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…)
While there are certainly flashier characters from the original trilogy, like Darth Vader or Boba Fett, the true mark of just how impressive Hot Toys’ handling of the Star Wars license is turning out to be is their eerily pitch-perfect take on Obi-Wan Kenobi (Sideshow/Hot Toys, $219.99). From the perfect likeness of Sir Alec Guinness to the expertly tailored Jedi robes, this is the definitive 1/6-scale version of the venerable master. And because we’re gluttons for more, there’s no need to be content with just the figure itself, because they’ve plussed it with a swappable right arm that includes an in-built LED lightsaber that turns your display up to 11.
Pixar. Listen. Why do you want to make me cry? You’re absolutely brutal with the feels, and you know exactly what buttons to push. And you push them all with Inside Out (Walt Disney, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). From happy to sad and all the emotions in-between, which is rather fitting, as that’s what this film is all about, showing the interior emotional workings of 11-year-old Riley. And I’m not going to spoil any more of it, because if you haven’t seen it already, you should. Bonus materials include the Lava short, the brand new Riley’s First Date short, featurettes, and more.
As a new Pixar film hits theaters, that also means we get a brand new tome chronicling the artistic journey from concept to final picture with The Art Of The Good Dinosaur (Chronicle Books, $40 SRP), featuring loads of artwork and insight. And, in a first, a companion book has been crafted for the short subject that runs before the movie with The Art Of Sanjay’s Super Team (Chronicle Books, $24.95 SRP).
And because we’re not quite done with Pixar yet, they’ve helped to craft the perfect gift for budding filmmakers eager to have a journal in which to chart the progress of their own creative project’s journey with The Animator’s Sketchbook (Chronicle Books, $18.95 SRP), which contains discrete sections on Concept, Story, Color Script, Characters, and Worlds with plenty of room to doodle and design with helpful words of encouragement and visuals for inspiration along the way.
I’ll admit, I got swept up in the emotional wave of celebrating October 21, 2015 – the “future” date Marty and Doc (and Einstein & Jennifer) traveled to in order to do something about Marty & Jennifer’s kids. So, yes, bring on a brand new Back To The Future: 30th Anniversary Trilogy box set (Universal, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP), which supplements all of the bonus materials from the last release with a brand new bonus disc featuring a Doc Brown short, a documentary on the restoration of the original DeLorean, 2015 commercials for Jaws 19 and hoverboards, and more.
The now-yearly specials are certainly building anticipation for a new feature-length adventure while managing to be fun-filled romps in their own right, and that’s certainly what last year’s Toy Story That Time Forgot (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP) is, as out heroes are deposited into an 80s action toy world full of delusional peril. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, the animated opening for the fictional cartoon Battlesaurs, featurettes, a karaoke video, deleted scenes, and more.
Whenever a new home theater technology arrives on the scene, there comes a home video release of a beloved property that’s meant to be the perfect showcase for said technology. With Dolby’s new Atmos sound technology, designed to make the viewer feel sonically immersed in the world they’re watching, the first television series to embrace it is HBO’s flagship show, Game Of Thrones. So what does that mean? That means we get brand new Atmos versions of Game Of Thrones: The Complete First Season and Game Of Thrones: The Complete Second Season (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.99 SRP each), packaged in lovely new steelbook cases featuring magnetic house sigils for the Starks and the Lannisters. Bonus features carry over from the previous releases.
While it seems this is the millionth release of the film on various media, you know in your heart of hearts that you’ll be purchasing Monty Python & The Holy Grail: 40th Anniversary Edition (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP) because you have always, and will always, purchase another edition of this film whenever the design to lob another one at fans. Which is often. And you know it’s true, and you know they know it. So buck up, and fork over the cash for this new edition, which includes all of the bonus features from the last edition, plus an all-new 30-minute Q&A with the Pythons who aren’t yet dead, hosted by John Oliver.
You have a lot of gadgets, gear, and gizmos to be carting around with you as cold descends on the land, so why not face the elements with all of your stuff safely stowed about your person with the SCOTTeVEST Hoodie Microfleece (Thinkgeek, $44.99), a hoodie which packs 10 pockets and a whole lot of warmth.
