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…)
We’ve been repeating the same waiting game we played when DVD first debuted – the game of waiting for beloved films to finally hit the format – with Blu-Ray. We’ve gotten Star Wars (sort of), Jaws, Superman Blade Runner – just about all of the geek pantheon, really – but one of the most glaring omissions now gets its time to shine, and boy does it ever. To say that the restoration and mastering work done for Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$99.98 SRP) presents high definition presentations of the 3 classic adventures (and that awful 4th adventure we won’t speak of again) that are the best ever seen, and are a textbook example of how to lovingly bring classic films to the format. In addition to all of the bonus materials from the previous DVD editions, the set also includes brand-new behind-the-scenes footage from the production of Raiders, which is absolutely must-see for fans. Are you going to get this set? Why am I even asking? Of course you are. So go on.
Want a blindingly bright 600 lumen flashlight that’s tough and waterproof and will run for hours? The Klarus XT11 ($99.99) is that flashlight, running of a rechargeable li-on battery with 3 lighting modes and 1 flashlight, with tactical switch activation.
I’m all for Shout Factory’s recent forays into archive collections of an artist’s disparate work, starting with their must-have Ernie Kovacs set, and now Steve Martin: The Television Stuff (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$34.93 SRP), which collects and presents (for the first time since they aired) Steve Martin’s two stand-up specials, his 4 NBC specials, and a bonus disc of bits and pieces, from awards show speeches and tributes to Carson & Letterman appearances and SNL sketches. You even get his very first TV appearance in 1966 on a local children’s show. So, yes. Get.
It’s been over a decade since Rhino released a handful of episodes, but all these years later hell has frozen over and you can now get your very own complete series set of Chris Elliott’s short-lived cult classic Get A Life (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP). That’s all 35 episodes, uncut, plus audio commentaries, featurettes, the 2000 Paletyfest panel, and more. Get it before we all realize it’s a fever dream.
Yeah, I’m starting to sour on Modern Family (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$59.99 SRP). And I don’t want to, but the third season started to give me those same anything for a laugh character neglect that felled brilliant starters like Malcolm In The Middle. I really hop I’m wrong, because the ensemble remains strong, and Ed O’Neill should be allowed to work forever. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
There’s a delightfully old school fun about the horror of The Cabin In The Woods (Lionsgate, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), which Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have crafted about as well as a horror film can be crafted, with a nice mix of scares and humor draped over enough of a plot to pull the viewer through. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and more.
Forget the chair crazy man of recent memory and go back to a time when Clint Eastwood was merely ranch foreman Rowdy Yates in the back-to-back release of Rawhide: Season 5 Volume 1 & Rawhide: Season 5 Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$45.98 SRP each). Bonus features are limited to episodic previews for select episodes.
It certainly doesn’t have the laid back charm of the original, but the new Hawaii Five-O (Paramount, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$72.99 SRP) is pleasant enough as an Aloha State procedural. The second season set contains all 23 episodes plus commentaries, featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
As Halloween fast approaches, Warners digs into its catalogue for a pair of mostly seasonal-appropriate titles to give their high definition debut – Devil’s Advocate and Queen Of The Damned (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$19.98 SRP each). Devil’s Advocate gets an audio commentary and deleted scenes, while Queen Of The Damned gets an audio commentary, featurettes, deleted scenes, music videos, a gag reel, and more.
This week’s TV releases also include the complete second season of Dana Delaney’s Body Of Proof (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP) and the first half of the 6th season of Army Wives (ABC Studios, Not Rated, DVD-$39.99 SRP). Bonus features on Proof include featurettes, deleted scenes, bloopers, and webisodes, while Wives sports deleted scenes and bloopers.
The shame about the NBC release of their 2-disc London 2012 (NBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.93 SRP) is that the London Olympics is one I truly want an HD document of, but the last thing I want documented about it is NBC’s awful, tone-deaf coverage. Shame, really. Best to sit back and watch the pretty pictures on this and wait for the BBC’s superior release somewhere down the road.
Fans I’m sure will devour the pink frosting puff pastry documentary Katy Perry The Movie: Part Of Me (Paramount, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), which presents an endearingly upbeat bubblegum portrait of the singer/personality. Bonus materials include featurettes and full concert performances.
How about a clutch of new releases from the fine folks at The History Channel? History gets covered with Secret Access: The Presidency (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP) and America’s Book Of Secrets (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$29.95 SRP). Fake history is covered with an exploration of James Bond Gadgets (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP). Reality with only tenuous historical information is covered by Cajun Pawn Stars (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$19.95 SRP). And batshit crazy junk history is covered by the high definition release of The Best Of Ancient Aliens (History Channel, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$19.95 SRP).
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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