Cars and its sequel, but there’s no charm to be found in the rather crass cash-in Planes (Walt Disney, Rated G, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP), which takes the Cars design sensibility and translates it into even more toys, the lead of which is voiced by Dane Cook – who makes Larry The Cable Guy look like Richard Burton. Here’s hoping this is a one-time aberration… But I think we all know that’s not the case. Bonus materials include Deleted scenes, a bonus song, and featurettes.
Spawned in the mid-90’s and based on a pulp comic book, Tank Girl (Shout Factory, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.97 SRP) is a throwback to the gloriously cheesy low-budget sci-fi “eh-pics” of the 80s… You know, like Freejack. Think Road Warrior with Lori Petty as Mel Gibson. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, interviews, and a featurette.
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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It certainly seems to take quite a long time between Disney’s high definition releases from their animation catalogue, but when you look at the stunning, absolutely pristine restoration done for the new release of 
As I am terribly old and can remember playing the original Legend Of Zelda on my original NES system when it was a new release before battling the ferociously difficult Zelda II and immersing myself for days into A Link To The Past, the arrival of the massively geeky 
Eugene Mirman may not be a national treasure now, but he deserves to be. Or, at the very least, a fami9liar face to a much wider audience, which would certainly be the case if you gave a copy of his special 
From the first time I heard “Rainbow Connection” as a small child, I had an affinity for the songs of Paul Williams. As I got older, I would hear his music all over the place, usually in the form of immensely successful interpretations by some of the most popular artists of the day, as well as seeing him in films and on TV. And I liked him there, too. Come to find out, I’m not alone in liking Paul Williams, as filmmaker Stephen Kessler shared the same love and decided to make a film about him called 
For more years than I can recall, the amiable scholars at Twomorrows have been publishing a wide range of magazine and books chronicling every nook and cranny of the comics, creators, characters, and companies fans know and love. They’ve now taken that love and scholarly approach to the next logical step, by launching a must-have document of four-color history in the 
It had a built-in expiration, but that – and a cast that includes the great Hugh Bonneville & Jessica Stevenson – is what makes the comedy series 
Bit by bit, Criterion is revisiting its deep library of world cinema greats and giving them full-blown high-def audio/visual upgrades that make them a must to repurchase. The latest is Volker Schlondorff’s adaptation of Gunter Grass’s acclaimed satire 
The wait is over, as you can now watch the entirety of the Gotham crusader’s last stand now that 
Surprisingly, there’s nothing cloying about 
Fox inaugurates their 2013 Studio Classics catalogue initiative with a trio of titles that certainly fit the bill – 
I have to say, 
Fancy a bit of a starry nosh this weekend? Then look no further than the 
Anyone who’s ever been to a nice theater in a nature museum knows that seeing a beautifully-shot 3D nature film is just this side of actually being there, and a trio of new home video releases bring that experience right into your living room – 
A feature film usually works as a catalyst to unleash a flood of tie-in projects, but for the adaptation of a legendary stage musical, the options are somewhat limited. So, in lieu of action figures, we get a beautiful collectible tome like 
Considering how inexpensive they are to produce, it should come as little shock that we’re already up to 
The second season of 
Made on a shoestring but with verve to spare, 
Putting to shame all of the holiday specials before, Steven Moffat hit it out of the park with 
Leave it to the Japanese to marshal the mighty forces of science and engineering in order to craft a novelty 
I am absolutely loving the rapid-fire release schedule of the beautifully remastered high definition seasons of 
Ignore the bastardized American version and dig into the only iteration worth watching – and the original, natch – with 
It holds absolutely no interest for me, but I’m sure there are plenty of Michael Jordan fans still lurking about out there who will be keen to pick up the 4-disc, remastered, high definition edition of 
The fine folks at Mill Creek Entertainment are continuing to release a slew of budget-priced kids titles under their Cookie Jar banner, including 
Mark my words – in 10 years, Rupert Grint will be one of our finest character actors. 