As someone who owns the vintage Making Ghostbusters, which explored the production of the original film, I was waiting for the day when someone would come along and offer up an updated and expanded look at the creation of the franchise as a whole, incorporating both films, the animated series, comics, video games, and more. Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History (Insight Editions, $50 SRP) does just that, while also being one of those books that incorporated reproductions of actual ephemera, including Gozer temple plans, the Ghostbusters’ business card, VFX notes, a Stay-Puft Marshmallows sticker, and much more.
You’d think there’d few variations left to mine in going meta on the slasher flick genre, but The Final Girls (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$30.99 SRP) manages to do it with a wink and heart, as a group of teen friends are mysteriously transported into an 80s cult film, Camp Bloodbath, that starred the late mother of one of the kids. Once inside the film, they must try and survive all of the tropes. Bonus materials include an audio commentaries, alternate endings, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
Yeah, well, don’t try and make sense of the Terminator timeline. By the time we’ve reached Terminator: Genisys (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$52.99 SRP), the continuity is just a confusing mess of who did what when and for why and how does that huh whatever. So, really, the way to approach the return of an elder Arnold Schwarzenegger to one of his most iconic roles is just to take it at face value and ask, “Is it an enjoyable flick on its own merits?” And it mostly is. In an odd, kitchen sink kind of way. But, that’s fine. Just don’t try to make too much sense of it all. Bonus materials include a batch of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
There are a lot of elaborate hoo-has on what is ultimately a straightforward straight shooter, which is ultimately the strength of Nerf’s N-Strike SharpFire Blaster (Nerf, $15.99 SRP) – it’s a Nerf dart pistol that shoots pretty darn accurately. And, when you’re locked in heated backyard conflict, sometimes that’s just what you need.
Oh, Jurassic World (Universal, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP). You are such a goofball of excess. While Jurassic Park took the premise of resurrected dinosaurs somewhat seriously, World decides to go full meta B-movie with the whole affair, in the age of Sharknado. I mean, Chris Pratt has a raptor gang. Which is not to say this isn’t all enjoyable. It’s just that it’s pure popcorn, b-movie enjoyable. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and featurettes.
Didier Ghez is a brilliant illuminator of the often unexplored corners of the art and artists behind the Disney films, and he’s brought that the unique and wonderful skill to They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Golden Age (Chronicle Books, $40 SRP), which explores the works of a quartet of Disney’s first concept artists as the company’s horizons broadened rapidly in the 1930s.
PBS’s In Their Own Words is a unique spin on the biodoc format, which as the title suggests relies heavily upon quotes from the subjects themselves to guide the narrative, through archive footage and extensive interviews with intimates. Give a trio of cultural luminaries a spin, with episodes focusing on Queen Elizabeth II, Muhammad Ali, and Jim Henson (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP each).
I suppose every comic actor should get their chance to stumble into a redeeming dramatic part, and Jason Segel gets his portraying author David Foster Wallace in The End Of The Tour (Lionsgate, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), about a road trip during which he’s interviewed by journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, interviews, and featurettes.
It got a disastrous blink-and-you-missed-it theatrical release, which is a shame, because Aardman’s Shaun The Sheep Movie (Lionsgate, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) is a lovely, delightful little kid’s film that doesn’t feel like a kid’s film. It’s brill. Bonus materials include a flock of featurettes and more.
Sadly, it was our enjoyment of bombastic action flicks like Bad Boys 1 & II (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.99 SRP) that fueled the power and enduring pap of Michael Bay, as the seemingly innocuous purveyor of popcorn became the mad blowhard of endless awful pop culture bastardizations. But these two relics of a more innocent age are now packaged together in a 20th anniversary edition, loaded bonus features.
There’s nothing like the restoration of a pair of kitschy old-school genre films to make a cinephile go all warm and fuzzy, which is exactly the internal reaction generated by the restoration of the Vincent Price & Agnes Morehead thriller The Bat and Roger Corman’s A Bucket Of Blood (The Film Detective, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP each).
Back when a pair of ideological rivals could have intellectual bareknuckle debates on the airwaves, the two greatest heavyweights were William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal. However intellectual it was, though, their verbal sparring, which began during ABC’s coverage of the 1968 Democratic and Republican Conventions, definitely laid the groundwork for the uncivil cesspit of television discourse we have today. To see exactly what I’m on about, check out the excellent documentary Best Of Enemies: Buckley Vs. Vidal (Magnolia, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP).
