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…)
Prepare yourself for the long delayed third installment by picking up the new high-definition releases of the wonderful Men In Black and the lesser Men In Black II (Columbia Pictures, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP each). Bonus materials include audio commentaries, deleted/extended scenes, featurettes, music videos, blooper reels, and more.
If you’re like me (and of course, you are), you’ve probably been swept up in the dangerously addictive game of DrawSomething. And if you’re still like me (YOU ARE), you find having to use your finger to draw an incredibly frustrating experience. Well, throw frustration aside with the Jot Capacitive Touch Stylus ($29.99), a beautiful, easy-on-the-hand pen stylus that’s perfect for your smartphone or tablet.
This month brings a pair of long-awaited stories from Sylvester McCoy’s 7th Doctor, even if one of those is pretty close to the nadir of the series. First, the good news is that Doctor Who: Dragonfire (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) features the departure of the incredibly annoying Mel and the arrival of the much better Ace as the Doctor’s new companion. Ah, but the bad news is that Doctor Who: Happiness Patrol (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) has to be one of the most awful examples of the show at its late-80’s worst, from poor design and production to a dull script and the godawful villain Kandy Man. Oh, and we also get another late-period Tom Baker story, Doctor Who: Nightmare Of Eden (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), in which the Doctor and Romana gets caught up in the beastly aftermath of an interstellar car crash. At least the bonus materials are great, as they always are, including commentaries, documentaries, and more.
As far as sequels go, few are more delightfully meta than the underappreciated (particularly at release) Gremlins 2: The New Batch (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP), which makes its high definition debut in an edition that ports all of the bonus features over from the previous DVD special edition. If you haven’t given this film the time of day, now’s the time to do so, as it’s a brilliant riff on it’s predecessor and sequels in general.
Before he made a few clunkers (and quiet, you – I love Popeye), Robin Williams starred in a pair of gems that finally make their debut in high definition – Dead Poets Society & Good Morning Vietnam (Touchstone, Rated PG/R, Blu-Ray-$20.00 SRP each). While I admire the former, the latter is the one I really spark to, as Williams’ performance as Army DJ Adrian Cronauer is still electric even a quarter-century after its release. Bonus materials are all ported over from the previous DVD release, including featurettes and an audio commentary.
Hey! Guess what? The loveable Rifftrax Trio returns with the DVD release of another of their recent live performances with Rifftrax Live: Jack The Giant Killer (Legend, Not Rated, DVD-$14.95). Not only do you get the film, but you also get the performance material and shorts around it, plus behind-the-scenes material and slide shows. Get this. Get it now.
Remember when we didn’t know who Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd were? And then a film called Clueless (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$22.98 SRP) came a long and made them household names? Well, relive those memories in high definition! You can’t resist it. Bonus materials include featurettes and trailers.
It has all of the bizarre excess that’s always proved off-putting to me in their TV work, but fans will probably love Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (Magnolia, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP), in which the Adult Swim pair run afoul of their backer when they squander their billion dollar film budget and must try to make the money back rehabilitating a dying shopping mall before their backer exacts his revenge. And yes, that’s what it’s about. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, interviews, and more.
Continue the Universal 100th anniversary celebrations with a lovingly restored presentation of the swinging 60’s Rock Hudson/Doris Day classic Pillow Talk (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.98 SRP). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and more.
As if Valentine’s Day weren’t enough, director Garry Marshall returns with another kitchen sink cast romantic something or other based around New Year’s Eve (New Line, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP), like an American Richard Curtis. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and more.
After years of waiting, fans of Mr. Rourke & Tattoo can finally partake of Fantasy Island: The Complete Second Season (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$39.97 SRP). The 6-disc set is packed with guest stars galore, all clawing their way onto the titular island.
One of the better monsters from the 4th Doctor’s run of Doctor Who gets the spotlight in the Image Of The Fendahl Collectors’ Set (Underground Toys, $49.99 SRP), featuring the massive, fully grown Fendahleen, a much smaller infant Fendahleen, a Fendahl skull, and the Doctor’s then-current companion, the fetching barbarian Leela.
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
##
The year 1971 brought the still-developing sister of Charlie Brown – Sally – and made her a fully-realized character, which is why her face adorns the cover of 
When just about every device you can think of requires some kind of battery – particularly those quickly devoured AAs – having a top-notch rechargeable battery system is an economic must. To that end, I present the 
Graham Linehan – with Arthur Matthews – is one half of the creative team behind the legendary britcom Father Ted. With 
We were given a tease of them a few years back in the big ol’ Superman box set that came out, but now the fully restored official release of 
My absolute favorite iteration of the Justice League continues to get the nice, prestige treatment it deserves (even if the characters aren’t getting it in current DC continuity) with the snazzy hardcover release of 
Warner Bros. has an immense catalogue of titles. Thousands and thousands of them. And even with their aggressive DVD release schedule, there’s no way they can get to all of them – and, economically, some of the titles have such a small appeal that it’s just not viable to do a wide release on them. Those who thought their chances of picking up some of those obscure titles were nil can rejoice in the introduction of Warner’s new Archive Collection – 
Warners and TCM turn their spotlight to another actor for a themed box set, this time delivering the 
You’ve seen all of the wonderful production art behind their feature films, well now you can pick up a handsome volume looking at 
There’s something about seeing classic musicals in full high-def that brings the energy, music, and production design to the fore. For a good example, check out the new editions of 
I thought Click was amiable fun, so I found myself enjoying the latest in Adam Sandler’s family-friendly fare, 
It’s one of the most unique animated series ever made for TV – a collaboration between French writers and Japanese animators – and there’s some fun nostalgia in tripping through the complete run of 
I’m reminded of the old days of videocassette (and my old videodiscs) when I see Disney deciding to get back into the habit of releasing themed collections of their animated shorts under the Walt Disney Animation Collection banner. The first trio are 
Explore the life and death of the 16th president with a pair of fascinating documentaries – 
It’s no Pixar flick, but 
You know those type of “prestige” pictures that have the word “PRESTIGE” attached to a club that they bludgeon the audience with, in order that we fully understand that we’re watching a “PRESTIGE” film? 
And one Oscar nominee brings an Oscar winner out on Blu-Ray, with the release of the Coen Brothers’ 
Blake & Krystle get married as – would you believe it? – Alexis schemes in the first half of 
Elmo gets a new color scheme that Kermit would find familiar in the environment-centric 
As much as I disagree with the loss of Christopher Robin, my nephews do like the CG My Friends Tigger & Pooh and the latest release, 
On the surface you could say that Jim Carrey covered much of the same ground in Liar Liar as he does in 
Rejoice, parents and recreational drug users! A new release of everyone’s favorite bizarre kiddie show comes to DVD with 
After only seven years, it’s finally senior year on 
Wrap up the first season of 