Another series wrapped, as the second volume of the fourth and final season of 
Runaway train, never coming back. Wrong way on a one-way track. That could pretty much sum up the remarkable boring runaway train actioner 
I have some issues with the picture being painted by 
It’s the last of their live recordings from November’s run of shows in Los Angeles, but they’ve certainly saved the best till the end – Cinematic Titanic’s 
Want to be able to put your cellphone or Flip camera just about anywhere? Well, you pretty much can using the incredible gripping ability of the 
The latest in the line of must-have production art books from the fine folks at Pixar and Chronicle is, of course, 
Fans who have been wondering when Universal would finally bring their spiffy remastered edition of 
It’s been a long, long, LONG wait, but fans can now pick up the complete 3rd season of 
I’ve been a big fan of the Playing For Change music project since I first heard about it last year, as most people did, via the brilliant viral video of artists worldwide doing a jam session on “Stand By Me”. The latest release from the project is 
Now that the series has been released in its entirety, it’s only left to mop things up and release 
When all else in the world is uncertain, one can always rely on the complete, unadulterated, glorious crapfest that is 
Backfilling your TV series collection in HD is obviously the new thing to drain your wallet dry, and with that in mind I’m sure fans will be picking up 
I don’t know why last year seemed to bring out the post-apocalyptic flicks, but 
Really, the only reason for watching the otherwise toothless romantic comedy 
OD on animated sitcoms from Seth MacFarland by picking up not only the 8th volume of 
Harrison Ford as a reclusive medical researcher? Sure, I’ll buy that. Brendan Fraser as an idealistic dad desperate to find a cure for his children’s rare genetic disorder before it’s too late? Okay. Is Harrison Ford awake in 
It’s been awhile since his last comedy special, but Black is back with a new album – 
It doesn’t have quite the budget of Primordial, but 
I think it was during 
Leave it to that good ol’ golden retriever to make sure he gets in on the sports action with 
Really, the only thing that makes the fourth season of 
Adults (and even kids) have been eagerly awaiting the next installment from their trippy friends who dance around to music and stuff, and now they can pick up 
Always one of those inoffensive, rather forgettable WB shows, I could never bring myself to watch 
So, is it bad that I hope this is the real summer movie that Christian Bale is in?
It’s nice that my parents finally have a summer movie to call their own.
When I was a young college freshman near the end of my first (and only) disastrous year at NYU, I was able to arrange for a press ticket to a taping of 
For years and years and years, ever since I first saw one when I was a kid, I’ve wanted a book that opens up to reveal a cut-out hole. You know what I mean? The kind you could hide things in. Like a jewel. Or booze. Well, Thinkgeek now gives you that 
Another Pixar film in theaters means another eye-candy filled “Art Of” book, which is exactly what you get with 
Forged in the fire of the Writers Strike of 2008, released on the internet to rabid fan acclaim, and long available on that selfsame net, everyday people can now get a copy of Joss Whedon’s online musical, 
Much of the comedy in Eddie Murphy’s game-changing stand-up concert 
It’s pure popcorn, but I think 
Another great flick making its transition to high definition is the Civil War epic 
I must admit, 
June has become decidedly jazzy with a trio of deluxe Legacy Edition catalogue releases from Sony Music. First up is a 3-disc edition of Dave Brubeck’s 
Paramount isn’t the only one unleashing a tidal wave of Blu-Ray catalogue titles, as Universal dips into their extensive roster for a batch of their own, many of them must haves. So what does the batch consist of? 
I still can’t fathom what people saw in the three flicks currently comprising the 
Sergio Leone’s 
Over 20 years after its single season run, The Jetsons returned to television with brand new episodes, the first 21 of which are being released as 
The BBC’s nature documentarians can always be counted on to deliver stunning visuals, and that’s certainly the case with 
I can’t see William Conrad in the episodes features in 
The movie’s a dud, but it’s still fun to flip through both 
Though often a director, I always get a kick out of Kenneth Branagh, the actor, who is in fine form in the UK series 
Surprisingly, 
The folks at Sesame certainly are pushing Abby Cadabra, aren’t they? The latest team up with their little red cash cow is 
Nancy Botwin moves her mini pot empire south of the border in the fourth season of 
It’s not my cup of tea, but 
Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, and Jamie Bell star as a trio of simple farmhand brothers who goes up against the Nazis in 
In