I would probably have not given a tie-in book to the show Vikings the time of day if I hadn’t discovered it was written by author, historian, and all-around great bloke Justin Pollard, which automatically elevated The World Of Vikings (Chronicle Books, $35 SRP) into a book worth checking out, as it deftly weaves the historical truth behind the drama into its background on the production.
Very few sitcoms have gotten the high definition treatment, and particularly not one that goes back over 10 years, but now you can snag That 70s Show: The Complete Series (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$149.98 SRP) looks pretty darn good, even more so because it’s presented in anamorphic widescreen. Certainly worth checking out, , as it’s also loaded with bonus materials, including new-to-Blu-Ray featurettes, in addition to the materials from the original DVD releases. Groovy.
A powerful look at an all-too-brief life, Matt Shepard Is A Friend Of Mine (Virgil Films, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is a documentary that revisits the events of the tragic hate crime that took his life, but more importantly uses photos and rare footage to celebrate his life.
Starting in a small Pudding Lane bakery and eventually engulfing the city of London, the disastrous events beginning September 2, 1666 are dramatized in The Great Fire (PBS, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), a star-studded affair that brings the events to life, from the actions and reactions of the common man right up to King Charles II.
The main problem with the modern quasi-sequel Vacation (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP) is that it has a mighty big family truckster to fill, and never quite manages to make enough of an impression that you’re not constantly thinking back fondly on the original, when Chevy Chase was at the height of his power and all of the creative powers behind the scenes were pure brilliance. So, yeah, while this is an affable trip down holiday road with Rusty Griswold and family, it just further reinforces how remarkable the original was. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Listen to a rocking set as Martha Davis & The Motels celebrate the legendary LA club’s 50th anniversary with The Motels Live At The Whiskey A Go Go (Vesuvio, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), featuring almost 20 tunes plus a clutch of bonus features.
SwaySway and Buhdeuce fly their rocket van from their Nickelodeon animated series into brand new comic book adventures in Breadwinners #1: Journey to the Bottom of the Seats (Papercutz, $7.99 SRP), which is just as bonkers as the show itself.
This weekend’s turn off your brain and hop on the rollercoaster low-budget action flick is Operator (Alchemy, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), as a city devolves into chaos, sparked by the kidnapping of a 911 operator’s daughter and estranged police officer husband. And it also has Ving Rhames in it. Because Ving Rhames.
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…
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 admit that there was some worry that the second season of Game Of Thrones (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.98 SRP) would drop the ball after a pretty stellar first season, as the movement into George RR Martin’s second novel greatly increases the number of subplots and locations and could have been a compromised mess. Thankfully, although there are plenty more changes from the books this go round, what has wound up on screen is still a tight, enjoyable journey into Martin’s world, and merely whets the appetite for the events to come in season 3. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, and a lovely clutch of animated pieces illuminating the histories of the characters and events referenced.
There are plenty of ways so outrageous a true story as the CIA actually creating a cover story involving the production of a fake Hollywood film in order to smuggle diplomats out of Iran after the revolution could have gone wrong – from being too ham-fisted to too light – but Argo (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$35.99 SRP) manages to sidestep all of those pitfalls and instead present a brilliant re-creation of a so-bizarre-it’s-true tale. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a PiP feature integrating actual eyewitness stories, and a handful of featurettes detailing the history and its cinematic translation.
Timed to coincide with the release of the sequel Monsters University, Pixar’s recent 3D conversion of the original Monsters, Inc. (Disney, Rated G, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) arrives on home video, looking every bit as snazzy as their other recent 3D conversions, and loaded with not only all of the bonus features from the original Blu-Ray special edition, but adding the new Toy Story Toon “Partysaurus Rex”. Now hurry up and give us Wall-E and The Incredibles in 3D!
Based on Michael Dobbs’ best-selling political thrillers and brilliantly adapted by screenwriter Andrew Davies, the original UK House Of Cards (BBC, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$49.99 SRP) gets a remastered special edition to coincide with the recent US remake. Bonus features on this new edition include audio commentaries, an interview with Davies, and a tour of Parliament.
