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…)
Let’s kick things off this week with a very special video feature – an episode of COOKERY! hosted by me, Ken Plume. Like many others before me, I’ve become addicted to partaking of both Pineapple and Orange-flavored Dole Whips whilst enjoying a day… or a week (whatever!)… in either Disneyland or Walt Disney World. Thanks to a bit of sleuthing and the fine folks at Precision Foods and Cuisinart’s ICE-45 soft-serve ice cream machine, I managed to make my very own batch of Dole Soft Serve in my very own home, and you can, too. Watch…
When I first saw the prototype shots for the latest in Sideshow’s line of 1/6-scale DC Comics figures, I was overjoyed to see that its styling was evocative of my favorite comic artist, John Byrne. So yes, that made their Superman ($199.99) even more appealing than it already was just by dint of being the next in their line of iconic characters. It’s also one of their more versatile figures, coming with a total of three different head sculpts, ranging from happy (take that, Snyder) to determined to heat vision intense. All three are great, but the gong goes to the brilliant heat vision sculpt. There are two capes packed in – one free flowing, the other with hidden wire for poseability, plus a handful of hands for accenting that perfect pose. Niftiest of all, though, is the Sideshow-exclusive hand that comes clutching Metallo’s head. Boy oh boy, this figure is just great. See for yourself…
Oh, Shout Factory. I’ve long since come to have an unconditional belief in your ability to clear even the gnarliest of rights tangles, and you’ve proven your miraculous powers once again in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXII (Shout Factory, Not Rated, DVD-$59.97 SRP) and its inclusion of Space Travelers (aka Marooned), which was once thought to be unclearable. And then you did it. The set rounds out with Hercules, Radar Secret Service, and San Francisco International, making for a nice mix of Joel and Mike episodes, plus a clutch of bonus featurettes and introductions from Frank Conniff.
Their brand new seasons are returning soon to deliver us from the doldrums of Girls, but in the meantime you can rewatch the stellar debut season of Silicon Valley (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) and the equally brilliant third season of Veep (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP). As for bonus materials, Silicon Valley has audio commentaries and a trio of featurettes, while Veep has a quartet of audio commentaries and a clutch of deleted scenes.
In an era of CG, it’s refreshing to see a beautifully realized animated film like Song Of The Sea (Universal, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) done in hand-drawn 2D by the same folks who created the also-gorgeous Secret Of The Kells. Based on the Irish legend of the Selkies, it’s like getting a feature film mash-up between The Legend Of Zelda and The Black Cauldron. And did I mention how wonderful it looks? Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurettes, and animation tests.
I’d like to say that the final installment of Peter Jackson’s 3-part adaptation of pulls together all of the threads into a gloriously satisfying finish, but The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies (Warner Bros., Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.95 SRP) instead feels like a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. There are some grand moments, and a fair number of characters we’ve come to, if not love, at least be fond of, but poor Bilbo feels like an afterthought in his own story, as the focus remains squarely on Thorin and its associated sturm & drang. A shame, really. And we all know we’re merely marking time until the release of the expanded edition at the end of the year, so this theatrical cut gets only the barest of bonus features, with about an hour’s worth of featurettes.
Chris Rock is a funny, funny man. And his writing and directorial debut, Top Five (Paramount, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) is a funny, funny film, starring Rock as a stand-up forced to take a long, hard look at himself after an encounter with a journalist (Rosario Dawson). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, and outtakes.
As both a documentary film and a powerful indictment of justice mishandled, Errol Morris’s The Thin Blue Line (Criterion, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$39.95 SRP) remains just as effective today, particularly in light of recent events. And now the film looks and sounds better than ever, thanks to a high definition upgrade from Criterion. Bonus materials include new interviews with Morris and The Act Of Killing director Joshua Oppenheimer, an NBC news report from 1989, and an essay by film scholar Charles Musser.
It seems hard to believe, but it’s only now that the Marlon Brando classic The Wild One (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP) is making its high definition debut. Joining it on Blu-Ray is the lesser Orson Welles classic The Lady From Shanghai (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.98 SRP). Both are a long time in coming, but finally here.
Much like the overly-ballyhooed Gravity before it, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (Paramount, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) tries to trade on a ham-fisted approach to real science before devolving into mealy-mouth spiritual gobbledygook in a saccharine finale. Which is a shame, because it could have been so much more, rather than a half-baked Kubrick. Bonus materials include a clutch of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
A beautifully shot documentary about an incredibly nifty animal narrated by Morgan Freeman? In 3D? Yes, please. Because that’s exactly what IMAX Island Of Lemurs: Madagascar (Warner Bros., Rated G, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) delivers. plus a passel of additional featurettes.
If you’re not willing or able to dive into the complete season sets but just want to dip your toe, CBS has released a trio of sampler collections for just that purpose. Star Trek: Captain Kirk’s Boldest Missions (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$16.99 SRP) contains the episodes “The Corbomite Maneuver”, “The Doomsday Machine”, “The City On The Edge Of Forever”, “The Conscience Of The King”, “Balance Of Terror”, “Space Seed”, “Mirror Mirror”, and “Return To Tomorrow”. Matlock: Greatest Cases (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP) is a 3-disc affair sporting a dozen episodes spanning the run of the show. Finally, Petticoat Junction: Family Favorite Episodes (CBS, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP) sports 8 episodes, fully restored, from across its black & white and color run.
Exercise your dormant creativity with Drawing Is Magic: Discovering Yourself In A Sketchbook (Melanie Falick, $17.95 SRP), as artist John Hendrix presents scores of brilliant creative prompts and lessons that make drawing fun and interactive.
Another week, and the fine folks at Olive Films surprise with another solid clutch of new-to-high-def catalogue releases. This week brings Brian Dennehy & James Woods in Best Seller (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Bill Pullman & Gabriel Byrne in Wim Wenders’ The End Of Violence (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Robert Duvall & James Earl Jones in Convicts (Olive, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Gary Oldman & Dennis Hopper in Chattahoochee (Olive, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), Tim Roth & Paul Rhys in Vincent & Theo (Olive, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), and the brilliant documentary John Ford: Dreaming The Quiet Man (Olive, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.95 SRP), about the director’s 20 year journey to realize his film.
It came and went at the box office, but the modern re-make of Annie (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$38.99 SRP) is a nice little charmer, even if it will never reach the iconic status of the flawed John Huston take on the musical. Bonus materials include featurettes, an audio commentary, a deleted song, bloopers, a music video, and more.
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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