In what I can only hope is a precedent that starts a trend, the missing episodes of the William Hartnell 1st Doctor story contained in the new release of Doctor Who: The Reign Of Terror (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) have been brought to life via newly-animated episodes utilizing the still-surviving audio, which means that fans can finally experience both sound and vision for the numerous stories – many of which are during Patrick Troughton’s 2nd Doctor run – for which the original film was foolishly destroyed by the BBC. Bonus materials include audio commentaries, featurettes, galleries, and more.
Nicholas Meyer’s superbly written pairing of Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud in The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (Shout Factory, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$26.99 SRP) finally gets the beautiful high definition presentation is deserves, along with a new interview with Meyer. If you’ve never seen this flick, do so.
The easiest way to describe The Thieves (Well Go USA, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP) is to think of it as a Hong Kong Ocean’s 11, with 10 master criminals assembling to pull off the heist of their lives – a 318-carat diamond locked away in a casino. It’s a nifty little pic, natch. Bonus materials include a pair of featurettes and a trailer.
It’s a classic TV bonanza – which is rather fitting considering one of the shows getting another season released this week, namely Bonanza: The Fifth Season Volume 1 & Volume 2 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$59.98 SRP each), featuring all 34 episodes of the Cartwright clans 5th year. Also arriving is the second volume of the 7th season of Gunsmoke (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$36.98, containing 17 episodes, plus preview trailers and sponsor materials. Finally, we get Matlock: Season 8 (Paramount, Not Rated, DVD-$49.99, starring the late Andy Griffith as the folksiest of folksy southern lawyers.
I’m still not a terribly big fan of retrofitted 3D, but when it comes to a big, flashy 80’s popcorn flick like Top Gun (Paramount, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP), I’ll relax my aversion enough to go along with the ride, as that’s entirely what the experience amounts to – in all the good ways. The film has also received a visual and audio upgrade to go with the 3D, meaning it’s never looked or sounded better. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, a making-of documentary, featurettes, storyboards with optional commentary, music videos, TV spots, Tom Cruise interviews, and more.
Jean and Laurent De Brunhoff’s king of the elephants makes his feature debut in Babar: The Movie (E1, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which finds the titular monarch on a quest to save the future Queen Celeste and outwit the machinations of Rataxes while freeing Elephantland.
The folks at the Smithsonian Channel have released a new pair of documentaries, covering both the natural world and the world of pop culture. On the pop side, you’ve got The Origins Of Oz (Smithsonian, Not Rated, DVD-$14.98 SRP), which examines the formation of L. Frank Baum’s Oz mythology, while Undersea Edens (Smithsonian, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP) features a clutch of programs focusing on the natural beauty beneath the waves.
Fox rolls out the next in their line of prestige “20th Century Fox Studio Classics” with the high definition release of Otto Preminger’s legendary noir Laura (Fox, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), about the investigation behind the murder of the titular bombshell (Gene Tierney). Bonus materials include a pair of audio commentaries, A&E Biography episodes featuring Tierney and Vincent Price, a deleted scene, and more.
Every once in awhile, you have to cleanse your blockbuster-heavy cinema palette with a lovely little character piece like The Sessions (Fox, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which focuses on a poet-journalist (John Hawkes), paralyzed and confined to an iron lung since childhood, who receives the help of his sympathetic therapist (Helen Hunt) and his priest (William H. Macy) to overcome yet another bit of adversity by losing his virginity at age 38. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and featurettes.
There may be eight million stories in the Naked City (Image, Not Rated, DVD-$24.98 SRP), but you’ll find at least 20 in the complete first season of this landmark police drama that features a who’s-who of up-and-coming talent, including Gene Hackman, William Shatner, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Christopher Walken, and many, many more.
While the catalogue releases aren’t coming as fast & furious as they were at the end of last year, we’re still getting high definition upgrades of modern classics like The Insider (Touchstone, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$20.00 SRP), starring Russell Crowe as former tobacco executive Dr. Jeffrey Wigand who blows the whistle on his industry’s unethical practices with the help of 60 Minutes producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) and Mike Wallace (Christopher Plummer). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, featurette, and scene exploration.
The Cohen Media Group has launched into a broad restoration project of some true cinema classics, the latest of which is a beautiful high definition presentation of 1924’s The Thief Of Bagdad (Cohen, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.98 SRP), which also includes an audio commentary and a featurette with rare photos. Add this to your must-buy list.
Try as I might, I still find the US version of Top Gear (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$29.98 SRP) a grating, lifeless affair lacking the eminently watchable charm of the UK’s triumvirate of Clarkson, May, & Hammond. Granted, I care not a tinker’s whit for cars, which makes my dependence on the affability of the hosts a key factor – and the US version just doesn’t have it. The 4-disc second season set contains deleted scenes and challenges, extended scenes, featurettes, and more.
Celebrate the anniversary of the James Bond film franchise with an exploration of its more iconic elements via Top Gear: 50 Years Of Bond Cars (BBC, Not Rated, DVD-$9.95 SRP). Presented by Richard Hammond, it looks at everything from the legendary Aston Martin DB5 to the AMC Hornet, with insight from the actors, filmmakers, and stuntmen.
It’s not a great show, but Cougar Town (Lionsgate, Not Rated, DVD-$19.98 SRP) remains consistently enjoyable as just a nice little comedy that’s good for a laugh. The third season keeps that same dependability, and is otherwise a bit of a blur. And a marriage. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a blooper reel.
As a story, Fun Size (Nickelodeon, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP) certainly doesn’t match the teen-romp-with-a-heart heyday of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or even Adventures In Babysitting, but Victoria Justice largely saves the day as a put upon daughter of an arrested development widowed mother and a dangerously precocious younger brother (Jackson Nicoll) whose hijinks after he disappears from his sister’s care on Halloween night drive the plot. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, featurettes, a gag reel, and a music video.
Ron Moore’s remake has its last hurrah with Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome (Universal, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.98 SRP) – a failed pilot set during the fist Cylon war, where we follow a young Adama as he’s assigned to the centerpiece of the Colonial fleet, the Galactica. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and a visual effects featurette.
I’m not entirely sure why The Factory (Warner Bros., Rated R, DVD-$28.98 SRP) is only getting a standard DVD release, as it’s tight little crime thriller starring John Cusack as a police detective who faces a ticking clock to find his abducted daughter.
If you’re keen on watching a clutch of back-bayou folks bang around hunting gators, then look no further than Swamp People: Season 3 (History Channel, Not Rated, DVD-$ SRP), which collects all 22 episodes, plus 30 minutes of bonus footage featuring more drawling, swampy hijinks.
Mill Creek and their kid-friendly Cookie Jar imprint have released another batch of family titles from their immense catalogue – Beverly Hills Teens: Volume One (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP), Jayce And The Wheeled Warriors: Volume 2 (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$12.98 SRP), the 12-film Family Movie Favorites collection (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), and the 3-disc Collingwood O’Hare Collection (Mill Creek, Not Rated, DVD-$9.98 SRP), featuring Eddy & The Bear, Rarg, and Animal Stories.
Audiences shrugged when the first part was released, but that massive failure surprisingly didn’t derail Atlas Shrugged: Part II (Fox, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$29.99 SRP), which arrives via the direct-to-video route, jam-packed with all of Ayn Rand’s blinkered thinking intact. Bonus materials include deleted scenes, a featurette, and an extended Sean Hannity segment.
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…
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
In this episode, I have a chat with writer/actor Tony Way about Duke Brothers, Vic and Bob, meat puppets, per diems, dragon tattoos, Shakespeare, and Kevin Spacey’s White Room.
Pixar. Listen. Why do you want to make me cry? You’re absolutely brutal with the feels, and you know exactly what buttons to push. And you push them all with Inside Out (Walt Disney, Rated PG, 3D Blu-Ray-$39.99 SRP). From happy to sad and all the emotions in-between, which is rather fitting, as that’s what this film is all about, showing the interior emotional workings of 11-year-old Riley. And I’m not going to spoil any more of it, because if you haven’t seen it already, you should. Bonus materials include the Lava short, the brand new Riley’s First Date short, featurettes, and more.
As a new Pixar film hits theaters, that also means we get a brand new tome chronicling the artistic journey from concept to final picture with The Art Of The Good Dinosaur (Chronicle Books, $40 SRP), featuring loads of artwork and insight. And, in a first, a companion book has been crafted for the short subject that runs before the movie with The Art Of Sanjay’s Super Team (Chronicle Books, $24.95 SRP).
And because we’re not quite done with Pixar yet, they’ve helped to craft the perfect gift for budding filmmakers eager to have a journal in which to chart the progress of their own creative project’s journey with The Animator’s Sketchbook (Chronicle Books, $18.95 SRP), which contains discrete sections on Concept, Story, Color Script, Characters, and Worlds with plenty of room to doodle and design with helpful words of encouragement and visuals for inspiration along the way.
I’ll admit, I got swept up in the emotional wave of celebrating October 21, 2015 – the “future” date Marty and Doc (and Einstein & Jennifer) traveled to in order to do something about Marty & Jennifer’s kids. So, yes, bring on a brand new Back To The Future: 30th Anniversary Trilogy box set (Universal, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP), which supplements all of the bonus materials from the last release with a brand new bonus disc featuring a Doc Brown short, a documentary on the restoration of the original DeLorean, 2015 commercials for Jaws 19 and hoverboards, and more.
The now-yearly specials are certainly building anticipation for a new feature-length adventure while managing to be fun-filled romps in their own right, and that’s certainly what last year’s Toy Story That Time Forgot (Walt Disney, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP) is, as out heroes are deposited into an 80s action toy world full of delusional peril. Bonus materials include an audio commentary, the animated opening for the fictional cartoon Battlesaurs, featurettes, a karaoke video, deleted scenes, and more.
Whenever a new home theater technology arrives on the scene, there comes a home video release of a beloved property that’s meant to be the perfect showcase for said technology. With Dolby’s new Atmos sound technology, designed to make the viewer feel sonically immersed in the world they’re watching, the first television series to embrace it is HBO’s flagship show, Game Of Thrones. So what does that mean? That means we get brand new Atmos versions of Game Of Thrones: The Complete First Season and Game Of Thrones: The Complete Second Season (HBO, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$79.99 SRP each), packaged in lovely new steelbook cases featuring magnetic house sigils for the Starks and the Lannisters. Bonus features carry over from the previous releases.
While it seems this is the millionth release of the film on various media, you know in your heart of hearts that you’ll be purchasing Monty Python & The Holy Grail: 40th Anniversary Edition (Sony, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$19.99 SRP) because you have always, and will always, purchase another edition of this film whenever the design to lob another one at fans. Which is often. And you know it’s true, and you know they know it. So buck up, and fork over the cash for this new edition, which includes all of the bonus features from the last edition, plus an all-new 30-minute Q&A with the Pythons who aren’t yet dead, hosted by John Oliver.
You have a lot of gadgets, gear, and gizmos to be carting around with you as cold descends on the land, so why not face the elements with all of your stuff safely stowed about your person with the SCOTTeVEST Hoodie Microfleece (Thinkgeek, $44.99), a hoodie which packs 10 pockets and a whole lot of warmth.
As someone who owns the vintage Making Ghostbusters, which explored the production of the original film, I was waiting for the day when someone would come along and offer up an updated and expanded look at the creation of the franchise as a whole, incorporating both films, the animated series, comics, video games, and more. Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Visual History (Insight Editions, $50 SRP) does just that, while also being one of those books that incorporated reproductions of actual ephemera, including Gozer temple plans, the Ghostbusters’ business card, VFX notes, a Stay-Puft Marshmallows sticker, and much more.
You’d think there’d few variations left to mine in going meta on the slasher flick genre, but The Final Girls (Sony, Rated PG-13, Blu-Ray-$30.99 SRP) manages to do it with a wink and heart, as a group of teen friends are mysteriously transported into an 80s cult film, Camp Bloodbath, that starred the late mother of one of the kids. Once inside the film, they must try and survive all of the tropes. Bonus materials include an audio commentaries, alternate endings, deleted scenes, featurettes, and more.
Yeah, well, don’t try and make sense of the Terminator timeline. By the time we’ve reached Terminator: Genisys (Paramount, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$52.99 SRP), the continuity is just a confusing mess of who did what when and for why and how does that huh whatever. So, really, the way to approach the return of an elder Arnold Schwarzenegger to one of his most iconic roles is just to take it at face value and ask, “Is it an enjoyable flick on its own merits?” And it mostly is. In an odd, kitchen sink kind of way. But, that’s fine. Just don’t try to make too much sense of it all. Bonus materials include a batch of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
There are a lot of elaborate hoo-has on what is ultimately a straightforward straight shooter, which is ultimately the strength of Nerf’s N-Strike SharpFire Blaster (Nerf, $15.99 SRP) – it’s a Nerf dart pistol that shoots pretty darn accurately. And, when you’re locked in heated backyard conflict, sometimes that’s just what you need.
Oh, Jurassic World (Universal, Rated PG-13, 3D Blu-Ray-$49.98 SRP). You are such a goofball of excess. While Jurassic Park took the premise of resurrected dinosaurs somewhat seriously, World decides to go full meta B-movie with the whole affair, in the age of Sharknado. I mean, Chris Pratt has a raptor gang. Which is not to say this isn’t all enjoyable. It’s just that it’s pure popcorn, b-movie enjoyable. Bonus materials include deleted scenes and featurettes.
Didier Ghez is a brilliant illuminator of the often unexplored corners of the art and artists behind the Disney films, and he’s brought that the unique and wonderful skill to They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Golden Age (Chronicle Books, $40 SRP), which explores the works of a quartet of Disney’s first concept artists as the company’s horizons broadened rapidly in the 1930s.
PBS’s In Their Own Words is a unique spin on the biodoc format, which as the title suggests relies heavily upon quotes from the subjects themselves to guide the narrative, through archive footage and extensive interviews with intimates. Give a trio of cultural luminaries a spin, with episodes focusing on Queen Elizabeth II, Muhammad Ali, and Jim Henson (PBS, Not Rated, DVD-$24.99 SRP each).
I suppose every comic actor should get their chance to stumble into a redeeming dramatic part, and Jason Segel gets his portraying author David Foster Wallace in The End Of The Tour (Lionsgate, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), about a road trip during which he’s interviewed by journalist David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg). Bonus materials include an audio commentary, deleted scenes, interviews, and featurettes.
It got a disastrous blink-and-you-missed-it theatrical release, which is a shame, because Aardman’s Shaun The Sheep Movie (Lionsgate, Rated PG, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP) is a lovely, delightful little kid’s film that doesn’t feel like a kid’s film. It’s brill. Bonus materials include a flock of featurettes and more.
Sadly, it was our enjoyment of bombastic action flicks like Bad Boys 1 & II (Sony, Rated R, Blu-Ray-$26.99 SRP) that fueled the power and enduring pap of Michael Bay, as the seemingly innocuous purveyor of popcorn became the mad blowhard of endless awful pop culture bastardizations. But these two relics of a more innocent age are now packaged together in a 20th anniversary edition, loaded bonus features.
There’s nothing like the restoration of a pair of kitschy old-school genre films to make a cinephile go all warm and fuzzy, which is exactly the internal reaction generated by the restoration of the Vincent Price & Agnes Morehead thriller The Bat and Roger Corman’s A Bucket Of Blood (The Film Detective, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$14.99 SRP each).
Back when a pair of ideological rivals could have intellectual bareknuckle debates on the airwaves, the two greatest heavyweights were William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal. However intellectual it was, though, their verbal sparring, which began during ABC’s coverage of the 1968 Democratic and Republican Conventions, definitely laid the groundwork for the uncivil cesspit of television discourse we have today. To see exactly what I’m on about, check out the excellent documentary Best Of Enemies: Buckley Vs. Vidal (Magnolia, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP).
I would probably have not given a tie-in book to the show Vikings the time of day if I hadn’t discovered it was written by author, historian, and all-around great bloke Justin Pollard, which automatically elevated The World Of Vikings (Chronicle Books, $35 SRP) into a book worth checking out, as it deftly weaves the historical truth behind the drama into its background on the production.
Very few sitcoms have gotten the high definition treatment, and particularly not one that goes back over 10 years, but now you can snag That 70s Show: The Complete Series (Mill Creek, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$149.98 SRP) looks pretty darn good, even more so because it’s presented in anamorphic widescreen. Certainly worth checking out, , as it’s also loaded with bonus materials, including new-to-Blu-Ray featurettes, in addition to the materials from the original DVD releases. Groovy.
A powerful look at an all-too-brief life, Matt Shepard Is A Friend Of Mine (Virgil Films, Not Rated, DVD-$19.99 SRP) is a documentary that revisits the events of the tragic hate crime that took his life, but more importantly uses photos and rare footage to celebrate his life.
Starting in a small Pudding Lane bakery and eventually engulfing the city of London, the disastrous events beginning September 2, 1666 are dramatized in The Great Fire (PBS, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$34.99 SRP), a star-studded affair that brings the events to life, from the actions and reactions of the common man right up to King Charles II.
The main problem with the modern quasi-sequel Vacation (Warner Bros., Rated R, Blu-Ray-$44.95 SRP) is that it has a mighty big family truckster to fill, and never quite manages to make enough of an impression that you’re not constantly thinking back fondly on the original, when Chevy Chase was at the height of his power and all of the creative powers behind the scenes were pure brilliance. So, yeah, while this is an affable trip down holiday road with Rusty Griswold and family, it just further reinforces how remarkable the original was. Bonus materials include featurettes, deleted scenes, and a gag reel.
Listen to a rocking set as Martha Davis & The Motels celebrate the legendary LA club’s 50th anniversary with The Motels Live At The Whiskey A Go Go (Vesuvio, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$29.98 SRP), featuring almost 20 tunes plus a clutch of bonus features.
SwaySway and Buhdeuce fly their rocket van from their Nickelodeon animated series into brand new comic book adventures in Breadwinners #1: Journey to the Bottom of the Seats (Papercutz, $7.99 SRP), which is just as bonkers as the show itself.
This weekend’s turn off your brain and hop on the rollercoaster low-budget action flick is Operator (Alchemy, Not Rated, Blu-Ray-$24.99 SRP), as a city devolves into chaos, sparked by the kidnapping of a 911 operator’s daughter and estranged police officer husband. And it also has Ving Rhames in it. Because Ving Rhames.
I’m Ken Plume, and soon you’ll be listening to “A Bit Of A Chat” with me, Ken Plume.
I admit that there was some worry that the second season of 
There are plenty of ways so outrageous a true story as the CIA actually creating a cover story involving the production of a fake Hollywood film in order to smuggle diplomats out of Iran after the revolution could have gone wrong – from being too ham-fisted to too light – but 
Timed to coincide with the release of the sequel Monsters University, Pixar’s recent 3D conversion of the original 
Based on Michael Dobbs’ best-selling political thrillers and brilliantly adapted by screenwriter Andrew Davies, the original UK 
In what I can only hope is a precedent that starts a trend, the missing episodes of the William Hartnell 1st Doctor story contained in the new release of 
Nicholas Meyer’s superbly written pairing of Sherlock Holmes and Sigmund Freud in 
The easiest way to describe 
It’s a classic TV bonanza – which is rather fitting considering one of the shows getting another season released this week, namely 
I’m still not a terribly big fan of retrofitted 3D, but when it comes to a big, flashy 80’s popcorn flick like 
Jean and Laurent De Brunhoff’s king of the elephants makes his feature debut in 
The folks at the Smithsonian Channel have released a new pair of documentaries, covering both the natural world and the world of pop culture. On the pop side, you’ve got 
Fox rolls out the next in their line of prestige “20th Century Fox Studio Classics” with the high definition release of Otto Preminger’s legendary noir 
Every once in awhile, you have to cleanse your blockbuster-heavy cinema palette with a lovely little character piece like 
There may be eight million stories in the 
While the catalogue releases aren’t coming as fast & furious as they were at the end of last year, we’re still getting high definition upgrades of modern classics like 
The Cohen Media Group has launched into a broad restoration project of some true cinema classics, the latest of which is a beautiful high definition presentation of 1924’s 
This week’s kid-friendly quota gets fulfilled by a pair of Nickelodeon titles perfect for the preschool set – 
Try as I might, I still find the US version of 
Celebrate the anniversary of the James Bond film franchise with an exploration of its more iconic elements via 
It’s not a great show, but 
As a story, 
Ron Moore’s remake has its last hurrah with 
I’m not entirely sure why 
If you’re keen on watching a clutch of back-bayou folks bang around hunting gators, then look no further than 
Mill Creek and their kid-friendly Cookie Jar imprint have released another batch of family titles from their immense catalogue – 
Audiences shrugged when the first part was released, but that massive failure surprisingly didn’t derail 
